NDA Foundation Limited

NDA Foundation Limited

Address: Rufford Hall, Waterside Way, (Off Racecourse Road), Trent Park, Nottingham, NG2 4DP Unique reference number (URN): 1247998

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.1

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.

p.1

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have successfully created an inclusive culture. They are rightly proud of their flexible training that enables adults to access courses regardless of their varied starting points and/or barriers to learning. Leaders devise appropriate frameworks to provide financial, personal and academic support strategies to learners.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

At application and enrolment stages, leaders and tutors explore learners’ additional needs or barriers to learning. Tutors make adaptations such as extra individual support or tailored assessment plans for learners who require adjustments. When learners who did not declare additional needs during enrolment fall behind in their studies, support staff put in place individual learning plans. This support helps learners to manage their coursework better and to submit it on time. However, in some instances, these adjustments do not happen swiftly enough to enable learners to complete their courses within planned timescales.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders monitor learners' progress thoroughly in fortnightly retention working group meetings. They discuss support strategies in place and any changes they need to make.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

In tutor meetings, senior tutors provide helpful training to the teaching team so they can adapt the way they support learners online or in person. They discuss and review individual support approaches and ways to adapt resources.

p.2

Leadership and governance Needs attention

In their quality improvement plan, leaders rightly focus on ways to improve learners' retention and achievement further. They monitor learners’ progress with care through reviewing their coursework. However, leaders do not have an accurate understanding of learners' achievement towards their qualifications to be able to drive improvements effectively.

p.2

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have suitable arrangements to provide them with external support and challenge. However, aspects such as the newly developed board of directors are too new to have had full impact on raising standards. Nevertheless, leaders consistently demonstrate their high expectations for the quality of training. They promote aspirational and industry-led content with a focus on professional development and innovation. Leaders undertake twice-yearly evaluations of teaching and hold monthly curriculum development forums. These give them a sound understanding of teaching, course content and priorities for improvement.

p.2

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders make decisions that improve learners' experiences. This includes recent significant investment in a full re-write of courses along with expansion of the highly valued skillset workshops.

p.3

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders provide suitable staff development. Senior tutors give precise developmental feedback to tutors following evaluations of their teaching. This helps tutors to enhance their practice. Leaders support staff to attend relevant industry events and to study teaching or professional qualifications. In tutor team meetings, staff discuss teaching methods and trends in learners’ work standards. New tutors receive effective support from experienced colleagues.

p.3

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders are considerate of staff wellbeing. They manage workloads carefully and set limits for caseloads that account for other responsibilities and permit flexible working.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders collaborate closely with partners to create and offer training that fills the demand for interior design professionals.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders generally understand the quality of teaching and take suitable actions to improve learners’ experiences. They now provide 3 flexible study options and ensure high-quality digital resources. However, leaders have not tailored the curriculum well enough to cater fully for learners with low starting points. As a result, a minority of learners leave their courses early.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors sequence learning carefully. They teach topics such as technical drawing early in the course. This allows learners to start to apply these principles quickly. Tutors include client case studies within each skill-themed block of learning. This brings learning to life and helps learners make links between topics.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors expertly use their industry knowledge to explain design concepts. They demonstrate professional processes and model decision-making within an industry context. Learners

p.3

Needs attention

complete practical activities that strengthen their grasp of complex ideas. For example, they mix paints by hand before they use digital tools to fully understand colour blending and tone.

p.4

Needs attention

Tutors consistently provide timely developmental feedback through the online platform. This enables learners to understand expectations very well and improve their work swiftly.

p.4

Needs attention

Tutors have a strong focus on ways to develop English and mathematics through measured drawing, scale, proportion and use of technical terminology. Consequently, learners, including those with barriers to learning, secure the skills and expertise they need for future study or job roles in the sector.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders have created a safe and respectful learning environment for all learners, including those with barriers to learning, such as long-term health conditions. Leaders and tutors set out and share clear expectations for learners' behaviour and engagement through an appropriate student charter. Tutors model professional behaviours in teaching workshops.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders and tutors monitor learners' attendance at workshops as well as their completion of resources on the online platform. Largely, learners attend and engage well.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders provide learners with clear, age-appropriate information on safeguarding, the dangers of radicalisation and extremist views, online safety and mental health via the online platform. This raises learners' awareness of the risks associated with, for example, online study or lone working. Learners know how to raise concerns and report feeling safe.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Learners benefit from practical and relevant careers guidance. Tutors help learners understand freelance pathways, build networks, plan business activity and assess their readiness for progression. Most learners feel well prepared for their next steps and move on to relevant destinations.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

Leaders have recently identified a historical reporting error that has negatively impacted published outcomes. They intend to rectify this error in future data returns. It is not possible to judge accurately the impact this will have on achievement rates. Leaders' own information indicates that typically three quarters of learners achieve their qualifications. However, this information was not yet available for the previous year.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

Learners who complete their courses mostly make steady progress from their starting points, although a small minority complete significantly past planned timeframes.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

Learners gain new technical skills, such as how to produce floor plans and elevations professionally. Learners’ work meets expected standards for the level of the course, and in many cases exceeds it. Learners grow in confidence and independence, and develop communication skills that prepare them well for their next steps. Most learners successfully move on to relevant degree level studies, freelance work or employment.

p.4

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

A significant minority of learners do not complete their courses or take much longer to complete than planned because they struggle to keep on track with their assessments. Staff provide tailored individual support, but this is often not put in place soon enough. The proportion of learners who gain their qualifications is low. However, this has been impacted by leaders' incorrect reporting of learners who continue their studies beyond planned end dates.

p.5

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

Learners enjoy their courses. They are motivated to gain the knowledge and skills they need to become professional interior design practitioners. Learners participate enthusiastically in workshops and engage well with the expertly designed and accessible resources on the online platform. They learn how to present their designs professionally and how to communicate effectively with clients. Over time, learners' work demonstrates greater depth of subject knowledge.

p.5

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

Learners who return to study after long gaps in education or who have to balance learning with work and caring responsibilities gradually grow in confidence. They describe improvements in their wellbeing and self-esteem. For example, they feel increasingly comfortable to showcase their work in group discussions.

p.5

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

Learners undertake training through different study options including distance, online, in person or a combination of these approaches. Learners who face personal challenges or have debilitating medical or mental health conditions highly value the flexible course structure that gives them access to training from which they would otherwise be excluded. Regardless of their study option, learners consistently experience caring tutors and support staff.

p.5

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

Outside their core timetable of workshops and online activities, learners can access additional evening workshops as well as a full calendar of design-related events. This further hones learners' knowledge, skills and expertise.

p.5

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

Learners are set appropriate reading on topics such as mental health, wellbeing, fundamental British values and the 'Prevent' duty as part of their induction.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders should ensure rigorous oversight of learners' achievement so they have an accurate understanding of performance and can intervene quickly to drive improvements. Leaders should fully implement their plans for external support and challenge so governors or those responsible for oversight work effectively with leaders to monitor and refine actions they take to make improvements.

p.5

Team inspectors:

Anne Tyrrell, Ofsted Inspector Sarah Biddulph, His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

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.

p.6

134

Leaders should review curriculum design as part of their work to improve retention, so more learners, including those with low starting points, complete their courses and achieve. Leaders should swiftly put in place support for learners who start to fall behind so learners consistently achieve within anticipated timeframes.

p.6

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.

p.6

About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with leaders, tutors, support staff and learners during the inspection.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider: NDA Foundation Limited operates in Nottingham, with learners based nationally. Leaders offer level 3 advanced learner courses in professional interior design. There are currently 134 adult learners. Learners study via distance learning, online, in person or a combination of these delivery models.

p.6

national average

'This provider' and 'national average' figures are taken from the publicly available DfE achievement rates. Where the DfE have supressed the figures, usually due to small cohorts, this has been mirrored in the Report Card and will be shown by an 'S'.

p.7

Exceptional

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

p.7

Strong standard

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

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

p.7

Urgent improvement

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

p.8

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.

p.8

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 .

p.8

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8