Barnardo's Employment, Training and Skills

Further education and skills inspection report

p.1

Inspection of Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Education programmes for young people Requires improvement Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

p.1

Information about this provider

Barnardo’s is a children’s charity. It offers training through its employment, training and skills department. A significant number of learners have barriers to learning and, before joining Barnardo’s, were not in employment, training or education.

p.1

Information about this provider

At the time of inspection, there were 303 learners on education programmes for young people. Learners study at Barnardo’s training centres in the north east, Yorkshire, Midlands and London. Most learners study business administration, hair and beauty, health and social care, childcare, sport or construction courses. Just over a quarter of learners study with one of two subcontractors, Northumbria Youth Action and Resources NE Limited. There were fewer than five learners with high needs on construction programmes. There were 41 apprentices, the large majority of whom were on level 3 business administrator or early years educator apprenticeships. 8 to 11 April 2025

p.1

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Too many learners do not attend well enough. Leaders and managers do not set sufficiently clear expectations for attendance to enable learners to develop successful routines for education. In too many training centres, such as in Yorkshire, the Midlands and London, staff do not successfully balance the challenge and support that learners need to help them access learning. In too many instances, poor attendance leads to learners leaving their programme early.

p.2

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Most learners and apprentices develop their confidence and resilience. In childcare, learners show persistence in dealing with setbacks, such as failing to secure a particular job, and keep going until they succeed. However, in the Yorkshire and Midlands centres, learners are not supported well enough to improve their confidence and resilience. A few learners find it difficult to adapt to changes in their day, including changes to class size or visiting guests.

p.2

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices develop new knowledge and skills and apply them successfully at work. Those on business administration apprenticeships develop their communication skills and their understanding of organisational policies and procedures, such as finance and data protection. Apprentices learn how to process purchase orders and approve invoices. They make positive contributions to the workplace and are highly valued and trusted by their employers.

p.2

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners and apprentices benefit from effective pastoral support from staff. Staff signpost learners and apprentices to external agencies for counselling and support for mental health. Learners and apprentices can access on-site food and clothing banks and breakfast clubs, and they are taught how to cook on a budget. Managers provide space in training centres for quiet time or prayer.

p.2

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners and apprentices feel safe and have a good understanding of how to protect themselves from problems that may affect their lives, such as drugs, gangs and knife crime. Staff work well with specialists, including the police, to raise learners’ understanding of topics such as county lines and child sexual exploitation. Learners and apprentices understand how extremist groups use social media to radicalise vulnerable individuals. Apprentices working at the Port of Tyne are alert to people without security passes on site and know the actions they must take to report concerns.

p.2

What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners and apprentices enjoy taking part in helpful enrichment activities in addition to their course. They value the chance to take part in leisure trips, including bowling and go-karting, and visits to museums and other cultural venues. Learners on childcare and health and social care courses complete training modules to help them understand the benefits of a healthy diet and exercise. Early years apprentices develop their skills for work through additional training in sign language and children’s oral health care. 8 to 11 April 2025

p.2

better?

The quality of education is too variable across training centres. Leaders and managers have not implemented effective actions to improve the quality of education or address declining achievement and progression rates where they are not good enough. In these instances, the expectations that managers and staff have about what learners can do and achieve are too low. Where staff have higher expectations of learners, such as on childcare courses in Yorkshire, study programmes in the north east and at subcontractors, learners attend well and make good progress in the development of new knowledge and skills. A high proportion of these learners progress to further study or employment.

p.3

better?

Leaders and managers have designed an appropriate curriculum to meet the needs of learners and apprentices with often complex needs or poor previous experiences of education. Managers ensure that study programmes are accessible for young learners who struggle to engage in mainstream education by offering flexible starts throughout the year and a range of programmes from entry level to level 3. Leaders focus apprenticeship provision on sectors with employment demand to help tackle the lack of job opportunities for young people in the areas that they serve.

p.3

better?

Most tutors plan effective courses that prepare learners well for work or further study. They plan courses focused on work placements to meet the needs of learners who are not ready to study full time. Most of these learners progress into employment. However, in a minority of subjects, such as sports, tutors do not design an ambitious curriculum for learners. They do not teach the important knowledge that learners need to develop their understanding of the subject.

p.3

better?

Tutors mostly make effective use of teaching strategies that help learners and apprentices to develop new knowledge. On business administration courses, tutors use helpful teaching methods, such as demonstrations and skilful questioning. They plan plentiful opportunities for learners to practise interpreting data. As a result, learners are able to produce charts and graphs to display complex data. However, in a few instances, tutors do not use appropriate teaching strategies to help learners to remember information over time.

p.3

better?

Tutors use assessment well to check learners’ and apprentices’ understanding. Tutors on apprenticeships use valuable professional discussions, observations of practice and testimonies from line managers to assess what apprentices know and can do. On hair and beauty courses, tutors use probing questions to assess learners’ understanding of the mathematics involved in hairdressing. Learners demonstrate their knowledge by explaining the ratio they would use to mix hair colour products.

p.3

better?

Tutors provide appropriate resources and support to help learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make progress. Learners with SEND achieve as well as their peers on vocational courses and in English and mathematics. The very few learners who have high needs benefit from effective support, which 8 to 11 April 2025

p.3

4

enables them to develop their knowledge and skills and increase their confidence and independence.

p.4

4

Tutors provide helpful careers education, advice and guidance to prepare learners and apprentices for their next steps. They provide visits to employers such as hair and beauty salons, construction sites and car manufacturers. They take learners to job fairs, colleges and universities. Most learners undertake helpful work experience or work-related activity linked to their intended careers. For example, learners on subcontracted motor vehicle courses spend a day a week in a garage to practise their vehicle maintenance skills.

p.4

4

Leaders have successfully improved the quality of their apprenticeship provision and increased the proportion of apprentices who stay on their programme and achieve their apprenticeship. They rightly identified that low apprenticeship achievement rates were caused by redundancies of apprentices who did not secure alternative employment. Managers have implemented frequent performance review meetings with tutors to analyse apprentices’ progress and plan interventions to support those at risk of falling behind. Leaders have addressed staffing issues to offer stability to apprentices who experienced disruption to their learning due to staff turnover. Newly recruited early years tutors have worked hard to ensure that almost all apprentices are on track to pass their end-point assessment.

p.4

4

Managers conduct effective quality assurance activities with subcontractors. They identify well what tutors do in lessons and how teaching leads to the development of learners’ knowledge and skills. Managers have valuable discussions with learners that help them to evaluate the quality of education that learners receive. As a result, managers accurately identify what works well and set effective actions to improve provision where needed.

p.4

4

Board members are experienced in working with children and hold senior roles in relation to safeguarding. They use their expertise well to challenge leaders and managers regarding the care and support that they offer learners and apprentices. However, managers have not provided clear enough information to governors about the variance of the quality of education across the training centres. Therefore, governors do not have a detailed enough understanding of the areas for improvement.

p.4

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.4

What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Provide effective support to learners across all training centres to improve their attendance.  Implement effective actions to improve the quality of education across all centres. 8 to 11 April 2025

p.4

5

 Instil high expectations among managers and staff of what learners can do and achieve.  Improve the proportion of learners on education programmes for young people who complete and achieve their programmes and progress to positive destinations.  Ensure that all tutors plan and deliver an ambitious curriculum for learners.  Provide tutors with training to develop and improve their teaching skills. 8 to 11 April 2025

p.5

Provider details

Address Barnardo’s Youth Village Hudson Street North Shields NE30 1DL

p.6

Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Tommy McDade

p.6

Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

p.6

Provider details

Dates of previous inspection 16–19 July 2019

p.6

Main subcontractors

Northumbria Youth Action Resources NE Limited 8 to 11 April 2025

p.6

Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the head of operations, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

p.7

Inspection team

Sarah Lonsdale, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Jacquie Brown His Majesty’s Inspector Mark Keen His Majesty’s Inspector Rebecca Clare His Majesty’s Inspector Jonny Wright His Majesty’s Inspector Neil Clark Ofsted Inspector Aimey Adamson Ofsted Inspector 8 to 11 April 2025

p.7

8

regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

8

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

8

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

8

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

8

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8