Setting

Context

Enham is a charity and company limited by guarantee that has provided services to people with disabilities since 1918. Its learning and Employment Services division currently operates from offices in Eastleigh, Hampshire and offers Entry to Employment (E2E) in Farnborough and Alton, also in Hampshire. It recruits approximately 45 learners to the E2E programme each year. Most of these learners have learning difficulties or disabilities. At the time of this monitoring visit, 17 learners were on programme. Enham also receives funding from the Department for Work and Pensions to provide training leading to qualifications and employment for people with disabilities. Its Workstep provision was inspected by the Adult Learning Inspectorate in 2005. Enham has recently joined the Eastleigh College consortium for Train to Gain provision to offer training and accreditation in skills for life.

p.1

Context

Ofsted inspected Enham’s E2E provision in June 2007 and judged overall effectiveness to be satisfactory, as were capacity to improve, achievement and standards, quality of provision, leadership and management and preparation for life and work. Inspectors judged equality of opportunity to be good. Inspectors examined progress on the E2E programme only during this monitoring visit.

p.1

progress

At the previous inspection, achievement and standards were satisfactory overall, but achievement of qualifications was poor. Pass rates for external key skills tests were 27% and most learning activities led only to internal certificates for participation. Enham has made reasonable progress in improving qualification achievement and progression rates. Progression to further education, training and/or employment has improved from 49% in 2006/07 to 59% to date in 2007/08, with some learners still to take up places at college in September 2008. Enham focuses more closely on achievement of key skills qualifications and on the quality of learners’ work in their key skills portfolios. It now offers online key skills testing. Of the seven learners who recently took the online test, five passed. Of the 17 learners currently on programme, 10 have completed a key skills portfolio and are awaiting external verification. The number of learners achieving external certificates has risen. For

p.1

progress

example, in 2006/07, seven out of 49 learners achieved an externally certificated award. In 2007/08, 17 out of 46 learners achieved this award.

p.2

progress

At the previous inspection, records of learners’ achievement were insufficiently detailed. Staff did not use progress reviews well to record progress or plan for the achievement of targets. Enham has made reasonable progress in rectifying this area for improvement. Each week, learners now make detailed records of their achievement on planned activities. Regular and frequent reviews monitor and record their progress against agreed short-term targets. Staff involve learners fully in these reviews and have a good knowledge and understanding of learners’ needs and their progress. However, records of learners’ progress and achievement are not clearly linked to overall objectives for individual learners’ programmes, or to milestones on learning plans for their achievement.

p.2

progress

At the previous inspection, target-setting was weak. Learners’ E2E passports did not identify the skills and knowledge needed to achieve identified progression aims. Enham has made insufficient progress to rectify this area for improvement. It has made some progress in identifying learners’ progression aims from initial assessment. These now lead to a list of tasks for learners to complete, but Enham does not prepare an overall, individual plan for each learner’s development. Learner numbers are small and members of staff know individual learners, the barriers they face and their progression plans. Staff meet weekly to discuss learners’ progress and have received very recent training in recognising and recording of progress and achievement. They hold monthly reviews with learners and set some targets, but they keep targets for keys skills work separately in the key skills files. Staff sometimes omit other targets if they perceive that a learner might find them too

p.2

progress

challenging. Enham did not explicitly include improvements in target-setting or progression planning in its post-inspection action plan.

p.2

progress

At the previous inspection, Enham did not have a written strategy literacy and numeracy. Staff did not have sufficient expertise to provide effective literacy and numeracy support. They had not been given sufficient guidance on identifying specific learning goals for individual learners. Enham has made reasonable progress to rectify this area for improvement. It now has a written skills for life strategy which expresses a strong commitment to the development of staff and learners’ skills for life, and includes an appropriate range of activities. The strategy is relatively new, but Enham has made some progress in its implementation. It has appointed a member of staff to deliver skills for life and has provided training and resources for staff involved in the delivery of the E2E programme. Staff now make better use of initial assessment and resources to develop learners’ skills for life. Completion of key

p.2

progress

skills portfolios has increased. However, learners do not yet have individual plans to identify their literacy and numeracy skills needs or what appropriate training they require.

p.3

progress

At the previous inspection, Enham did not monitor adequately key aspects of its E2E programme. It has made reasonable progress to rectify this area for improvement. Observations of teaching and learning now form a regular part of monitoring processes. Most staff are observed every six weeks Two members of E2E staff currently working towards a teaching qualification receive regular external feedback on their performance. Observations records are clear but recorded comments do not always substantiate the grade awarded for the session. Enham has not yet reviewed the effectiveness of its observations in improving teaching and learning.

p.3

progress

Reasonable progress has been made to improve the monitoring of other key aspects of E2E processes. Weekly team meetings are held where thorough discussions take place on individual learner progress. Meetings are recorded and targets set for staff on achievements. The register of learners’ attendance has improved and includes the recording of key processes such as initial assessment and progress reviews.

p.3

progress

At the previous inspection, inspectors judged the self-assessment process to be satisfactory. However, the self-assessment report did not include enough clear judgements on the provision, or use a sufficiently wide range of evidence or analysis of data to evaluate achievement and standards. Enham now uses a wider range of evidence such as learner, staff and employer feedback to inform the self-assessment process. However, it does not yet make adequate use of data to evaluate and improve the programme. It has attempted to analyse each of the programmes offered, but has made insufficient progress to rectify this area for improvement. The self-assessment report remains too descriptive and does not contain sufficiently clear judgements relating specifically to E2E. Its key messages do not relate clearly to the grades it proposes for provision. The post-inspection and self-assessment development plans are clear, but fail to include plans to maintain or improve Enham’s

p.3

progress

strengths in provision. Some of the actions and timescales for tackling areas for improvement are inappropriate.

p.4

progress

provided that the information quoted is reproduced verbatim without adaptation, and the source and date of publication are stated. Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted website (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

p.4