Birmingham Open Media

Birmingham Open Media

Address: 12 Dudley Street, B5 4EA Unique reference number (URN): 2761327

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are passionate about promoting entry to the digital and creative sectors for adult learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and other barriers to their learning. They carefully assess the needs of all learners at the start of their course and put in place effective support that learners need. For example, while putting in place access arrangements for a number of deaf students who wished to join the course, leaders identified that the technical language used did not exist in British Sign Language, so worked with learners to develop this in order to support them to access the whole curriculum.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff carefully monitor the progress of learners. Trainers skilfully reduce support for learners as appropriate. For example, when learners access quiet spaces due to initial anxieties, this is managed closely, and access is reduced as learners become more comfortable in the learning environment. As a result, all learners make progress in their learning, and those with SEND or other barriers to learning achieve at a higher rate than their peers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff receive coaching and mentoring on how to support learners with SEND. They know who to go to if they require any support.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of their strengths and areas for development. While they are rightly proud of the very high number of learners who successfully complete their learning, they have also set themselves challenging targets to continue to increase the number of learners who successfully move into jobs on completion of their courses.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors are passionate about supporting leaders to realise their vision to provide opportunities in the digital creative sector for learners who have barriers to learning or who are underrepresented. They have been active in supporting leaders with improving the arrangements for safeguarding and in challenging and supporting leaders in devising an inclusive education strategy for the organisation. Governors can clearly articulate leaders’ priorities and are currently active in supporting leaders to develop a rich programme of teaching skills development for training staff.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure that industry-expert teaching staff benefit from a wealth of opportunities to develop their technical skills further. They provide effective support and mentoring to new teachers to develop their teaching skills. Staff feel valued by leaders, who care about their wellbeing and workload. They talk about the supportive culture and the investment that leaders make in developing their skills and providing industry-standard resources that they can use in their teaching.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff work closely with local employers and sector organisations to ensure that learners receive development opportunities that are customised to meet their aspirations. For example, learners attended the Birmingham Tech Week, where they had the opportunity to meet with employers.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners swiftly gain new knowledge and skills. They grow in confidence in the use of 3D modelling software and discuss their new skills with a high degree of confidence. Learners produce project and assessment work of a high standard.

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Achievement Expected standard

The proportion of learners who complete their Skills Bootcamps has increased over time and is now very high, with almost all learners completing their courses. Leaders are actively working to increase the number of learners who gain employment or new work on completion of their course. Learners with barriers to their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve job outcomes at a higher rate than their peers.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners develop a range skills that support them with their next steps. Staff help students develop their pitches and provide effective tools for them to use when communicating with specialist organisations. Learners make good progress towards their individual objectives and targets.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have carefully designed a Skills Bootcamp to meet skills needs in the West Midlands for junior developers. Courses are planned and tailored well to meet individual learners’ career aspirations and interests, including those with barriers to their learning. Staff frequently review curriculum content to ensure it remains relevant to sector needs.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers have considerable experience of the immersive arts. They keep up to date with new technologies and have extensive technical understanding of industry-standard software. They give clear explanations of how the software works and its functions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching is effective. Trainers use demonstration well to help learners understand how to complete different tasks and to deepen their knowledge and skills. Learners quickly practise using these skills and apply them to their projects.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers successfully enable learners to remember and retain new knowledge, skills and specialist vocabulary. They provide focused one-to-one support in relation to learners’ individual projects, which helps learners to develop fluency in applying their new skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers' checking of learners’ understanding is mostly effective. Trainers deploy support staff very well in sessions to check that learners are on track. When needed, trainers adapt their teaching, ensuring that learners do not fall behind.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers provide learners with relevant and targeted feedback on areas to improve their work on 'mid-way' projects, such as the use of sound and including more assets and scaling. Learners respond well to this feedback and make improvements.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff provide learners with very effective careers advice and guidance. They carefully consider learners wider development needs and career goals when planning this support. They provide learners with opportunities to meet with employers who are looking for new talent. Learners attend sector events such as the Birmingham Design Festival and networking events organised by leaders, who have extensive links with industry. This helps learners to develop contacts and build their own networks.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Learners' attendance is high. Learners are well supported by leaders who adopt a flexible approach when external commitments or barriers to learning affect learners' participation.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders celebrate diversity and promote inclusion. Learners work on live projects that are based on their wide-ranging interests, many of which are based on different cultures. Leaders hold wider sector events on topics such as gender diversity, which learners can attend.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Learners have an appropriate understanding of fundamental British values. Trainers discuss these at the start of the course. Learners are taught to understand the ethics behind artificial intelligence (AI). They learn about the risks of bias in AI algorithms, voice cloning and identity theft, compliance and general data protection regulations. This information is helpful for learners when they work with AI.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners enjoy their Skills Bootcamp. They are highly motivated and attend very well. Almost all learners successfully complete their course and develop new industry-relevant knowledge and skills in games development packages, including in augmented and virtual reality. Learners become more confident in their skills throughout their course and develop the confidence and pride to showcase their projects to prospective employers at the end of the course.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Leaders focus on providing opportunities to enter the immersive arts industry for those who face barriers to learning or are underrepresented, prioritising access to their Skills Bootcamp for those learners in these groups. They work closely with learners to understand their individual needs and put effective support in place. As a result, learners with barriers to their learning complete the course and secure job outcomes, often at a higher rate than their peers.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners study in an inclusive environment where difference is celebrated. They are encouraged to choose projects which reflect their individual interests and often produce work which highlights and celebrates cultural difference. They are taught to to use industry- standard equipment and techniques creatively to showcase their talents and interests, which they value.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Teachers ensure that learners are focused on meeting their career aims from the start of the course. Learners benefit from a suite of support to develop their confidence, communication skills and understanding of the sector they aspire to work in. After completing their course, learners are mentored by a senior member of the organisation as they identify opportunities to further their careers.

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Next steps

• Leaders should continue their work to increase the number of learners who achieve job outcomes at the end of their courses. • Leaders should further develop their training for staff to provide more opportunities for trainers to develop their pedagogical skills. • Leaders should ensure that trainers further embed fundamental British values throughout the curriculum to enable learners to develop a deeper understanding of these topics.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with the CEO, Head of Learning, Chief Technology Officer, governors, training staff and learners during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Birmingham Open Media is an independent learning provider based on one site in Birmingham city centre. At the time of inspection, there were 15 learners enrolled on a 12- week immersive digital Skills Bootcamp, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority. The provider does not work with any subcontractors.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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 .

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Urgent improvement

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

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Urgent improvement

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

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