Setting

12 November 2004

Inspectors use a seven-point scale to summarise their judgements about the quality of learning sessions. The descriptors for the seven grades are: • grade 1 - excellent • grade 2 - very good • grade 3 - good • grade 4 - satisfactory • grade 5 - unsatisfactory • grade 6 - poor • grade 7 - very poor.

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12 November 2004

Inspectors use a five-point scale to summarise their judgements about the quality of provision in occupational/curriculum areas and Jobcentre Plus programmes. The same scale is used to describe the quality of leadership and management, which includes quality assurance and equality of opportunity. The descriptors for the five grades are: • grade 1 - outstanding • grade 2 - good • grade 3 - satisfactory • grade 4 - unsatisfactory • grade 5 - very weak.

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12 November 2004

The two grading scales relate to each other as follows:

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SEVEN-POINT SCALE FIVE-POINT SCALE

grade 1 grade 2 grade 3 grade 4 grade 5 grade 6 grade 7 grade 2 grade 3 grade 4

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Adult Learning Inspectorate

The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) was established under the provisions of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 to bring the inspection of all aspects of adult learning and work-based learning within the remit of a single inspectorate. The ALI is responsible for inspecting a wide range of government-funded learning, including:

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Adult Learning Inspectorate

Inspections are carried out in accordance with the by teams of full-time inspectors and part-time associate inspectors who have knowledge of, and experience in, the work which they inspect. All providers are invited to nominate a senior member of their staff to participate in the inspection as a team member. Common Inspection Framework

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Overall judgement

This provision will be subject to a full reinspection.

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Overall judgement

The final decision as to whether the provision is inadequate rests with the Chief Inspector of Adult Learning. A statement as to whether the provision is adequate or not is included in the summary section of the inspection report. Where the overall judgement is that the provision is adequate, only those aspects of the provision which are less than satisfactory will be reinspected.

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Overall judgement

• more than one third of published grades for occupational/curriculum areas, • leadership and management are judged to be less than satisfactory. • work-based learning for all people over 16 • provision in further education colleges for people aged 19 and over • provision • Adult and Community Learning • training funded by Jobcentre Plus • education and training in prisons, at the invitation of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons.

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learndirect

Provision will normally be deemed to be inadequate where:

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Contents

Description of the provider 1 Scope of provision 1 About the inspection 4 Overall judgement 4 Grades 5 Key findings 6 What learners like about Lincolnshire LEA 17 What learners think Lincolnshire LEA could improve 17 Key challenges for Lincolnshire LEA 18

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Contents

Leadership and management 22 Equality of opportunity 24 Quality assurance 26 Land-based provision 28 Information & communications technology 33 Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel 37 Visual & performing arts & media 40 English, languages & communications 44 Foundation programmes 48 Family learning 51 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

1. In Lincolnshire, adult education is delivered by the local education authority’s (LEA’s) adult and community education service (the service) through directly managed provision across 10 geographical areas of the county, and by means of subcontracted arrangements with two schools, one further education college and a national training provider. The service also has franchise arrangements with two colleges in the county. The current structure represents the latest stage in a lengthy period of re-organisation and service re- alignment.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

2. The service is part of the education and cultural services directorate of the council, along with the youth service and county libraries. In September 2003, two new central managers were appointed, who have responsibility for quality and self-assessment, and service and curriculum development, respectively. The service finance manager post was made full time in October 2003. In March 2004, a new assistant director was appointed to lead the cultural services directorate, following a period of interim arrangements after the departure of the last postholder. The service management team now consists of the service manager and two new central managers. An information and communications technology (ICT) widening participation manager was appointed in March 2004 and four part-time skills for life co-ordinators were appointed on temporary contracts until December 2004, however, only three remain.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

3. In March 2004, a consultant was employed to assist the service in developing a new management, delivery and administrative structure.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

4. Lincolnshire is the fourth largest county in the UK, and one of the most sparsely populated. While the county has lower than national average unemployment, there are pockets of severe deprivation and rural poverty. There is a steady migration of working- age people from the county, and an almost equal inward migration of people of and over retirement age. In some areas of the county, over 24 per cent of residents are aged 65 or over.

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Land-based provision

5. There are 218 learners on non-vocational land-based courses. All courses are open to beginners and to those continuing from previous courses. One hundred and seventy- seven are attending one of the 17 classes in flower arranging or introductions to floristry. Twenty-three learners attend courses leading to a national award in dog obedience. A further 18 learners attend other land-based courses including gardening. Most courses last for 10 weeks but learners can re-enrol for further courses. Half of the classes are held during the day and learners attend classes for one to two hours each week. Courses are held in 12 centres across eight areas of the county. The venues include schools,

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Land-based provision

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 1 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Land-based provision

community education colleges and village halls. There are 22 part-time tutors involved in the delivery of land-based courses. Three classes are run by subcontracted providers on three sites.

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Information & communications technology

6. ICT courses range from introductory courses for beginners, who have no previous experience of computing, to courses that help learners build on their existing competences. Many courses include word processing, computer art, desktop publishing and spreadsheets. Digital photography courses are run for beginners and for learners who want to use more advanced techniques. An introductory computer literacy course and an examination-based qualification in information technology (IT) are also offered. Seventy per cent of the courses do not lead to a qualification. The shortest course lasts for one week and the longest for 30 weeks.

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Information & communications technology

7. There are currently 486 learners on 60 courses. Of these, less than 1 per cent are under 25 years of age, 18 per cent are between 26 and 45, 29 per cent are between 46 and 59, and 53 per cent are over 60. Less than 1 per cent of learners are from minority ethnic groups. So far this academic year there have been 497 enrolments, compared with 1,870 for the previous academic year.

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Information & communications technology

8. Courses are held in 27 learning venues throughout the county. These include schools, village halls, technology colleges, adult education centres and a multimedia learning centre. The service also has three mobile learning units for use in learning centres where there are no desktop computing facilities. Partnerships with community and voluntary groups have been formed to encourage learners who are not usually involved in education and training.

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Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel

9. There are 257 courses in eight subject areas including yoga, swimming, martial arts, golf, badminton, bridge, pilates and keep fit. Courses are offered throughout the county, throughout the day and are held in venues that are accessible to the community.

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Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel

10. Forty-nine per cent of all courses are in yoga. There are no accredited courses. Sport and leisure courses comprise over 35 per cent of all adult provision. Most courses enrol learners on a termly basis and last for 10 weeks. They are located in community centres, church halls, scout huts, country clubs and schools. Between August 2003 and May 2004 there were 9,139 enrolments and 4,469 learners. Eighty-eight per cent of learners are women. All tutors are part time and most are contracted for less than 10 hours a week. Tutors are managed by community education development officers.

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Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 2 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Visual & performing arts & media

11. Visual and performing arts and media is the second largest programme area, and it offers a range of 140 courses across the county in dance, music, arts and crafts. Courses include ballet, tap and jazz dancing, music appreciation, recorder ensemble, guitar, singing, upholstery, soft furnishings, pottery, card making, and painting in watercolours. Courses are offered in schools, colleges, church centres and village halls. Some provision is subcontracted to local colleges. Courses are offered in the morning, afternoon and evening and last between one and three hours Monday to Saturday. Longer workshops are offered on some Saturdays throughout the year. Courses are mainly offered over 10 weeks each term. At the time of inspection, 2, 437 learners attend non-accredited courses and 247 attend vocational courses. Courses are co-ordinated by local community education development officers who recruit tutors and allocate most of the resources.

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English, languages & communications

12. At the time of the inspection there are 118 courses, 111 of which are in modern foreign languages and seven are in English. Twelve of these courses are provided by subcontractors. There are 10 languages taught including British Sign Language (BSL), Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish with progression available in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Nine of the courses are accredited. Accreditation includes general certificates of secondary education (GCSE), for example in English and level 1 certification in modern foreign languages. Two BSL courses also lead to qualifications. There are 53 part-time tutors for classes in 37 locations. Many classes are held in schools, including two specialist language colleges. Other types of venue include premises which are not owned by the LEA. Most of the classes are in the evening but some daytime classes are held

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Foundation programmes

13. At the time of inspection there are 381 learners in 68 courses in 36 venues across the county. Seventy-two per cent of the courses are vocational. Most of the learners are on literacy and numeracy courses. The courses take place in a variety of community venues and schools and are in the day and evening, although most take place during the day. Course levels range from pre-entry, basic communication classes, to level 2, and a significant number of courses lead to accreditation. There is a full-time skills for life development manager and three full-time co-ordinators for literacy, numeracy and language who co-ordinate the service on a regional basis with the community education development officers. There are 49 tutors who work part time.

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Foundation programmes

14. There are a variety of community development initiatives, including work with businesses such as a language club to help workers establish overseas markets. Garden restoration work is carried out by older learners with learning difficulties and with older people who have relocated to Lincolnshire and have few family support networks. In one coastal town with specific identified social deprivation issues, funding has been secured to fund a community development worker.

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Foundation programmes

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 3 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Family learning

15. Family learning is delivered through the adult and community education service. In 2003-04 there were 101 courses, 853 enrolments and 648 learners, 96 per cent of whom were women, 95 per cent were white, 2 per cent had a disability and 2 per cent had a known learning difficulty. Just over 1 per cent of learners were under 20 years of age, 32 per cent were aged 20-29 and 53 per cent were aged 30-39.

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Family learning

16. Currently there are 30 programmes being delivered in 27 venues. They take place across the county in primary schools, nurseries and at some Sure Start premises. The programmes are all family literacy, language and numeracy. Most programmes are either longer family literacy which last for 72 hours or family numeracy which lasts for 45 hours. Each programme has an introductory coffee morning to explain the aims of the course. A three-hour taster workshop is held the week before the start of the programme. Early Start programmes are for 36 hours and are delivered in 10 centres. A 12-hour course in keeping up with the children is also delivered.

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Family learning

17. Accreditation is offered on all programmes. For 2003-04 this was through the Open College Network and by portfolio-building. From September 2004, accreditation will be through the certificate in adult literacy or numeracy at entry level 3 and level 1 with some opportunities to progress to level 2. Family learning is managed through two full-time equivalent posts, one for the north and one for the south of the county. The latter is job- share. The curriculum and service development manager manages the three co- ordinators. There are 20 family learning tutors who are managed and supported by the family learning co-ordinators. Two administrative posts support the co-ordinators.

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OVERALL JUDGEMENT

18. The quality of the provision is not adequate to meet the reasonable needs of those receiving it. More specifically, the quality of family learning is good. Provision for land- based, visual and performing arts and media, and foundation programmes is satisfactory. However, ICT, hospitality, sport, leisure and travel and English, languages and communications are unsatisfactory. The leadership and management are unsatisfactory, as are the arrangements for quality assurance. The service’s measures to ensure equality of opportunity are satisfactory.

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

Number of inspectors 20 Number of inspection days 165 Number of learner interviews 991 Number of staff interviews 252 Number of subcontractor interviews 20 Number of locations/sites/learning centres visited 391 Number of partner/external agency interviews 9

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 4 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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GRADES

grade 1= outstanding, grade 2 = good, grade 3 = satisfactory, grade 4 = unsatisfactory, grade 5 = very weak

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Leadership and management 4

Contributory grades: Equality of opportunity 3 Quality assurance 4

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Land-based provision 3

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Horticulture and agriculture 18 Adult and community learning 3 - Animal care 23 Adult and community learning 3 - Floristry 177 Adult and community learning 3 -

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Information & communications technology 4

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Using IT 486 Adult and community learning 4 -

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Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel 4

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Leisure, sport and recreation 4469 Adult and community learning 4 -

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Visual & performing arts & media 3

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Arts 820 Adult and community learning 3 - Crafts 1864 Adult and community learning 3 -

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Visual & performing arts & media 3

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 5 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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English, languages & communications 4

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners English 7 Adult and community learning 3 - Languages 111 Adult and community learning 4 -

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Foundation programmes 3

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Other contributory areas 381 Adult and community learning 3 -

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Family learning 2

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners 648 Adult and community learning 2 -

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Achievement and standards

19. In ICT, retention rates for the past four years on vocational and non-vocational courses are good. The retention rates for non-vocational courses were very good, ranging from 91 per cent in 2000-01, to 93 per cent in 2001-02 and 96 per cent for 2002- 03. For 2003-04 year they were 94 per cent.

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Achievement and standards

20. Achievements on vocational courses in ICT are good. In 2000-01, 91 per cent of learners gained a qualification. The proportion decreased in 2001-02 to 87 per cent, but rose to 90 per cent in 2002-03.

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Achievement and standards

21. Learners gain good personal, social and health benefits from the wide variety of sport and leisure courses. Learners who are recovering from operations increase their mobility and confidence, and learners become more independent and have improved their well- being. Learners develop good body awareness and better co-ordination of movement after attending courses. Social and health benefits are particularly important for older learners.

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Achievement and standards

22. The adult and community learning service does not measure achievement of non- vocational leisure courses in most areas of learning. Success is determined by retention and completion of courses. Many learners re-enrol for courses, but there is no data on the numbers of those who continue or progress to further learning.

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Achievement and standards

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 6 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Achievement and standards

23. Learners on art and design courses produce good standards of work, particularly in patchwork quilting, dance, pottery, music and calligraphy. All learners achieve a satisfactory standard of attainment in relation to the nature and length of time they spend on courses. Learners in many of the craft courses produce work as gifts for family and friends and to enhance their home environment.

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Achievement and standards

24. In English classes, learners write accurately and they plan and discuss their work well. They consider others’ opinions with commendable open-mindedness. They sustain or develop arguments appropriately. Some use language eloquently.

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Achievement and standards

25. On language courses some learners speak with impressive fluency. For example, in an advanced conversation class, learners sustain very authentic French for long periods. In the best classes, learners discuss appropriate content, such as current affairs. In too many modern foreign languages classes, however, learners rely excessively on English. Their fluency is impaired, they speak hesitantly with English accents and intonation, finding unjustified excuses to lapse into English.

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Achievement and standards

26. There is good progression from family learning to foundation courses where parents moved from supporting their child’s learning to taking a course themselves. On one course, eight learners progressed to a numeracy course, seven achieved a basic numeracy test and several progressed to the level 1 and 2 national tests. In a pottery class, learners with additional needs were able to understand and describe technical terms such as rolling and cutting clay. Retention is good at 82 per cent for 2003-04.

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Achievement and standards

27. Retention and achievement rates for family learning courses are good. Retention across all programmes for 2003-04 was 92 per cent. Achievement on accredited courses was 78 per cent. Parents and carers are using the skills and knowledge gained, to work with their child in the joint sessions and at home. Learners report increased confidence and headteachers notice the impact of this on the adult’s willingness to be involved in their child’s learning.

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Achievement and standards

28. Retention and attendance levels are satisfactory for sport and leisure courses, with retention levels at over 90 per cent. However, a large number of learners repeat courses throughout the year and some have been attending the same course for several years.

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Achievement and standards

29. Achievement in English and languages courses is satisfactory overall. Achievement in English is good. Achievement in modern foreign languages, about 92 per cent of the provision, is satisfactory overall. In vocational programmes the achievement rate was 83 per cent in 2002-03 and 90 per cent in 2003-04. No data exist for non-vocational programmes, which make up around 90 per cent of provision.

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Achievement and standards

30. Some poor punctuality on evening classes affects teaching in art, and learners miss formal input and vital warm-up exercises at the beginning of dance and singing sessions. Few opportunities are available for learners to progress to more advanced courses. However, many learners repeat courses and continue to learn new skills and make progress.

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Achievement and standards

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 7 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Quality of education and training

31. One hundred and ninety learning sessions were observed and graded, 164 of which were satisfactory or better.

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Quality of education and training

32. Learning on land-based courses is effective and there are good standards of work on flower arranging courses. Many learners benefit from increased confidence and self- esteem, and learners make good use of their skills to produce flower arrangements for friends and family, or for their local church. Learners consider the courses to be mentally and creatively stimulating, and older learners recognise the benefits of participation in learning.

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Quality of education and training

33. In the better land-based sessions, more advanced learners are challenged to extend their skills and develop their creativity. Tutors ensure that sessions allow individual needs and abilities to be met. Tutors give good, clear demonstrations of flower arrangements which set a high standard to inspire learners. All tutors provide individual tuition and advice. The less-than-satisfactory sessions are poorly planned, unstructured and do not have clear objectives.

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Quality of education and training

34. Teaching rooms are sufficiently spacious and well-lit, and there is access to water supplies. In village halls, tables are generally too low for flower arranging. However, most learners are aware of the potential hazard and alternate between sitting and standing. Dog obedience classes are held outside and there have been insufficient attempts to make alterative arrangements for bad weather conditions.

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Quality of education and training

35. Tutors are sensitive to learners’ needs and give them as much individual attention as possible. Many learners appreciate the opportunities they have for acquiring and improving their computing skills in learning venues near to their homes. Most learners express high levels of satisfaction with their tutors’ guidance and support.

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Quality of education and training

36. Some sport and leisure courses are targeted at specific groups to widen participation. Targeted groups include the over 50s and men and women only keep fit classes. However, there are no clear mechanisms for identifying the emerging learning needs or interests of the local community. The recent reduction of class sizes has restricted access for some learners, including potential learners referred by their doctor.

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Quality of education and training

37. Visual and performing arts and media courses offer a wide range of provision in venues across the region to give learners access and choice near to home. Seven hundred and ninety-nine courses are offered in 96 venues for 44 weeks of the year. Many learners can attend classes in their locality which include drawing, painting, craft, and dance and music with some unusual options such as medieval dancing and harmony singing.

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Quality of education and training

38. Tutors give much good support and good individual tuition in visual and performing arts sessions. Tutors respond positively when learners have specific needs. For example,

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Quality of education and training

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 8 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Quality of education and training

those who are colour blind are given appropriate projects in art classes. A visually impaired learner was given a repertoire book and a flip chart prompt in large lettering to support participation in a singing class. Tutors and learners often arrive early to set up the teaching rooms, and learners value the extra effort that tutors make to provide an environment which is conducive to learning.

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Quality of education and training

39. The teaching of English is good. Tutors plan sessions well and they have good classroom management and teaching techniques to provide challenging activities for learners.

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Quality of education and training

40. Course evaluations for English and languages show a high degree of learner satisfaction. Learners at some centres can sample courses for a week and there are good attempts to respond to local needs. A local manager arranged a Greek class in response to requests. Portuguese courses help primary school teachers with significant numbers of Portuguese children in their classes. There is a French group for adults with learning difficulties or disabilities. The range of foreign language courses is adequate, but no minority ethnic languages are taught.

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Quality of education and training

41. Development of foundation provision is good. Co-ordinators for literacy and numeracy work closely with community education development officers to identify local needs. Significant development work is taking place, using ICT alongside literacy and numeracy training to reach new groups of learners such as travellers. Mobile learning units are also used by tutors in some groups. There are good partnerships with local agencies and voluntary groups, including charities, village hall committees, business and statutory bodies, as well as links with other providers such as further education colleges.

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Quality of education and training

42. Groups of learners with additional needs have good support from volunteers and support workers. However, there is little additional support and no funding available for learners who are dyslexic. Area offices have materials and equipment for learners with a disability and all tutors have a list of these materials, but none were in use during the inspection. Learners are given information about guidance arrangements at induction but there are no dedicated guidance staff and no systematic collection of data about progression from foundation classes.

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Quality of education and training

43. In family learning courses, teaching and learning are good. Ninety-five per cent of sessions are satisfactory or better and 69 per cent are good or better. Sessions are well planned, including the joint planning between schoolteachers and the adult tutor. There is good differentiation and learner support in some sessions.

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Quality of education and training

44. Learners participate well and provide support for one another. They gain an understanding of how children learn as well as dealing with their own learning, including literacy and numeracy skills. Learners can articulate what they have learnt and how they have applied the learning.

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Quality of education and training

45. Materials have been developed to support skills for life within family learning. These, together with materials and ideas to support the joint learning of adults and children, have been compiled into a resource bank for every tutor. Resources are checked to

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Quality of education and training

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 9 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Quality of education and training

ensure they comply with equality requirements. However, some less-confident tutors are using the bank of resources without selecting materials to suit learners, and some sessions use handouts excessively.

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Quality of education and training

46. There are good opportunities for progression within and beyond family learning. Tutors see information advice and guidance as their responsibility and provide information regularly in response to identified needs. Learners progress onto skills for life programmes or to a course for classroom assistants, or to other adult education. End-of- course evaluations state intended progression and 34 per cent of current learners intend to go on to further learning.

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Quality of education and training

47. There is much unsatisfactory ICT teaching, and in some classes, there is too much tutor input and insufficient time for learners to practise their computing skills. Topics are inadequately linked to reinforce learning and to encourage progressive skill building. Most learners have poorly developed keyboarding techniques which impede their speed and restrict their progress. Most learners do not have targets to work towards or against which their progress can be measured. Some practice material, especially for beginners, is unsuitable.

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Quality of education and training

48. Sixteen per cent of sport and leisure lessons observed were less than satisfactory and a high proportion was only satisfactory. Features identified in weak lessons include poor schemes of work and lesson plans. These do not adequately identify clear learning outcomes based on individual needs. There is insufficient variety in teaching methods and little differentiation.

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Quality of education and training

49. Formal assessment is seldom carried out, although some tutors keep their own records. Other tutors complete session plans, but many others keep no records of learners’ progress. Assessment is not used to celebrate learners’ achievements.

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Quality of education and training

50. Most language tutors rely on individual methods for initial assessment. For instance, some tutors use informal interviews in the taught language, while others provide a listening task. Homework is set regularly and corrected. However, most assessment relies too heavily on learners’ subjective view of their own progress, and few tutors keep records of assessment and this makes the accurate measurement of progress very difficult.

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Quality of education and training

51. In family learning there is a narrow curriculum offer, and all courses take place in the daytime with no twilight, evening or weekend opportunities, which may exclude parents and carers who are employed. Programmes are almost exclusively longer family literacy, numeracy or early start and they require a substantial commitment from learners. Workshops are delivered as a preliminary to a longer course, but no stand-alone workshops are offered to attract new, more reluctant learners. Keeping up with the children is not currently offered, but some courses are planned for the future. None of the programmes is specifically aimed at recruiting fathers and male carers.

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Quality of education and training

52. Assessment strategies for non-accredited courses are poor. There is no clear assessment rationale to guide tutors. Although a minority of tutors has been involved in a pilot project concerned with recognising and recording progress and achievement on

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Quality of education and training

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 10 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Quality of education and training

non-accredited courses, there is no evidence of this in the classes observed. In-course and end-of-course assessment and recording of learners’ progress and achievement are poor.

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Quality of education and training

53. Identification and monitoring of learners’ progress in sport and leisure is inadequate. There is little formal recording of the learners’ starting point and progress they have made. There are few specific goals to measure learners’ progress and initial assessment is not used to plan teaching. There is an unsystematic arrangement to review, monitor and action plan learners’ achievements. There is an over-reliance on learners’ self-perception of their progress. Many staff have a poor attitude towards the recording of learners’ progress.

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Quality of education and training

54. Teaching of modern foreign languages is unsatisfactory in nearly 25 per cent of the sessions observed. Too many tutors use English excessively in foreign language sessions, for instance when giving praise or simple instructions, and tutors often encourage translation into, or from, the foreign language rather than learners’ self-expression. The planning of programmes and sessions is frequently inadequate.

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Quality of education and training

55. Target-setting for foundation learners is inadequate. All classes have recently started to use a recognised initial assessment and some tutors are also trained in more-detailed diagnostic assessment. However, tutors plan mainly for group activities and there is insufficient recording of targets in individual learning plans. Recording of progress is not systematic.

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Quality of education and training

56. Assessment of learners’ progress and achievement is poor. Tutors carry out individual informal assessment of learners’ work, but there is insufficient assessment to identify achievements. Assessment focuses on the quality of the finished products and there is insufficient consideration of what learners have achieved during the task and how they can apply it to future work. Tutors have little understanding of how assessment practices could help them to plan more effectively, nor do they appreciate the benefits of setting objectives for their classes through measurement of learners’ progress.

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Quality of education and training

57. Learning is poorly planned on many ICT courses. Planning documents and schemes of work often contain too little information about the topics to be taught, the teaching methods and the assessment strategies. Some topics are not taught in the order in which they have been planned. Many lesson plans do not have clear aims and objectives. Individual learning is not matched to individual learners’ abilities and previously acquired skills. Most learners do not have individual learning plans, and some staff do not understand their purpose and function.

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Leadership and management

58. Curriculum management is inadequate in most areas of learning and none of the managers have an overview of the provision. The self-assessment report of November 2003 identifies significant problems in several areas, but there has been insufficient progress to date. For example, no curriculum co-ordinator has been appointed, nor has there been a review of resources in most areas. Specialist curriculum support for tutors is

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Leadership and management

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 11 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Leadership and management

wide range of effective external partnerships ! good progress towards developing the service ! good range of measures to widen participation !

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Weaknesses

ineffective management of the curriculum ! ineffective internal communication ! insufficient use of management information ! inadequate resources to support learners with additional needs ! ineffective quality assurance arrangements ! not provided on a regional basis. Many tutors provide the materials and equipment to allow the course to run. Insufficient curriculum co-ordination reduces opportunities for identifying or sharing good practice.

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Weaknesses

59. There is insufficient identification and sharing of good practice in some areas of learning. The observation of teaching and learning is infrequent and a number of tutors have never been observed. Those who have been observed have not always been given feedback. Development needs are not always followed up. Some tutor observation records are often incomplete and are not signed by the tutors or graded. Staff do not adequately understand new policies or quality assurance procedures. For instance, a decision concerning the size of groups has not been well explained to tutors or learners.

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Weaknesses

60. There is no strategic plan for community development and no detailed self- assessment. Significant efforts have been made recently to produce a skills for life strategy and appropriate procedures for tutors in the handbook. Tutors have been consulted on this process and their views have been taken into account.

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Weaknesses

61. There are inadequate arrangements with schools to safeguard the interests of adult learners in family learning. There is no written agreement outlining the respective roles and responsibilities of schools and the provider. It is not clear who will follow up learner absence or who is responsible for the use of school equipment, particularly in ICT.

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Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 12 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Horticulture and agriculture

Strengths very good attendance and retention ! good development of learners’ skills !

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Horticulture and agriculture

Weaknesses weak assessment and recording of progress and achievement ! insufficient planning to meet individual needs ! inadequate curriculum development and management !

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Animal care

Strengths very good attendance and retention ! good development of learners’ skills !

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Animal care

Weaknesses insufficient planning to meet individual needs ! weak assessment and recording of progress and achievement ! inadequate curriculum development and management !

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Other contributory areas

Strengths very good attendance and retention on non-vocational courses ! good development of learners’ skills !

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Other contributory areas

Weaknesses weak assessment and recording of progress and achievement ! inadequate curriculum planning and management !

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Other contributory areas

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 13 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.17

Using IT

Strengths good retention rates on vocational and non-vocational courses ! good achievement rates on vocational courses !

p.18

Using IT

Weaknesses poor planning of learning ! much unsatisfactory teaching ! some inadequate learning resources ! poor assessment strategies for non-accredited courses ! poor management of the curriculum !

p.18

Leisure, sport and recreation

Strengths good social and health benefits for learners !

p.18

Leisure, sport and recreation

Weaknesses poor planning of teaching and learning ! inadequate monitoring of learners’ progress ! weak curriculum management !

p.18

Arts

Strengths good standard of learners’ work ! wide range of provision in venues across the region ! much good support for learners !

p.18

Arts

Weaknesses insufficient curriculum management and leadership ! poor understanding and promotion of equality and diversity !

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Arts

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 14 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.18

Crafts

Strengths good standard of learners’ work ! wide range of provision in venues across the region ! much good support for learners !

p.19

Crafts

Weaknesses insufficient curriculum management and leadership ! poor understanding and promotion of equality and diversity !

p.19

English

Weaknesses inadequate curriculum management !

p.19

Languages

Weaknesses unsatisfactory teaching in modern foreign languages ! poor assessment of learners’ progress ! inadequate curriculum management !

p.19

Other contributory areas

Strengths good achievement and retention ! good development of local provision !

p.19

Other contributory areas

Weaknesses inadequate individual target-setting ! some inadequate management of the curriculum !

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Other contributory areas

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 15 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.19

Family learning

Strengths good retention and achievement ! good teaching and learning ! good progression ! effective management of change !

p.20

Family learning

Weaknesses narrow curriculum offer ! inadequate arrangements with schools to safeguard the interests of adult learners !

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Family learning

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 16 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.20

WHAT LEARNERS LIKE ABOUT LINCOLNSHIRE LEA:

the local accessibility of courses ! caring and supportive tutors ! personal, social and health benefits of courses ! helpful administrative staff !

p.21

WHAT LEARNERS THINK LINCOLNSHIRE LEA COULD IMPROVE:

disruptive two-week half-term breaks ! the amount of paperwork - there should be less ! the amount of progression opportunities in some areas ! the lighting and signposting at some venues !

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WHAT LEARNERS THINK LINCOLNSHIRE LEA COULD IMPROVE:

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 17 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.21

KEY CHALLENGES FOR LINCOLNSHIRE LEA:

improve management of the curriculum ! continue development of quality assurance arrangements ! improve recording of progress and achievement on non-vocational courses ! improve quality of teaching !

p.22

KEY CHALLENGES FOR LINCOLNSHIRE LEA:

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 18 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.22

Language of the Adult and Community Learning Sector

Terminology varies across the range of education and training settings covered by the Common Inspection Framework. The table below indicates the terms appropriate to

p.23

Relating the term to Adult and Community Learning

Provider Any organisation providing opportunities for adults to meet personal or collective goals through the experience of learning. Providers include local authorities, specialist designated institutions, voluntary and community sector organisations, regeneration partnerships and further education colleges

p.23

Provider

Learner Includes those learning by participating in community projects, as well as those on courses. Learning, however, will be planned, with intended outcomes.

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trainer

Person teaching adult learners or guiding or facilitating their learning.

p.23

trainer

Person providing individual, additional support, guidance and advice to learners to help them achieve their learning goals.

p.23

goals

Intended gains in skills, knowledge or understanding. Gains may be reflected in the achievement of nationally recognised qualifications. Or they may be reflected in the ability of learners to apply learning in contexts outside the learning situation, e.g. in the family, community, or workplace. Learners’ main goal/s should be recorded on an individual or, in some cases, group learning plan. Plans should be revised as progress is made and new goals emerge.

p.23

goals

These may include planned-for gains in self-confidence, and inter-personal skills. These should also be included in learning plans where appropriate.

p.23

learning skills

These include being able to study independently, willingness to collaborate with others, and readiness to take up another opportunity for education or training.

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learning goals

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 19 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.23

outcome

Adults often experience unanticipated gains as a result of being involved in learning. These include improved self-esteem, greater self-confidence and a growing sense of belonging to a community. Gains of this kind should be acknowledged and recorded in any record of achievement.

p.24

programme

A programme organised around a body of knowledge, e.g. the structure and usage of the French language or ceramic glazing techniques. Students could be expected to progress from one aspect of the subject to another, to grasp increasingly complex concepts or analyses or to develop greater levels of skill or to apply skills to a new area of work.

p.24

programme

A programme that is based on the concerns, interests and aspirations of particular groups, for example members of a Sikh Gurdwara wanting to address inter-faith relations in their town, or parents worried about the incidence of drug abuse in their locality. Issue-based learning tends to be associated with geographically defined communities, but the increasing use of electronic means of communication means that this need no longer be the case. Progress is defined in terms of the group's increasing ability to analyse its situation, to access new information and skills which will help it resolve its difficulties and generate solutions and its growing confidence in dealing with others to implement those solutions.

p.24

provision

Provision established in a community setting in addition to provision made at an organisation's main site(s). Outreach programmes may be similar to courses at the main site(s) or be designed to meet the specific requirements of that community.

p.24

based work

The provider’s staff have a long-term presence in a local community with a specific remit to understand the concerns of the local residents and develop learning activities to meet local needs and interests.

p.24

regeneration

The process of improving the quality of life in communities by investing in their infrastructure and facilities, creating opportunities for training and employment and tackling poor health and educational under-achievement. Community regeneration requires the active participation of local residents in decision-making. Changes and improvements are often achieved either directly or indirectly as a result of the adult learning activities which arise from this.

p.24

regeneration

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 20 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.24

building

The process of enabling local people to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to take advantage of opportunities for employment, training and further education and to become selfmanaging, sustainable communities.

p.25

citizenship

The process whereby people recognise the power they have to improve the quality of life for others and make a conscious effort to do so: the process whereby people recognise the power of organisations and institutions to act in the interests of the common good and exercise their influence to ensure that they do so. Adult learning contributes to active citizenship.

p.25

Relating the term to Adult and Community Learning

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 21 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.25

Strengths

wide range of effective external partnerships ! good progress towards developing the service ! good range of measures to widen participation !

p.26

Weaknesses

ineffective management of the curriculum ! ineffective internal communication ! insufficient use of management information ! inadequate resources to support learners with additional needs ! ineffective quality assurance arrangements !

p.26

Weaknesses

62. The LEA has good partnerships with a wide network of external providers, community groups, and voluntary associations including other areas of the service. It uses these partnerships well to initiate new projects for community and family learning and to bid for additional funding. The service is involved in an effective learning partnership group, which has a number of subregional groups targeting specific areas such as adult and community learning, family learning, skills for life and Sure Start initiatives. These subgroups have arranged several programmes and meetings. Objectives reflect local, regional and national policies of the Learning and Skills Council and the LEA. Some good links with schools, community colleges, Connexions, charities and community groups are used to help widen participation. Managers of the service are on the board of several local and national organisations. Managers and staff at all levels

p.26

Weaknesses

across the service use their local contacts to meet the learners’ needs.

p.26

Weaknesses

63. Good progress is being made towards developing the service. There is a clear three- year strategic plan and a development plan which links closely to the services’ adult learning and business plans. Community education development officers contribute to the business plan. There have been regular reviews of the strategic plan against key performance indicators, relating to widening participation, social inclusion, community and family learning and skills for life. The mission statement, aims and targets are clearly defined. A good approach was taken to identify different management models which were tested. The central management team has a positive and constructive management style. The county council has a strong commitment to the development of an effective adult and community education service, including a high level of involvement of elected members. The service created two new posts within the central management team in

p.26

Weaknesses

July 2003 to work with the service manager. The service has recently carried out a significant amount of work to draft plans to restructure adult and community learning.

p.26

Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 22 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.26

Weaknesses

64. Financial management is satisfactory. Detailed monthly budget reports ensure that the service operates within its funding and budget allocations.

p.27

Weaknesses

65. Satisfactory arrangements are in place with other providers, such as subcontractors and local colleges, to provide a range of learning opportunities. Some of these are not always part of the core service programme. These arrangements include clear targets and performance measures.

p.27

Weaknesses

66. Management of the curriculum is ineffective. The service’s most recent adult learning plan identifies a number of key strategic objectives, but most of the curriculum areas have no overall strategy and planning. The planning and co-ordination of individual courses across geographical areas is poor. Tutors in areas of learning do not plan and review their programmes coherently. In many areas no one has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the curriculum areas. Community education development officers have insufficient specialist knowledge for planning and developing accredited courses. Some staff are unclear about which courses are offered or run. Insufficient information is given to tutors when class numbers have been restricted or where the numbers are too low. Monitoring of retention, achievement and finance is inadequate across the whole service at local level. The overall strategic plan is clear, but some staff and partners have little

p.27

Weaknesses

understanding of it. Management in six out of seven areas of learning is a weakness. Where areas of learning are managed directly by the LEA it is at least satisfactory. Key staff in curriculum areas are not always fully aware of targets for enrolments, retention and achievement of accredited courses or personal learning outcomes. Training for tutors is encouraged by the service, but many do not attend and do not see the need to attend. The experience that learners have is generally dependent on individual tutors or support staff, most of whom are part time and many work in isolation.

p.27

Weaknesses

67. Internal communication is ineffective. The complexity of the structure and the size of the county have made effective communication difficult. Little communication or sharing of good practice takes place across areas of learning. Very little specialist support is provided across the service. Some effective groups have been formed at local level, with some sharing of effective practice and discussions on areas such as skills for life. Some meetings for community education development officers are held, at which information is presented. However, this information is not always shared with others. Not enough time is given to tutors to meet and discuss concerns which are relevant and related to the curriculum. The annual meeting that takes place does not allow important issues to be discussed and is focused on the enrolment and paperwork processes. The service’s staff have very little time to visit staff to talk about adult and community

p.27

Weaknesses

learning. There is an insufficient IT infrastructure to enable tutors to keep in touch. There have, however, been four seminars across the county on the direction of the service, which were attended by 300 staff. Communication is better in family learning. There are three countywide curriculum co-ordinators who keep tutors well informed and up to date on specific issues.

p.27

Weaknesses

68. There is insufficient use of management information. A systematic collection of reliable data takes place across the service and senior staff use it to set targets and plan the direction of adult and community learning. However, little use is made of

p.27

Weaknesses

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 23 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.27

Weaknesses

management information by other staff to monitor targets. Some concerns have been identified from the data collected, such as the very small numbers of learners from minority ethnic groups who participate in learning, but the service has taken little action to rectify this. There is little analysis of data to identify the retention and achievement of particular groups or the effectiveness of different learning centres which provide the same courses. The service has encountered problems obtaining reliable and accurate data from subcontractors. Subcontractors use a range of systems to collect their management information and these systems produce varied reports. There is very little understanding on the use of performance indicators in curriculum planning and development. Many staff do not recognise the importance of keeping accurate data or how this data may be used to monitor performance. The service has networked the

p.28

Weaknesses

centres in the past 12 months to improve the collection of data. Community education development officers and administration staff have also attended training on the new management information system. However, little follow up has taken place to support staff in the collection and use of data.

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

69. The council operates a good range of measures to widen participation in adult and community learning. The population is becoming increasingly diverse and the council’s elected members show strong support for the service’s efforts to attract new learners from groups that are hard to reach. Members understand how these initiatives contribute towards achievement of the council’s corporate ambitions and objectives. The service has business plans with objectives for widening participation. These include encouraging people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, those living in disadvantaged areas, minority ethnic groups, lone parents, men, unemployed adults, those aged 19-24, rurally isolated groups, the travelling community, women returners to work and women on low pay. There are also objectives for developing partnership working and engaging employers. Performance against these targets is monitored and

p.28

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

some targets were achieved in 2003-04 on a county-wide basis. Three of the 10 areas within the county achieved most of the targets. Some area managers are not clear as to how targets can be achieved. No target was set last year for learners with learning difficulties or disabilities. There are few courses specifically for those with learning difficulties or disabilities or from a minority ethnic group. Last year there was seldom more than one person from these categories on any adult and community learning course. Ethnic minority participation was less than 1 per cent against a target of 2 per cent. Participation by men remains low. The council’s strong commitment to widening participation and considerable effort focused on areas of need has not yet shown results in many of the curriculum areas. However, an increasing number of initiatives to widen participation have been developed since last year.

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

70. The council makes good use of external partnerships and networking to extend participation. Formal partnerships with colleges and other contracted providers are used to reach groups throughout the county. Community education development officers work with local voluntary organisations and public bodies to review social and learning needs. There are fruitful links also with organisations within the council such as social services, libraries, the minority ethnic achievement support service, the county diversity

p.28

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 24 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

adviser and the travellers’ education service. These partnerships are enabling the service to identify and develop relationships with newly established groups and communities that are difficult to reach. Recent initiatives include meeting the language needs of Bulgarian workers in a care home and developing a relationship with the travelling community at five sites.

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

71. Innovative methods are used to meet the diverse needs of adult learners. Alternative types of premises are used where prospective learners might feel apprehensive of attending classes in a classroom environment. Mobile learning units are used to take learning facilities to remote locations. An ICT widening participation manager has been appointed recently. He is targeting men and older people, but has no specific funding to extend these activities. Laptop computers are loaned to members of the travelling community to help parents support their children. This initiative supports the council’s aim of increasing school attendance. The fast-growing Portuguese community is being offered an ICT course with a literacy element to meet particular needs. There are some innovative efforts to increase participation of men including cookery classes, making software available in public houses, and presenting ICT engineering courses. However,

p.29

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

this increasingly wide range of activities aimed at widening participation does not extend to all curriculum areas. There are many instances of classes attended by women only with no participation by people with learning difficulties or disabilities or from minority ethnic groups.

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

72. The council is committed to promoting equality of opportunity. There is a comprehensive corporate race equality scheme for 2004-06. The scheme has the support of elected members and includes specific actions to be taken by adult and community learning. Two groups, one within the service and one corporate working group, are working on equal opportunities and managing diversity issues. The council’s diversity adviser works with adult and community learning staff who also use the minority ethnic achievement support service for advice and support. The service has a standard staff development programme and all tutors are encouraged to attend courses. Tutors receive travel expenses for most courses and are paid at half the hourly rate for attendance at priority training courses. All staff are offered courses in disability awareness, equal opportunities, managing diversity and lesson planning. Nearly all full-

p.29

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

and part-time adult and community learning staff, including administrators, have attended this training. However, of the part-time tutors most have not attended. There is no mechanism for enforcing course attendance by these staff.

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Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

73. Good guidance and support is available to all tutors on equality of opportunity. This includes handbooks that include practical issues such as how a tutor can make the classes inclusive. Curricula are reviewed to increase inclusiveness. However, some tutors have received no relevant training other than a short briefing on equal opportunities at their induction. Tutors receive constructive feedback after their lessons are observed, including areas of equality of opportunity. There is no mandatory requirement to include aspects of equal opportunities in learning sessions. Although all staff and learners are briefed on equality of opportunity at induction this is not fully effective. Permanent staff have a good understanding of all aspects of equality of opportunity and most tutors and learners are aware of the main issues. Some tutors use

p.29

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 25 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.29

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

inappropriate language such as referring to gender stereotypes. The adult and community learning workforce does not fully reflect the diversity of the county’s population.

p.30

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

74. The council has satisfactory policies and procedures to deal with complaints, bullying and harassment. These are reviewed and updated and the new complaints procedure is dated October 2004. Complaints are recorded locally and monitored centrally, including those about subcontractors. All tutors are briefed on relevant policies and procedures. Most learners are aware of how to recognise and report bullying and harassment and how to make a complaint, but there are few complaints or reported incidents of harassment or bullying.

p.30

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

75. Resources to support learners with additional needs are inadequate. No formal risk assessments are made for those with additional learning difficulties or disabilities and some staff are not aware of where to obtain support for these learners. Some learners present a potential risk to themselves or to others and are accompanied to classes by social services or health staff. An audit of all premises where adult and community learning activities take place has been completed well in advance of the deadline for education authorities to provide physical adaptations to premises. There are centres that are not easily accessible to some learners because of inadequate signs, poor lighting, steps and stairs. A comprehensive audit has been made of all existing specialist aids to support learners with specific needs. However, many centres do not have all the necessary aids. There are no funds provided to support learners with identified needs

p.30

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade 3

who are on non-accredited courses. Some promotional and learning materials, including course evaluation questionnaires, are not accessible to some learners. Features such as the format, content, use of language, size and type of font are inappropriate in many cases. Learners with low literacy skills or dyslexia, or foreign language speakers, would find these documents difficult to read. These deficiencies have been recognised and the council’s diversity adviser is assisting with the revision of this material.

p.30

Quality assurance Contributory grade 4

76. Much work has been carried out over the past 18 months to establish and refine quality assurance arrangements. The service’s quality framework is described in a comprehensive handbook for managers. Tutors receive relevant information in their handbook.

p.30

Quality assurance Contributory grade 4

77. Progress in the implementation of the framework varies. There are important aspects of provision that still require significant improvement. Senior managers pursue the quality assurance targets in the service’s annual development plan, but other staff have varying levels of understanding of, and commitment to, the process. Some service managers do not contribute to the design of quality assurance arrangements, and valuable insights are lost. The paper-based procedures create additional work for skills for life tutors. Many others are reluctant to implement procedures that they perceive as detracting from lessons.

p.30

Quality assurance Contributory grade 4

78. Staff development activities are well planned but insufficient. Priorities are identified

p.30

Quality assurance Contributory grade 4

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 26 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Quality assurance Contributory grade 4

through service planning, the appraisal of permanent staff and the observation of teaching and learning. The service helps tutors financially to take an initial adult education teaching qualification and 73.5 per cent have achieved this. Additionally, courses have taken place to deal with weaknesses in teaching and learning identified in a pilot inspection. Almost 55 per cent of tutors took part in staff development activities in 2003-04. The service draws on external funding whenever possible, and makes good use of the council’s staff development programme. However, there are areas of provision where many tutors have not participated in staff development for a long time. Many tutors have few opportunities to review their practice with colleagues from the same discipline, and there is no electronic infrastructure to support them. Skills for life tutors work beyond their contracted hours to keep up with national developments.

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Quality assurance Contributory grade 4

79. The LEA carries out regular quality audits of directly delivered and subcontracted provision. Some improvements have been made in health and safety, resources and accommodation, but there are persistent problems on sites where the service is not the managing agent. Insufficient attention is paid to the quality of the material service managers collect for auditing. The relationship with subcontractors is sensitively handled, but monitoring visits were introduced too late to influence the unsatisfactory quality of one subcontractor’s provision. Learners’ views about their courses are gathered regularly, and some area managers have begun to use this information to make improvements. The sample of questionnaires analysed centrally is too small to be useful.

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Quality assurance Contributory grade 4

80. Self-assessment is hampered by insufficient information about learners’ progress and learning outcomes. Many tutors have a poor understanding of how to develop explicit assessment strategies to capture this information, and the lesson observation scheme does not produce enough judgements of this kind. The self-assessment reports produced by service managers and subcontractors vary in quality. Senior managers are aware of this, and provide thorough guidance on how to improve them. The observation scheme has had little impact on the quality of teaching and learning, although tutors who receive feedback value it. Too few observations are carried out. Some long-serving tutors have never been observed.

p.31

Quality assurance Contributory grade 4

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 27 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.31

Land-based provision 3

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Horticulture and agriculture 18 Adult and community learning 3 - Animal care 23 Adult and community learning 3 - Floristry 177 Adult and community learning 3 -

p.32

Horticulture and agriculture

Strengths very good attendance and retention ! good development of learners’ skills !

p.32

Horticulture and agriculture

Weaknesses weak assessment and recording of progress and achievement ! insufficient planning to meet individual needs ! inadequate curriculum development and management !

p.32

Animal care

Strengths very good attendance and retention ! good development of learners’ skills !

p.32

Animal care

Weaknesses insufficient planning to meet individual needs ! weak assessment and recording of progress and achievement ! inadequate curriculum development and management !

p.32

Animal care

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 28 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

p.32

Other contributory areas

Strengths very good attendance and retention on non-vocational courses ! good development of learners’ skills !

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Other contributory areas

Weaknesses weak assessment and recording of progress and achievement ! inadequate curriculum planning and management !

p.33

Achievement and standards

81. Attendance is good at between 90 and 100 per cent. Retention has been consistently over 92 per cent since 2000-01. In 2002-03 retention was particularly good at 97 per cent.

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Achievement and standards

82. The adult and community learning service does not measure achievement on non- vocational leisure courses. Success is determined principally by retention and completion of courses. Many learners re-enrol for further flower arranging courses but there is no data on the numbers of those who continue or progress to further learning. Achievement is good on dog obedience courses. On average, over 90 per cent of learners and their dogs achieve a good citizen bronze award.

p.33

Quality of education and training

83. Learning is effective and there are good standards of work on flower arranging courses. Learners benefit from increased confidence and self-esteem. Many learners make good use of their skills to produce flower arrangements for friends and family or for their local church. Some more experienced learners exhibit their arrangements at local shows. Learners consider the courses to be mentally and creatively stimulating. Older learners recognise the benefits of participation in learning. Classes are also a valued social event. Some learners in dog obedience classes are invited to participate in national dog training competitions.

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Quality of education and training

84. Seventy-five per cent of observed sessions are satisfactory or better. In the better sessions, more advanced learners are challenged to extend their skills and develop their creativity. Tutors ensure that sessions allow individual needs and abilities to be met. Tutors give good, clear demonstrations of flower arrangements which set a high standard to inspire learners. All tutors provide individual tuition and advice. The less than satisfactory sessions are poorly planned, unstructured and do not have clear objectives. The pace of poorer sessions is slow. Tutors use insufficiently diverse teaching methods and some poor handouts.

p.33

Quality of education and training

85. Resources are satisfactory. Teaching rooms are sufficiently spacious, well-lit and there is access to water supplies. In village halls, tables are generally too low for flower

p.33

Quality of education and training

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 29 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Quality of education and training

arranging and there are no raised turntables to improve working height. However, most learners are aware of the potential hazard and alternate between sitting and standing. Dog obedience classes are held outside and there have been insufficient attempts to make alterative arrangements for bad weather conditions. The self-assessment report identified the need to develop specialist resources for flower arranging but actions have not been taken as yet. Learners provide their own flowers and materials or buy specialist supplies from the tutor. In most classes tutors and learners will offer spare materials to the rest of the class. In some classes learners are encouraged to use materials that are easily obtained from their homes and gardens. In other classes learners are expected to purchase a range of fresh flowers each week and are made aware of this requirement in pre-course information. Few printed learning resources are used on these courses. All

p.34

Quality of education and training

tutors are experienced and some work professionally in their area of learning. Eighty- eight per cent of the tutors in the area of learning have an adult teaching qualification.

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Quality of education and training

86. The courses meet the needs and interests of current learners. There are opportunities for progression or continuation in flower arranging but some courses in some locations are very popular and some learners are concerned that they may be unable to participate on the next course. Additional courses in gardening and other land- based subjects are planned for future terms.

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Quality of education and training

87. Information, guidance and support for learners are satisfactory. Learners receive sufficient information before starting their courses through course summaries or through contact with tutors. There are sensible arrangements to induct dog owners to their dog obedience course in the first week without the distractions of their dogs. For gardening courses there are insufficient details in the course brochure on the physical demands for those with a disability. Some learners on this course were unclear about the course content or its duration. Induction is satisfactory and makes learners aware of health and safety, equality of opportunity and arrangements for additional support. Learners’ literacy and numeracy skills are not assessed at the start of courses but courses are practical and have few demands on literacy or numeracy skills. When written materials are used, tutors use them as a reminder and talk through or demonstrate the content of handouts.

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Quality of education and training

When requested, tutors provide guidance and information on other learning opportunities for those who want to continue their learning or move on to vocational learning.

p.34

Quality of education and training

88. There is insufficient planning to ensure that learners’ individual needs are met. Initial assessment of learners’ needs is informal and usually not recorded. However, tutors are generally aware of their learners’ abilities and needs. In most flower arranging sessions, tutors differentiate the content of the sessions to meet individual needs. This is mostly effective but in one session some less experienced learners struggled with an arrangement which was too challenging for them. Some classes are dictated by the course programme and there is insufficient consultation with learners to set individual objectives. Learners do not have individual learning plans, although one area of the county has introduced a simple document to establish learning goals. However, this is not yet being used by all tutors. Most tutors produce session plans which are satisfactory, although some do not contain sufficiently specific objectives and others do

p.34

Quality of education and training

not detail content or timings for classes.

p.34

Quality of education and training

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 30 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Quality of education and training

89. Assessment of learners’ progress and achievement is poor. Tutors carry out individual informal assessment of learners’ work and give advice and ideas for improvement, but there is insufficient assessment to identify if objectives have been achieved. Assessment focuses on the quality of the finished product and there is insufficient consideration of what learners have achieved during the task and how they can apply it to future work. During demonstrations and end-of-lesson displays of learners’ work, there is insufficient questioning to check learners’ understanding. With the exception of one class where the tutor uses a form to monitor the completion of different types of flower arrangements, tutors do not record learners’ progress or achievements. Tutors have little understanding of how assessment practices could help them to plan more effectively, nor do they appreciate the benefits of setting objectives and

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Quality of education and training

demonstrating the success of their classes through measurement of learners’ progress.

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Leadership and management

90. There is inadequate curriculum development in land-based provision. There is no centrally co-ordinated strategy to assess needs, and promote and deliver land-based programmes across the county. Each adult and community learning area is responsible for assessing the demand for land-based courses in their locality and for arranging provision. Land-based learning opportunities are usually based on traditional demands for courses. In recent years some limited initiatives have been tried to widen the scope of the provision and attract under-represented groups, but these have not been sustained. The LEA has given insufficient attention to assessing the demands for different levels of learning in land-based subjects. The demand for many of the courses comes from learners who have attended similar programmes for a number of years. In one geographical area, a learner with severe physical and learning difficulties attended a

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Leadership and management

course with established learners. The course was at an inappropriate level and the tutor was not suitably qualified or experienced to be effective with this learner.

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Leadership and management

91. There is no curriculum specialist to support or advise tutors on land-based courses. Apart from attending general updating or training days in their area, tutors have no opportunities to share practice with other land-based tutors across the county. Communication with their local area office is satisfactory. In order to keep up to date and extend learners’ skills and experience, a flower arranging tutor attends workshops which are organised by a national association. There are no opportunities for this tutor to share developments or new practices with other tutors across the county.

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Leadership and management

92. Quality assurance is unsatisfactory. There have been insufficient observations of teaching and no systematic monitoring of the quality of the provision across the county. The teaching observation profile demonstrates a wide range of teaching and learning. Across the areas there are different requirements and varying interpretations of how to plan learning and monitor achievements. The self-assessment report identified the key weaknesses of the area of learning.

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Leadership and management

93. Learners have a satisfactory understanding of their rights and the procedures to deal with complaints. However, some tutors have poor understanding of equality of

p.35

Leadership and management

© 2004 ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 31 LINCOLNSHIRE LEA

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Leadership and management

opportunity and teaching sessions are not used to reinforce it. Only 5 per cent of learners are men and fewer than 2 per cent are from minority ethnic groups. Eight per cent of learners have learning difficulties or disabilities. Over 50 per cent of learners are over 45 years old and land-based courses attract only 4 per cent of young people under 25 years.

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Information & communications technology 4

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Using IT 486 Adult and community learning 4 -

p.37

Using IT

Strengths good retention rates on vocational and non-vocational courses ! good achievement rates on vocational courses !

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Using IT

Weaknesses poor planning of learning ! much unsatisfactory teaching ! some inadequate learning resources ! poor assessment strategies for non-accredited courses ! poor management of the curriculum !

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Achievement and standards

94. Retention rates on vocational and non-vocational courses are good. For vocational courses in 2000-01, they were 82 per cent with an increase to 86 per cent in 2001-02. In 2002-03 the rate was 85 per cent, while for 2003-04 it increased to 86 per cent. Retention rates on non-vocational courses are even higher. They range from 91 per cent in 2000-01, to 93 per cent in 2001-02 and to 96 per cent for 2002-03. For 2003-04 they were 94 per cent.

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Achievement and standards

95. Achievements on vocational courses are also good. In 2000-01, 91 per cent of learners gained a qualification. The proportion decreased in 2001-02 to 87 per cent but increased to 90 per cent in 2002-03. The statistics for 2003-04 are not yet available and it is too early to identify achievement trends for 2004-05. The self-assessment report refers to good retention and achievement rates on vocational programmes and very good retention rates in non-vocational programmes.

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Quality of education and training

96. Learning is poorly planned. Course planning documents and schemes of work vary in detail and usefulness. Many contain too little information about the topics to be taught, the teaching methods and the assessment strategies. Some topics are not taught in the order in which they have been planned. Many lesson plans are of limited use.

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Quality of education and training

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They do not accurately indicate what is taught and learnt and they are unsuitable for workshop situations where learners are working on different tasks. Most lesson plans do not have clear aims and objectives. Individual learning is poorly planned and some is not matched to individual learners’ abilities and previously acquired skills. Most learners do not have individual learning plans with clearly defined learning targets. Some staff do not understand the purpose and function of individual learning plans.

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Quality of education and training

97. There is much unsatisfactory teaching. Practical activities are insufficiently differentiated and inadequate attention is given to learners’ varying rates of progress. Most learners do not have targets to work towards and against which their progress can be measured. Some practice material, especially for beginners, is unsuitable. In some classes, there is too much tutor input and insufficient time for learners to practise their computing skills. Topics are inadequately linked to reinforce learning and to encourage progressive skill building. Most learners have poorly developed keyboarding techniques which impedes their speed and restricts their progress. Some tutors’ keyboarding techniques are also poorly developed. Insufficient guidance is given to learners about healthy and safe working practices. For example, they do not adjust the height of their chairs and ensure that their keyboard is correctly placed on the desk. In some sessions

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Quality of education and training

monitoring and recording of learning during sessions is weak. In the good sessions, tutors give maximum time to carefully supervised learner practise on a range of relevant and appropriate tasks, their explanations are clear and concise and their demonstrations are effective. A few tutors have produced self-instructional booklets and handouts, and these are well used.

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Quality of education and training

98. Some learning resources are inadequate and this is identified in the self-assessment report. Some of the computer terminals are too near to each other and there is insufficient space for textbooks and handouts. In some rooms, workbenches are too narrow and visual display units and keyboards are too close to the learners. Learning centres vary considerably. Two classes visited are in modern accommodation in a town- centre shopping precinct, while another class is in a wooden building at the rear of a disused village school. The latter room is inaccessible to wheelchair users and to learners with restricted mobility. In another centre, software for a digital imaging course was not available. A national charity, with which the service subcontracts computer training, does not have a printer for use with the laptop computers and learners cannot convert their digitised text into printed copy. Some learners are required to sit on plastic chairs or

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Quality of education and training

stools that do not adjust. In many centres there are too few up-to-date practical tasks and assignments to give learners concentrated practise on specific functions and applications. There are insufficient instructional guides through which learners can develop skills and knowledge on an individual basis and at their own speed.

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Quality of education and training

99. Assessment strategies for non-accredited courses are poor. There is no clear assessment rationale to guide tutors. Although a minority of tutors have been involved in a pilot project concerned with recognising and recording progress and achievement on non-accredited courses, there is no evidence of this in the classes observed. Most tutors do not set specific lesson and course targets against which learners’ progress can be measured and accredited. In-course and end-of-course assessment and recording of learners’ progress and achievement are poor. The self-assessment report refers to the

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Quality of education and training

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Quality of education and training

inadequate monitoring and recording of learners’ achievements in non-vocational courses. In-course assessment is insufficiently used to diagnose learners’ difficulties to form a basis for further instruction and remedial tasks. Although many tutors obtain information about learners’ previous experience of computing, too little attention is given to devising and implementing innovative ways of assessing their literacy and numeracy competences.

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Quality of education and training

100. Many of the courses are designed to introduce learners to computing and to develop basic computing skills. These courses meet the needs of learners who wish to understand basic computer terminology and acquire a range of elementary skills such as word processing, using the internet and sending e-mails. The service responds well to requests for other courses, such as digital photography, and in offering follow-on, higher- level courses when a need is apparent.

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Quality of education and training

101. Most learners on introductory courses overcome their fear of computers and develop some confidence. Tutors are sensitive to learners’ needs and give them as much individual attention as possible. Many learners appreciate the opportunities they have for acquiring and improving their computing skills in learning venues near to their homes. Most learners express high levels of satisfaction with their tutors’ guidance and support. Course information is usually distributed to households and is available in libraries and other public places. Learners enrol for courses at the beginning of each term. Some learners have insufficient information about their course continuing beyond the present term. Learners have a satisfactory induction into their computing courses, although for some learners on 10-week courses, the programme is too long and complex. Insufficient thought has been given to devising a short, comprehensive induction for these courses.

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Quality of education and training

Some course titles do not reflect the course content. For instance, courses advertised as basic computing courses may be mainly basic word processing.

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Leadership and management

102. Management of the curriculum is poor. Inadequate consideration is given to the strategic direction of, and operational priorities for, ICT courses. Long-term planning of ICT programmes is poor. Inadequate attention is given to course planning and to curriculum design and development. Staff are not set clearly defined objectives for recruitment, enrolment, retention, achievement and participation by identified groups of learners within pre-specified times. The observation of teaching and learning is infrequent, is not carried out by subject-specialist observers and is not sufficiently rigorous. Poor use is made of observation outcomes to improve the effectiveness of teaching, learning and attainment. Tutors receive inadequate professional advice and guidance to help them improve their teaching, training and class management techniques. The self-assessment report identifies a range of weaknesses, but the grade

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Leadership and management

does not match that given by inspectors. Insufficient action has been taken to resolve the weaknesses. Many of the self-assessed strengths are no more than normal practice. Inadequate arrangements have been made to enable ICT staff to meet to discuss curricular issues. Inadequate use is made of ICT to communicate with tutors and for tutors to communicate with each other. Too little emphasis is placed on the identification and sharing of good practice. Some action has been taken to widen participation and to

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Leadership and management

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integrate ICT into family learning, literacy and numeracy, and language courses, but there is little evidence of these initiatives benefiting learners. Learners’ awareness of equality of opportunity varies and some learners are unaware of their rights and responsibilities. Although community education development officers liaise with other training providers in their areas to co-ordinate and rationalise provision, inadequate interim measures have been taken to manage the programmes in the absence of an ICT curriculum manager.

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Hospitality, sport, leisure & travel 4

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Leisure, sport and recreation 4469 Adult and community learning 4 -

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Leisure, sport and recreation

Strengths good social and health benefits for learners !

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Leisure, sport and recreation

Weaknesses poor planning of teaching and learning ! inadequate monitoring of learners’ progress ! weak curriculum management !

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Achievement and standards

103. Learners gain good personal, social and health benefits from the wide variety of courses. Learners who are recovering from operations increase their mobility and confidence. Courses have allowed learners to become more independent and have improved their well being. Overall fitness levels are maintained or improved. Learners develop better co-ordination of movement, balance and timing and develop good body awareness and improve posture. Social benefits are particularly important for older learners who develop good friendships.

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Achievement and standards

104. The standard of learners’ work is satisfactory. Some learners improve their skills but some do not progress to a satisfactory standard.

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Achievement and standards

105. Retention and attendance rates are satisfactory with retention rates at above 90 per cent. A large number of learners repeat courses throughout the year and some have been attending the same course for several years. Attendance during the inspection was 72 per cent. Attendance is not systematically monitored and used to evaluate provision.

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Quality of education and training

106. The planning of teaching and learning is poor. Sixteen per cent of lessons observed were less than satisfactory and a high proportion was only satisfactory. Features identified in weak lessons include poor schemes of work and lesson plans. These do not adequately identify clear learning outcomes based on individual needs. There is insufficient variety in teaching methods and little differentiation. Learners’ reasons for attending are not systematically identified and used for planning. In the better classes,

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Quality of education and training

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Quality of education and training

lessons are well planned with appropriate challenges to meet the needs and interests of learners.

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Quality of education and training

107. Resources to support learning are satisfactory. Some good examples include the use of pre-recorded videotape for learners to use at home, and the use of specialist equipment such as lighting and mirrors to facilitate learning in some exercise classes. All venues are assessed before courses start using a prescribed checklist. This document ensures compliance with minimum standards identified by the LEA. Problems such as no telephone line or first aid equipment have been dealt with. Some courses have been moved because of the inadequacy of accommodation.

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Quality of education and training

108. Some classes are delivered in venues that are too small for the number of learners. Several have poor access for learners with restricted mobility. Contingency measures are in place if a learner with a disability needs to attend one of these courses. Some sites have poor lighting and signs.

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Quality of education and training

109. Most of the tutors are adequately qualified and maintain their own professional development. However most of the staff do not have a formal teaching qualification. A recently commissioned review of staff qualifications with identified actions has not yet been fully implemented.

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Quality of education and training

110. The identification and monitoring of learners’ progress is inadequate. There is little formal recording of learners’ starting point and progress made. The predominant method used for informing learners of their progress is verbal feedback, but this is not consistently carried out by all tutors. There are few specific goals to measure learners’ progress and initial assessment is not used to plan the training. There is an unsystematic arrangement to review, monitor and action plan learners’ achievements. There is an over-reliance on learners’ self-perception of progress made.

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Quality of education and training

111. Many staff have a poor attitude towards the recording of progress. This is having a negative impact on learners’ perception and awareness of the benefits that can be gained by formally recording progress.

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Quality of education and training

112. Few learners have individual learning plans and there are no formal monitoring documents in place. Those that are being used do not have specific or individual targets.

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Quality of education and training

113. A broad range of courses are offered across a large geographical area to cater for the diverse needs and interests of learners. Some courses are targeted at specific groups to widen participation. Targeted groups include the over 50s and men and women only keep fit classes. However, there are no clear mechanisms for identifying the emerging needs or interests of the local community. The reduction of class sizes has restricted access for some learners, including potential learners referred by their doctor. Provision is mainly planned on staffing and venue availability. Very few courses offer progression opportunities and these are in yoga and swimming. No accredited courses are available. The duration of courses is linked with school terms which disrupts continuity and undermines the fitness benefits gained.

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Quality of education and training

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Quality of education and training

114. Initial information and guidance before enrolment is adequate. The course brochure and course information sheets are readily available. These are sent out to homes and delivered to local public facilities such as libraries. Details about courses are also available on the LEA’s website. Learners can and do seek further guidance about course content. In a few cases tutors have contacted learners. An appropriate induction check-list sheet is used at the start of courses to inform learners of their rights and responsibilities. Some learners do not have an induction if they miss the first week of the course.

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Quality of education and training

115. Health screening for practical courses is used by most tutors to identify the suitability of courses and potential risks. There is no systematic screening for literacy, numeracy or language needs. Tutors identify learners’ needs at the start of a course, but have not been trained in awareness of additional needs. None of the learners have been identified as needing additional support.

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Leadership and management

116. Curriculum management is poor. There is insufficient expertise to plan and develop the curriculum objectively. Little use is made of data for planning or to bring about improvements. Curriculum co-ordination and management has been identified as a weakness in the self-assessment report.

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Leadership and management

117. Communication between staff is weak. There are infrequent meetings between tutors, and the management meetings do not always deal with the identified weaknesses. There is insufficient identification and sharing of good practice. The observation of teaching and learning is infrequent and a number of tutors have never been observed. Those who have been observed have not always been given feedback. Development needs are not always followed up. Some tutor observation records are often incomplete and are not signed by the tutors or graded. Community education development officers have been trained in the observation of teaching and learning, but they do not have the subject expertise to make judgements on the attainment levels. Observations are used to identify staff development, but as there have been few observations it relies on individuals to seek support and professional updating.

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Leadership and management

118. The self-assessment report has not sufficiently identified the key strengths or weaknesses. There is insufficient activity to promote and engage more men and learners from minority ethnic groups.

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Leadership and management

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Visual & performing arts & media 3

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Arts 820 Adult and community learning 3 - Crafts 1864 Adult and community learning 3 -

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Arts

Strengths good standard of learners’ work ! wide range of provision in venues across the region ! much good support for learners !

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Arts

Weaknesses insufficient curriculum management and leadership ! poor understanding and promotion of equality and diversity !

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Crafts

Strengths good standard of learners’ work ! wide range of provision in venues across the region ! much good support for learners !

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Crafts

Weaknesses insufficient curriculum management and leadership ! poor understanding and promotion of equality and diversity !

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Achievement and standards

119. Learners produce good standards of work, particularly in patchwork quilting, dance, pottery, music and calligraphy. All learners achieve a satisfactory standard of attainment in relation to the nature and length of time they spend on courses. Learners in many of the craft courses produce work as gifts for family and friends and to enhance their home environment. Tap dance learners and the recorder ensemble have their own performance groups and entertain the public in a variety of venues. The tap dancers performance group purchased a portable floor to increase the range of venues where they perform. Some learners in art exhibit and sell their work, while others visit exhibitions or places of interest to sketch and paint. Learners are enthusiastic about their work and can see the progress they have made. Portfolios show that learners have made

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Achievement and standards

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Achievement and standards

good progress since the beginning of the course.

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Achievement and standards

120. Attendance is satisfactory at 83 per cent and retention is good. Some classes retained all learners in the last academic year, although in one class 50 per cent dropped out in the first year, leaving only six learners for the second-year course. Some poor punctuality on evening classes affects teaching in art, and learners miss formal input and vital warm up exercises at the beginning of dance and singing sessions. Few opportunities are available for learners to progress to more advanced courses. However, many learners repeat courses and continue to learn new skills and make progress. Two learners have attended the same course for over 20 years and are still learning new skills.

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Quality of education and training

121. Lincolnshire LEA offers a wide range of provision in venues across the region that gives learners access and choice near to home. Seven hundred and ninety-nine courses are offered in 96 venues for 44 weeks of the year. Many learners attend classes in their locality. These include drawing, painting, craft, and dance and music with some unusual options such as medieval dancing and harmony singing. Some learners have the opportunity to make a good democratic choice of topic for each term, as in embroidery, where learners chose to do beadwork for the term. Many learners view the courses as vital to their well- being and social needs. For example, one learner who has impaired speech looks forward to this as her main opportunity to practise her conversational skills. Capping of class numbers and cancelling sessions has reduced choice for some learners.

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Quality of education and training

122. Tutors give much good support and good individual tuition in sessions. Tutors respond positively when learners have specific needs. For example, learners who are colour blind are given appropriate projects in art classes. A visually impaired learner was given a repertoire book and a flip chart prompt in large lettering to support participation in a singing class. In the same class a hearing induction loop is used for learners with impaired hearing. Good tuition in converting metric and imperial measurement was observed in one class. However, literacy and numeracy are not an integral part of the topics. In dance sessions learners work within their own physical limits. Tutors are very dedicated and provide their own resources when they are not available at the venue. Tutors and learners often arrive early to set up the teaching rooms. Learners value the extra effort that tutors make to provide an environment which is conducive to learning.

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Quality of education and training

The induction is merely a tick box exercise and many learners remain unaware or indifferent to their rights and responsibilities. In some practical classes, such as upholstery, learners are not monitored in the correct use of tools. Learners are given the tutor’s telephone number for extra support between sessions.

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Quality of education and training

123. Teaching is satisfactory or better in 96 per cent of the classes. It is inspirational in a few music, craft and dance sessions. Strategies for dealing with learners with different abilities are effective in some cases, with some good management of new and experienced learners. In metalwork, skilled and experienced learners work on sophisticated pieces of silverware alongside new learners. In patchwork and quilting, the tutor ensures that new and experienced learners are provided with resources and

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Quality of education and training

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Quality of education and training

samples of work which are appropriate to their level of ability. However learners have to wait for attention in some classes where skill levels are very different or where there are high numbers, and this is not properly managed. In some art classes learners are not encouraged to draw or paint from life. Many learners are encouraged to look at the work of others to extend their own learning. There is little contextual study or examination of alternative cultures, except where this is a specific aim of the course such as Irish pipe music and African drumming. In exceptional cases contextual studies are used to enhance learning. For example, Amish and Japanese quilting styles and techniques are taught and compared with American and English styles.

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Quality of education and training

124. Many tutors have appropriate experience and technical expertise, but 25 per cent have not completed a teaching qualification. Some tutors who have been qualified for a long time see no reason to update their professional skills and continue to employ poor practices. There are no technicians to set up and dismantle resources. Most accommodation is satisfactory, although often unsuitable for wheelchair users or those with restricted mobility. Minimal use is made of natural light. There is insufficient space in some teaching areas and two venues are poorly signed, dark, and have uneven pathways between teaching rooms. Resource budgets exist in some centres, but there is no central policy for supplying specialist or essential equipment.

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Quality of education and training

125. Informal assessment takes place in most sessions on an individual basis or on critiques, but these are not recorded. Formal assessment is seldom carried out, although some tutors keep their own records. Other tutors complete the session plans, but many others keep no records of learners’ progress. Assessment is not used to celebrate achievements. A few tutors use individual learning plans. Despite staff development opportunities, many are unaware or indifferent to their use and implementation. Health checks are made in dance, but in some sessions there is insufficient warm-up and cool- down exercise.

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Leadership and management

126. Curriculum management and leadership are insufficient. Specialist curriculum support for tutors is not provided on a regional basis. Management decisions on group sizes affect teaching and learning. For example, some music groups have been restricted to 16 and this has affected choral opportunities and harmony. In some practical workshops there are too many learners for the tutor to give sufficient attention. The new academic year timetable is inappropriate for adult learners where two-weeks half term follows two-weeks’ tuition. Resource budgets are inadequately managed. Many tutors provide the materials and equipment to allow the course to run. Insufficient curriculum co-ordination reduces opportunities for identifying or sharing good practice. Some administrative support is good but many tutors work in isolation. Tutors are well supported to gain teaching qualifications but there is poor take-up of other staff

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Leadership and management

development activity. Teaching and assessment is insufficiently quality assured. Many tutors have not been observed and have taught on courses for a considerable time.

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Leadership and management

127. Equality and diversity are poorly understood and promoted by tutors and learners. The policy is included in tutor packs and is part of the induction for learners. Isolated

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Leadership and management

attempts have been made to widen participation, but these have been ineffective. For example, 99 per cent of learners are white and 79 per cent are women. Venues and timing have been changed to attract new learners, but this has not been successful. Tutors rarely attend equality of opportunity training, but some challenging of gender stereotyping was observed in furniture restoration.

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English, languages & communications 4

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners English 7 Adult and community learning 3 - Languages 111 Adult and community learning 4 -

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English

Weaknesses inadequate curriculum management !

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Languages

Weaknesses unsatisfactory teaching in modern foreign languages ! poor assessment of learners’ progress ! inadequate curriculum management !

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Achievement and standards

128. Achievement overall is satisfactory. In vocational programmes the achievement rate was 83 per cent in 2002-03 and 90 per cent in 2003-04. No data exist for non- vocational programmes, which is around 92 per cent of provision.

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Achievement and standards

129. Achievement in English is good. For instance, the achievement rate in 2002-03 was 95 per cent. Learners write accurately and they plan and discuss their work well. They consider others’ opinions with commendable open mindedness. They sustain or develop arguments appropriately. Some use language eloquently.

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Achievement and standards

130. Achievement in modern foreign languages, about 92 per cent of the provision, is satisfactory overall. On some programmes it is good. Learners speak with impressive fluency. Their accents, intonation and speed, meet or exceed expectations. For example, in an advanced conversation class, learners sustain very authentic French for admirably long periods. In the best classes, learners discuss appropriate content, such as current

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Achievement and standards

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Achievement and standards

affairs. They ask pertinent questions in the taught language, express their views and understand others. Learners who speak foreign languages well generally listen, read and write accurately.

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Achievement and standards

131. In too many modern foreign languages classes, learners rely excessively on English. Their fluency is impaired, often severely. They speak hesitantly, with English accents and intonation, finding unjustified excuses to lapse into English. On some programmes learners do not attain acceptable standards in any skill. In one beginners’ programme, for instance, learners attain nothing beyond knowledge of the most modest list of vocabulary.

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Achievement and standards

132. The achievement rate of 59 per cent in the four BSL accredited programmes in 2002-03 was unacceptably low. No vocational programmes took place the following year.

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Achievement and standards

133. Retention rates are unsatisfactory on vocational courses. In 2002-03, the retention rate was 60 per cent but it increased to 67 per cent in 2003-04. On non-vocational courses, retention rates are satisfactory. They increased from 83 per cent in 2002-03 to 90 per cent in 2003-04.

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Quality of education and training

134. The teaching of English is good. Tutors plan sessions well. They have good classroom management and teaching techniques and provide challenging activities for learners. For instance, a tutor of Lincolnshire dialect skilfully encourages learners’ contributions to a glossary. The group is producing this for possible publication following their contribution to a radio programme.

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Quality of education and training

135. Resources are satisfactory overall. Most tutors are native speakers, but those who are not speak the taught language well. There is, however, no correlation between tutors’ native languages and the extent to which they encourage learners to use the taught language. Tutors make use of a satisfactory range of resources overall. In a Spanish lesson, learners watched part of a live news broadcast in Spanish. This provided excellent listening comprehension practice. An English GCSE class made very good use of a DVD containing previous source material for their study of remembrance. Some language tutors make good use of video and audio recordings, cards to stimulate discussion between pairs of learners, dice to practise number, or duplicated information sheets used in oral surveys. One project, currently at an early stage of development, is designed to bring about greater use of ICT to motivate learners. One tutor effectively

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Quality of education and training

used an interactive whiteboard and a game for a reading exercise. Too often, however, resources are restricted to a textbook or poorly reproduced sheets of paper. Premises are generally satisfactory although learners have concerns about poor lighting at one centre.

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Quality of education and training

136. Programmes meet the needs of most learners. Course evaluations show a high degree of learner satisfaction. There are good attempts to be responsive to local needs.

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Quality of education and training

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Quality of education and training

Learners at some centres can sample courses for a week. A local manager arranged a Greek class in response to requests. Portuguese courses help primary school teachers with significant numbers of Portuguese children in their classes. There is a French group for adults with learning difficulties or disabilities. The range of courses covers an adequate number of foreign languages, but no minority ethnic languages are taught. However, the access to languages is not equal across the county and opportunities for progression are limited in some areas. On non-vocational programmes, in particular, too many learners repeat courses. Many tutors try to vary the content from year to year.

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Quality of education and training

137. Guidance and support for learners are satisfactory overall. Course descriptions in publicity material are generally useful and provide a good indication of who should attend and what will be learnt. Course titles, however, are often unhelpful.

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Quality of education and training

138. The teaching of modern foreign languages is unsatisfactory in 24 per cent of the sessions observed. Too many tutors use English excessively in foreign language sessions, for instance when giving praise or simple instructions. Tutors often encourage translation into or from the foreign language rather than learners’ self-expression. Even in sessions that are satisfactory, some tutors use more English than is necessary. When they do this, they deny learners the chance to develop their listening skills. The planning of programmes and sessions is frequently inadequate. Most tutors plan their programmes and lessons using the LEA’s templates. However, plans demonstrate insufficient understanding of learning outcomes specifically related to modern foreign languages. One tutor claimed that there is no need to plan as the group follow the course book. In some lessons tutors attempt to cover too much content. There is little planned

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differentiation to allow for the different levels within groups. In the best lessons, however, tutors use the taught language very well.

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Quality of education and training

139. The assessment and monitoring of learning are weak in non-vocational programmes. Most tutors rely on individual methods for initial assessment and these vary. Some tutors use informal interviews in the taught language. Others provide a listening task. In two programmes there is a questionnaire written in the taught language. Homework is set regularly and corrected. However, most assessment relies too heavily on learners’ subjective view of their own progress. Few tutors keep records of assessment and this makes the accurate measurement of progress very difficult. Individual learning plans are not appropriately designed. One programme is being used to test new procedures for the ’recognition and recording of progress and achievement’ project. It has yet to have a measurable impact.

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Leadership and management

140. Curriculum management is inadequate. None of the managers have an overview of the provision. The self-assessment report of November 2003 identifies significant concerns, but there has been insufficient progress. For example, no curriculum co- ordinator has been appointed, nor has there been a review of resources. Staff do not adequately understand new policies. For instance, a decision concerning the size of groups has not been well explained. A group of modern foreign languages tutors has existed since February 2004, but its remit is unclear to those outside it. Other tutors

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Leadership and management

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rarely meet to discuss good practice or share ideas and concerns.

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Leadership and management

141. Quality assurance is weak. Learners experience unacceptable differences in the quality of their programmes. Procedures inadequately demonstrate these variations and there is no strategic intervention. Scrutiny of schemes of work is insufficiently critical. There is still no agreed content for levels of language study. This makes it hard for managers to determine whether courses are aimed at an appropriate level. Observations of teaching and learning frequently overlook the vital skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. They do not lead to training opportunities. Some tutors have not been observed and the LEA is unaware of the extent and nature of the poor teaching. Too many observers are not specialist linguists. Potentially useful data is gathered, but the LEA makes insufficient use of them to bring about improvement.

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Leadership and management

142. Arrangements for equal opportunities are satisfactory. Tutors make commendable efforts to counter national stereotypes. Tutors represent a good range of nationalities. Teaching materials make appropriate reference to other cultures and values. Most rooms are accessible to all learners. There are satisfactory numbers of men in many groups. Tutors make insufficient reference to individual needs in their planning. There are too few learners from minority ethnic groups.

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Foundation programmes 3

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners Other contributory areas 381 Adult and community learning 3 -

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Other contributory areas

Strengths good achievement and retention ! good development of local provision !

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Other contributory areas

Weaknesses inadequate individual target-setting ! some inadequate management of the curriculum !

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Achievement and standards

143. Achievement is good on vocational courses at 95 per cent for 2003-04. There is good progression and achievement from family learning courses where parents moved from supporting their child’s learning to taking a course themselves. On one family learning course, eight learners progressed to a numeracy course, seven achieved a basic numeracy test and several progressed to the level 1 and 2 national test. In a pottery class which included learners with additional needs, learners were able to understand and describe technical terms such as rolling and cutting clay. Learners are encouraged to gain an accreditation and are keen to participate. Retention is good at 82 per cent for 2003-04. At the time of inspection the attendance rate was good.

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Quality of education and training

144. Development of local provision is good. Co-ordinators for literacy and numeracy work closely with community education development officers to identify local needs and set up appropriate classes. A significant amount of development work is taking place particularly in developing ICT alongside literacy and numeracy training to reach new groups of learners such as travellers. Mobile learning units are also used by tutors in some groups and laptops are taken to groups to carry out a diagnostic assessment for new learners. There are good partnership arrangements with a range of local agencies and voluntary groups, including charities, local village hall committees, business and statutory bodies.

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Quality of education and training

145. There are also links with local learning partnerships so that new provision can be planned with other providers such as further education colleges. Horticulture courses are

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Quality of education and training

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Quality of education and training

being successfully integrated with literacy and numeracy and other courses are being developed successfully, mainly in the south of the county.

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Quality of education and training

146. Initiatives are being developed to help local people become involved in the planning, delivery and controls of learning. In Lincoln there is a project based on a large housing estate involving a range of partners including voluntary organisations, local schools and other training providers to develop a sustainable community learning centre. This takes place in a church property to provide for the needs and wishes of the local community. Local needs have been identified through open days and questionnaires and it is envisaged that the management team will have a wide representation of local residents. In some parts of the county there are communities of Portuguese and Spanish workers and course provision includes classes to improve English, and the opportunity to pass on cultural differences.

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Quality of education and training

147. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and include good lesson planning with timed activities in many groups. Learners are fully observed in lessons and learners and are able to increase their confidence in a supportive environment. Some tutors have good subject knowledge, but others are new tutors who are not as confident. Clear explanations are given in classes for speakers of other languages, but there is little differentiation in some classes where groups are taught as a whole. Several tutors said that they did not have time to plan and record work for individuals. There is some poor management and learners are left without anything to do.

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Quality of education and training

148. Resources are satisfactory. Classes take place in a variety of community settings, some of which are with new equipment, but some are in school buildings and community centres with inadequate equipment. Most tutors make good use of skills for life material, but some are poorly photocopied and are not supplemented by other materials. There are inadequate resources for tutors in some groups and most have to take their own materials. There is little evidence of posters and display materials on the walls of the classrooms. Most of the sessions observed did not have access to ICT although there has been some investment and co-ordinators make use of laptop computers for diagnostic testing with new learners. Most staff are well qualified and 20 tutors are currently studying towards a level 4 qualification. However, up to 30 per cent of tutors are new to the service and are receiving significant mentoring support from co-

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Quality of education and training

ordinators. All tutors have good access to additional training but some are unhappy that they have to lose teaching sessions to attend the training.

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Quality of education and training

149. Several groups of learners with additional needs have good support from volunteers and support workers. However, there is little additional support and no funding available for learners who are dyslexic. Area offices have materials and equipment for learners with a disability and all tutors have a list of these materials. However, none of the materials were in use during the inspection. Learners are given information about ongoing guidance arrangements at induction, but there are no dedicated guidance staff and no systematic collection of data about progression from foundation classes. Signs to many centres are poor and there are unlit areas in several evening centres.

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Quality of education and training

150. Individual target-setting is inadequate. All classes have recently started to use a

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Quality of education and training

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Quality of education and training

recognised initial assessment and some tutors are also trained to do a more detailed diagnostic assessment. Tutors plan mainly for group activities and there is insufficient recording of targets in individual learning plans. Some groups do not use these plans. Short-term targets are very general in some groups and are not challenging. Recording of progress is not systematic. It is collected in a variety of ways, sometimes verbal. Targets and progress reviews are not always dated and it is difficult for learners to identify their progress.

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Leadership and management

151. Some management of the curriculum is inadequate and there is no management of additional learning. There is no strategic plan for community development and no detailed self-assessment for community development. However, the self-assessment report recognised many of the strengths and weaknesses in the foundation area of learning. Significant efforts have been made recently to produce a skills for life strategy and appropriate procedures for tutors in the handbook. Tutors have been consulted on this process and their views have been taken into account.

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Leadership and management

152. Co-ordinators for literacy, numeracy and language support the tutors on an area basis and mentor new tutors. However, there has been significant staff turnover and sickness and the new paperwork is not consistently applied. There is poor communication between tutors, many of whom feel isolated.

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Leadership and management

153. In community development there is a wide range of courses in all areas of the county. However, the courses are not making an impact on individual communities. There are initiatives being developed to increase community development and widen learner participation. LEA staff are members of local partnerships to help maximise resources and avoid duplication of provision.

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Leadership and management

154. There is inconsistent knowledge of equal opportunities. Two groups of learners have good knowledge of equality and are aware of how to make a complaint. Several tutors have made adjustments within their groups for a learner with a disability. In one case, a learner with impaired hearing was placed in a position where she would be able to hear the tutor. However, equal opportunities is not established in all classes and there is little reinforcement and positive images in teaching materials.

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Leadership and management

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Family learning 2

Contributory areas: Contributory grade Number of learners 648 Adult and community learning 2 -

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Family learning 2

Strengths good retention and achievement ! good teaching and learning ! good progression ! effective management of change !

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Family learning 2

Weaknesses narrow curriculum offer ! inadequate arrangements with schools to safeguard the interests of adult learners !

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Achievement and standards

155. Retention and achievement are good. Retention across all programmes for 2003- 04 was 92 per cent. Achievement on accredited courses was 78 per cent. On non- accredited programmes learners achieve their learning goals. Parents and carers are using the skills and knowledge gained to work with their child in the joint sessions and at home. Learners report increased confidence and headteachers notice the impact of this on the adult’s willingness to be involved in their child’s learning. Many volunteer in schools or go into paid employment. Learners also note that they have more understanding and patience with their child and spend more time in productive activities.

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Quality of education and training

156. Teaching and learning are good. Ninety-five per cent of sessions are satisfactory or better and 69 per cent are good or better. Sessions are well planned, including the joint planning between the schoolteacher and the adult tutor. There is good differentiation and learner support in some sessions. Learners participate well and provide peer support. They gain an understanding of how children learn as well as dealing with their own learning, including literacy and numeracy skills. Learners can articulate what they have learnt and how they have applied the learning.

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Quality of education and training

157. Materials have been developed to support skills for life within family learning. These, together with materials and ideas to support the joint learning of adults and children, have been compiled into a resource bank for every tutor. Resources are checked to ensure they comply with equality requirements. However, some less confident tutors are using the bank of resources less selectively and some sessions

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Quality of education and training

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Quality of education and training

include excessive handouts. Most tutors are able to select what is appropriate for a particular group of learners and adopt a measured pace. There is limited access to ICT depending on the availability of school equipment. Accommodation is satisfactory as are the arrangements for childcare. A pilot programme in Lincoln is using a childcare company to provide crèches.

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Quality of education and training

158. Initial assessment is carried out in all programmes. Informal assessment is carried out at the start of the programme and this is followed four weeks later by a formal assessment using a recognised test. In a subsequent tutorial session, short- and long-term goals are set. In most cases these are specific and work is clearly linked to individual learning plans and is regularly reviewed. At the end of each session learners complete a self-assessment sheet on their day’s learning. They also record the outcome of the joint session working with their child on a diary sheet. Tutors maintain a record of learners’ progress.

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Quality of education and training

159. There is a narrow curriculum offer. All courses take place in the daytime with no twilight, evening or weekend opportunities, which may exclude parents and carers who are employed. Programmes are almost exclusively longer family literacy, numeracy or early start that require a substantial commitment from learners. Workshops are delivered as a preliminary to a longer course, no stand-alone workshops are offered to attract new, more reluctant learners. Keeping up with the children is not currently offered, but some courses are planned for the future. The single exception to the long courses is a six-week programme in Sure Start premises, which, with the help of a community development worker, has attracted hard-to-reach young adults in a deprived area. None of the programmes are specifically aimed at recruiting fathers and male carers. All courses are for parents and carers of children at foundation or key stage 1.

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Quality of education and training

160. Progression is good within and beyond family learning. Tutors see information, advice and guidance as their responsibility and regularly provide information in response to identified needs. A guidance worker from Connexions, a community development officer or a member of staff from a local college visits groups towards the end of the course, but it depends on the geographical area. Learners progress onto skills for life programmes and ’move on’ courses are often provided to follow on from family learning. Many learners progress to a course for classroom assistant or to other adult education. End-of-course evaluations include progression and 34 per cent intend to go on to further learning. A project monitored 40 learners who had completed programmes in 2002-03 and by February 2004, 65 per cent had gone on to further courses or were about to start a course, 24 per cent were volunteers in schools and 47 per cent were in paid

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Leadership and management

161. The management of change is effective. The self-assessment report identified insufficient focus on literacy and numeracy in family learning programmes, inconsistent initial assessment and no recording of progress and progression. These have all been systematically dealt with. A new curriculum has been developed for literacy, numeracy and early start with a range of support materials. The curriculum is being consistently

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Leadership and management

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Leadership and management

delivered with all programmes having an initial assessment and tutorials to set individual learning plans. The co-ordinators meet as a team with the curriculum and service manager and they ensure that consistent messages are given to tutors. Tutors are well supported by co-ordinators and there is good communication through telephone, e-mail and personal contact. Some tutors were involved with the compilation of support materials and all tutors attended staff development. Tutors have the opportunity to feed back operational issues with the delivery of the new curriculum. Tutors meet as a group at least once a term for staff development. The training opportunities are adequate with 25 per cent of tutors taking level 4 in literacy and numeracy. There are appropriate partnerships and a family learning steering group has recently been convened with representation from schools, libraries, Sure Start, educational psychologists, family

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Leadership and management

learning co-ordinators and is chaired by the curriculum and service manager. There are also termly cluster group meetings for headteachers, schoolteachers and adult tutors in a particular geographical area to share practice and discuss concerns.

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Leadership and management

162. Quality assurance processes are applied consistently. There is some analysis of data to improve the service. Equality of opportunity is considered in induction. Tutors have attended equal opportunities training and materials have been checked. Family learning benefits from multicultural themes in schools and one family learning group from a rural area took part in an exchange visit with a school in a city with a diverse minority ethnic population.

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Leadership and management

163. There are inadequate arrangements with schools to safeguard the interests of adult learners. There is no written agreement outlining the respective roles and responsibilities of schools and the provider, and it is not clear who will follow up absences and the use of school equipment, particularly ICT. Insufficient priority is given to adult learners.

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