Setting

Grading

Inspectors use a seven-point scale to summarise their judgements about the quality of learning sessions. The descriptors for the seven grades are:

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Grading

• 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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Grading

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:

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Grading

• grade 1 – outstanding • grade 2 – good • grade 3 – satisfactory • grade 4 – unsatisfactory • grade 5 – very weak.

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Grading

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

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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

• work-based learning for all people over 16 • provision in further education colleges for people aged 19 and over • learndirect 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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Adult Learning Inspectorate

Inspections are carried out in accordance with the Common Inspection Framework 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.

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Overall judgement

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

Provision will normally be deemed to be inadequate where:

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Overall judgement

more than one third of published grades for occupational/curriculum areas, or leadership and management are judged to be less than satisfactory.

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Overall judgement

Such 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 inspection report.

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Inspection report

Land-based provision 5 WHITBY AND DISTRICT FISHING INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL LIMITED

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVIDER

1. Whitby and District Fishing Industry Training School Limited (WDFITS) is a private training company formed in 2002. It was formed to provide new entrants to the northeast coastal fishing fleet, covering Whitby and its immediate district. It has a contract with North Yorkshire Learning and Skills Council to provide apprenticeship programmes in sea fishing. The school employs one full-time member of staff, two part-time members of staff, and six sessional tutors. WDFITS is overseen by a governing board comprising a number of local business people.

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Land-based provision – Sea fishing

2. WDFITS delivers apprenticeship training in sea fishing. Learners work towards a national vocational qualification (NVQ) at level 2 in marine vessel support, deckhand (sea fishing) and key skills at level one in communication, application of number, working with others, and problem solving. Learners also work towards certificates in first aid, fire- fighting, health and safety and basic sea survival. In addition, learners receive literacy and numeracy training and support where appropriate. All off-the-job training is delivered at the school’s premises in Whitby, with on-the-job training being provided by the owners of local fishing trawlers. Learners are recruited from different parts of the United Kingdom, and are placed in local accommodation for the duration of their programme. WDFITS currently has 18 learners.

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

Number of inspectors 2 Number of inspection days 4 Number of learner interviews 10 Number of staff interviews 5 Number of employer interviews 2 Number of locations/sites/learning centres visited 2 Number of partner/external agency interviews 2 Number of visits 2

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OVERALL JUDGEMENT

3. The quality of the provision is not adequate to meet the reasonable needs of those receiving it. The company’s arrangements for leadership and management, including quality assurance, are unsatisfactory. However, WDFITS’s arrangements for equality of opportunity are satisfactory. Training in land-based provision is unsatisfactory. WHITBY AND DISTRICT FISHING INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL LIMITED

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INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL:

• improve retention and achievement rates • improve the training • develop thorough assessment procedures at WDFITS and in the workplace • increase the links between on- and off-the-job training • train and develop staff to improve their teaching skills and understanding of programme requirements • implement effective quality assurance arrangements to monitor and improve the assessment of learners and improve training

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GRADES

grade1= 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 Grade 4

Contributory areas: Number of learners Contributory grade Sea Fishing – work-based learning for young people 18 4 WHITBY AND DISTRICT FISHING INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL LIMITED

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Leadership and management 4

Contributory grades: Equality of opportunity 3 Quality assurance 4

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Leadership and management 4

The following strengths and weaknesses were identified during this inspection:

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Strengths

• good strategic management • good action-planning

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Weaknesses

• insufficient staff development • inadequate quality assurance of training • inadequate internal verification

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Weaknesses

4. Strategic management is good. This was identified as a strength in the self-assessment report. The board of directors has good local and national links which they use to help WDFITS. For example, they raise funds to support learners’ additional needs. There is some good joint working with an authority for the sea fishing industry to develop assessment methods. This authority has contributed £5,000 towards the hire of a fishing vessel and the purchase of a video camera. The director of training has been invited to join a board reviewing the occupational standards. The chair of the board, a local trawler owner, knows each learner and their strengths and weaknesses. He takes learners out on one of his fishing vessels to help familiarise them with conditions at sea. There are good links with a local association for business development. The company secretary is seconded from this association. She is also an experienced sailor and can chaperone

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Weaknesses

female learners at sea. Minutes of board meetings are clear and thorough and show the board has a good understanding of the issues WDFITS faces. Individual learners’ progress and problems are discussed in detail at board meetings. The board has good links with external agencies which have been used well to support and recruit learners. WDFITS offers commercial qualifications to aid sustainability and extend the company’s reputation.

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Weaknesses

5. Staff development is insufficient. WDFITS identified this in the self-assessment report. Most staff work part time for WDFITS. Assessor training has started and staff have attended one session. However, they have limited understanding of the NVQ, the background knowledge required or appropriate assessment methods. Some trainers do not have teaching qualifications and have not had any training in teaching this group of learners. They do not know how to tailor their teaching styles to meet learners’ needs. There is no staff appraisal and review system. Inadequate feedback is given to staff on their performance and they do not receive sufficient information to help them improve. Part- time staff have not had any training on equality of opportunity, self-assessment or the Common Inspection Framework . A session to raise employers’ awareness of the NVQ has recently been held. Policies and procedures are currently being updated to focus more on

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Weaknesses

the learner. However, staff are not adequately informed about existing procedures and do not always follow them. WHITBY AND DISTRICT FISHING INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL LIMITED

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Weaknesses

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 6. Equality of opportunity is satisfactory. The contracts manager has a good understanding of the relevance and application of equality of opportunity in learning and the workplace. Recently, she has done a lot of work to improve equality of opportunity at WDFITS. For example, she has revised the learners’ induction and changed marketing materials to ensure they are not gender biased. Learners have a satisfactory understanding of their rights and responsibilities in training and in the workplace. One learner’s on-the- job training is well managed so he can also fulfil his childcare commitments. WDFITS can accommodate female learners at the training school. School careers talks are aimed at boys and girls. WDFITS has not had any applications from women, but a female chaperone is available to accompany women learners to sea. WDFITS does provide opportunities for learners both from inside and outside the local community to start work

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Weaknesses

in the fishing industry which is historically dominated by a few local families. Monitoring of equality of opportunity in the workplace is mainly carried out through the pastoral support the training director offers. Most staff have not had equal opportunities training and have a limited understanding of its application in teaching.

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Weaknesses

7. Action planning is good. The action plan developed in response to the self-assessment report accurately prioritises key areas for improvement and sets effective targets to bring about those improvements. The action plan is regularly reviewed.

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Weaknesses

8. The self-assessment report used for this inspection is the first one produced by WDFITS. It is critical and broadly identifies the main strengths and weaknesses identified by inspectors. The self-assessment report gives useful information about the industry and the context in which training takes place. However, as the self-assessment report identifies, self-assessment is new and not established in the company. Part-time staff, employers and learners have not been involved in the process. Learners provide feedback informally, but their views are not recorded.

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Weaknesses

9. Quality assurance of on- and off-the-job training is inadequate. There is some informal observation of off-the-job training but it has failed to identify that the range of methods and resources used are not tailored to the needs of learners, most of whom have low levels of literacy and numeracy skills.

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Weaknesses

10. Internal verification is inadequate. This was identified as a weakness through the self- assessment process. WDFITS has recently changed the subcontractor for internal verification. The previous subcontractor only made one visit to the centre. Since the contract with the new subcontractor started in November there has only been one visit. The internal verifier’s feedback is positive. However, there is not enough detail to help with the development of assessors. There is insufficient support for new assessors. Assessors’ work is not standardised and they do not fully understand their role. For example, they do not know the level at which background knowledge is taught across units. The internal verification contract does not adequately specify how much and what kind of assessment the internal verifier will see when they visit. WHITBY AND DISTRICT FISHING INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL LIMITED

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Land based provision Grade 4

Contributory areas: Number of learners Contributory grade Sea Fishing – work-based learning for young people 18 4

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Marine vessel support - fishing

Strengths • good accommodation and teaching resources • effective preparation of learners for employment • particularly good pastoral support

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Marine vessel support - fishing

Weaknesses • poor retention and achievement rates • some inappropriate training • weak assessment of learners’ progress • insufficient links between on- and off-the-job training

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Achievement and standards

11. Retention and achievement rates are poor. Since WDFITS opened in 2002 there have been no learners who have completed the framework or achieved an NVQ. The achievement of the key skills qualification has been poor. However, there have been five learners to date who have achieved key skills units. Most learners have achieved basic certification allowing them to work on the trawlers. These certificates cover health and safety, first aid, fire-fighting and basic sea survival.

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Achievement and standards

12. For the first three intakes of learners, retention rates ranged between zero and 25 per cent. Of the 11 learners who started in September 2004, nine are still in learning.

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Quality of education and training

13. Training is inappropriate for the learners attending WDFITS. Of the three lessons observed, one was graded poor, one unsatisfactory, and one satisfactory. In two of the lessons observed there was an insufficient range of activities planned. Many of the learners were bored and disinterested. Questioning techniques did not ensure that all the learners participated, and they allowed certain individuals to dominate discussions. There was too little use of visual aids. Transparency slides were poorly produced, many were straight reproductions of pages of text which the tutor read out, and there was too little monitoring of learners’ understanding. Technical terms and jargon were not always explained fully. The concept of formal lesson planning has only recently been introduced. There is no effective link between learning at WDFITS and on-the-job learning activities. Training plans do not exist which give an indication of timescales or the range of activities learners

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Quality of education and training

will carry out during the programme. WHITBY AND DISTRICT FISHING INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL LIMITED

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Quality of education and training

© ADULT LEARNING INSPECTORATE 14. WDFITS has good physical accommodation and a wide range of teaching resources. The teaching room is comfortable and well equipped. A number of up-to-date computers are available with internet access as well as industry-related software covering marine communications. There is a wide range of textbooks, training manuals and videos covering all aspects of the industry, as well as working radios used by learners when studying communication modules, lamps used for contacting other vessels, and a significant number of sea charts. Learners have access to a canteen on the ground floor of the premises.

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Quality of education and training

15. All of the teaching staff have significant maritime experience. However, most do not have experience of the fishing sector. Most teaching staff do not have teaching or assessor qualifications.

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Quality of education and training

16. The assessment of learners’ progress is weak. There is too little direct assessment of NVQ competences in on- and off-the-job training. Progress of learners towards the NVQ is slow. There are too few qualified assessors working at the school.

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Quality of education and training

17. There are no qualified assessors working on board the fishing trawlers. No assessment of performance is carried out while learners are at sea. Trawlers often spend several consecutive days at sea, and it is impractical for staff from WDFITS to be on board during these times. WDFITS is planning to set up a working vessel in which learners and assessors can make fishing trips to enable assessment at sea. Progress reviews are insufficiently focused on the progress towards the achievement of NVQ units and do not involve effective target-setting.

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Quality of education and training

18. WDFITS prepares learners well to enable them to enter the industry, meeting the legal requirements for new entrants to the fishing sector. Learners receive training and certification in health and safety, first aid, fire-fighting and basic sea survival. In addition, learners achieve a short-range radio operator’s certificate and a radar certificate.

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Quality of education and training

19. A number of learners have progressed into employment in the fishing industry, although none have done so having completed all elements of the apprenticeship framework. One employer who met the inspection team spoke positively about the contribution WDFITS makes to the local fishing industry, in particular in recruiting learners from outside of the local area and in the close personal support given to learners.

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Quality of education and training

20. WDFITS provides particularly good pastoral support to its learners. Many of the learners are away from home for the first time and live in local boarding accommodation. Staff at WDFITS are available outside WDFITS’s opening hours to deal with any problems, such as accommodation difficulties or problems with adjusting to the demands of life at sea. Learners receive guidance at induction about the support available.

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Quality of education and training

21. Arrangements for initial assessment are satisfactory. Learners receive diagnostic testing when they start the programme. Literacy and numeracy support is available, although the nature of the initial assessment test is not always effective in determining learning needs.

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Quality of education and training

22. The induction of learners to WDFITS is satisfactory. Learners receive a summary of the course outline, an accommodation induction, and the school charters a boat for a sea trip to familiarise learners with sea travel. WHITBY AND DISTRICT FISHING INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOL LIMITED

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Leadership and management

23. Although learners’ progress is discussed well at board level, it is not sufficiently discussed by staff. To date, staff have only had one team meeting. This followed their first session of assessor training. Staff have a wide range of expertise, but there is insufficient sharing of good practice. On-the-job training is not observed. Staff do not accompany learners to sea. The training director maintains radio and telephone contact with employers and learners while they are at sea, but the emphasis of this contact is on learners’ pastoral support. WDFITS has no way of ensuring that learners’ on-the-job training is consistent or acceptable.

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