Barnardo's Employment, Training and Skills

Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills Youth Village, Hudson Street, North Shields NE30 1DL

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report:

At the most recent full inspection, the following areas were identified as needing to improve:

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report:

 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.  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 teach an ambitious curriculum for learners.  Provide tutors with training to develop and improve their teaching skills.

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During the monitoring inspection, inspectors focused on the following themes:

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 What progress have leaders made to ensure that all tutors plan and teach an ambitious curriculum for learners?

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 What progress have leaders made in implementing actions that support learners to improve their attendance?

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 What progress have leaders made to improve the quality of education across all centres by instilling high expectations among managers and staff about what learners can do and achieve?

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 What progress have leaders made in providing professional learning activities to improve tutors’ teaching skills?

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 What progress have leaders made in increasing the proportion of young people who complete and achieve their qualifications and progress to positive destinations? Monitoring inspection report: Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills 11 and 12 March 2026

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an ambitious curriculum for learners? (Curriculum, teaching and training)

Since the previous inspection, leaders have updated the curriculums that they offer at all 4 centres so that they meet more effectively learners’ and employers’ needs. Tutors mostly plan more challenging curriculums. They have updated the content of business administration courses to reflect current industry practices better. On retail courses, learners complete courses at a higher, more demanding level than taken previously. Tutors have adapted the sequencing of the hairdressing curriculum to develop learners’ communication skills earlier in the course in response to employer feedback.

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an ambitious curriculum for learners? (Curriculum, teaching and training)

Tutors quickly develop learners’ technical knowledge in vocational subjects. However, in their feedback on learners’ written work, tutors do not consistently indicate where they have made spelling and grammatical errors to help learners improve their English skills.

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an ambitious curriculum for learners? (Curriculum, teaching and training)

Mathematics tutors use effective strategies to help learners successfully recall previous learning. For example, they use songs to help learners remember how to use mathematics place value charts. Tutors frequently remind learners what they already know and can do and encourage them to apply this knowledge to solve new problems. They provide sufficient time for learners to answer questions before providing support.

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learners to improve their attendance? (Participation and development)

Learners’ attendance at all 4 centres is too low. The strategies that leaders and managers have implemented are not yet having a positive impact. While there have been very small improvements to learners’ attendance at most centres, at the North Tyneside centre, attendance has further declined.

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learners to improve their attendance? (Participation and development)

Leaders and managers now scrutinise closely the reasons for learners’ poor attendance. They have strengthened their processes so that poor attendance is challenged more effectively. Staff contact parents and carers through telephone calls, review meetings and parents’ evenings. They have invested in a new learner platform to track attendance which enables all staff to monitor the outcome of the interventions that they put in place.

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learners to improve their attendance? (Participation and development)

Leaders have a range of strategies to help reduce barriers to learning that might negatively impact learners’ attendance. They have therapeutic spaces for learners to take time out and self-regulate. Leaders work more frequently with external agencies and help learners access the most suitable support. Leaders provide provisions through food banks for learners. They offer financial support and bursaries for learners to purchase hot meals and clothing for interviews. Monitoring inspection report: Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills 11 and 12 March 2026

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Leaders have introduced a range of incentives to encourage learners to attend more frequently. For example, they offer football tickets, online shopping vouchers and breakfast clubs to learners whose attendance improves.

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governance)

Since the previous inspection, leaders have worked with staff to create a culture of high expectations. They have established a shared vision to empower young people to reach their full potential by improving outcomes through high-quality teaching and learning.

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governance)

Leaders recognise that the quality of education provided is not yet high enough and remains inconsistent. Although they have taken sensible actions to improve provision at each centre, is too soon to see the full impact.

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governance)

Leaders have implemented a more precise approach to quality assurance. The quality strategy outlines a range of appropriate quality assurance activities to monitor the quality of their provision more accurately. They have implemented a rigorous process to scrutinise the quality of teaching and assessment. Tutors receive clear actions to develop their skills. Managers promptly revisit lessons to ensure that tutors’ skills have improved.

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governance)

Leaders have recently put in place quality improvement plans for each centre. However, these plans are not implemented sufficiently well. Managers do not consistently record the impact of their actions on learners’ progress and attainment.

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activities to improve tutors’ teaching skills? (Leadership and governance)

Leaders have introduced a range of suitable training sessions to improve tutors’ teaching skills. Tutors undertake activities that develop their industry knowledge and their pedagogical skills. For example, they receive training designed to help them teach key content that consolidates and builds on what learners already know and can do. Teachers mostly use effective strategies to help learners to remember what they have learned over time. Managers conduct useful lesson observations to monitor effectively the impact of professional learning on tutors’ teaching skills.

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activities to improve tutors’ teaching skills? (Leadership and governance)

Since the previous inspection, leaders have ensured that staff work more closely with peers across each centre. Managers frequently meet to share best practice and discuss current themes that relate to teaching and learning. Tutors shadow colleagues who teach the same topics at different centres. They attend external training events to develop their skills, and their understanding of the support learners may need. For example, they explore how to make mathematics more interesting to those studying the subject at lower levels. They receive training regarding managing behaviour and trauma informed practice. Monitoring inspection report: Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills 11 and 12 March 2026

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Leaders conduct frequent standardisation meetings to enable staff across all centres to work more collaboratively. For example, the construction teams from London and North Tyneside worked together to develop a new curriculum.

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positive destinations? (Achievement)

Leaders rightly acknowledge that too many learners do not achieve their qualifications. Since the previous inspection, the proportion of learners who achieve their qualifications has declined further. Retention has improved since the previous year. However, too many learners still leave their programmes early.

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positive destinations? (Achievement)

Leaders recognise that they were not using accurate data to monitor and improve performance. They have suitable plans in place to use data more precisely to set clear targets and drive improvements.

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positive destinations? (Achievement)

A few of the actions that leaders have taken are starting to have a positive impact. They closely monitor learners’ progress at frequent review meetings. Leaders and quality managers are more visible and visit each centre more often. They support staff and tackle underperformance appropriately. However, it is too soon to see the effect of most of the actions that they have implemented.

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positive destinations? (Achievement)

When learners stay and achieve qualifications, they are well prepared and ready for their next steps. They mostly progress to positive destinations, such as further education and employment.

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positive destinations? (Achievement)

Leaders have ceased recruiting learners at one subcontractor since the previous inspection. They now only work with one subcontractor.

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Next Steps

Leaders should continue to work to tackle the areas identified as needing improvement in the full inspection report. Monitoring inspection report: Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills 11 and 12 March 2026

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About this inspection

This is the first monitoring inspection following publication of the inspection report on 19 May 2025, which found the provider to be requires improvement overall.

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About this inspection

The provider’s previous full inspection was carried out under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) at that time. The renewed EIF took effect from 10 November 2025. The areas for improvement identified at the provider’s full inspection have been cross- referenced to relevant evaluation areas in the inspection toolkit for consideration on this monitoring inspection.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the further education and skills inspection toolkit. The purpose was to identify and report on the provider’s progress in addressing the areas identified as needing to improve since the provider’s previous inspection.

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About this inspection

Since the previous inspection, leaders have employed a head of operations to oversee the quality across all the centres. They have a new children’s service manager and a new team leader at the Yorkshire centre.

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needs funding at time of inspection

Monitoring inspection report: Barnardo’s Employment, Training and Skills 11 and 12 March 2026

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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