Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Reinspection number 331955 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Reinspection report Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009

p.1

Background information ............................................................................... 3

Reinspection judgements.................................................................................. 3 Scope of the reinspection.................................................................................. 3

p.2

Main findings................................................................................................. 7

Achievement and standards .............................................................................. 7 Quality of provision .......................................................................................... 7 Leadership and management ............................................................................ 8

p.2

What learners think could improve .............................................................. 7

Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009 3 of 10

p.3

Reinspection judgements

Inspectors use a four-point scale to summarise their judgements about achievement and standards, the quality of provision, and leadership and management, which includes a grade for equality of opportunity .

p.3

Key for reinspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate

p.3

Key for reinspection grades

Further information can be found on how inspection judgements are made on www.ofsted.gov.uk.

p.3

Scope of the reinspection

In deciding the scope of the reinspection, inspectors consider the previous inspection report ( www.ofsted.gov.uk ), reports from the inspectorate’s reinspection monitoring visits, and data and learners and their achievements over the period since the previous inspection. Inspectors also take account of the provider’s most recent self- assessment report and development plans, and comments from the local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) or other funding body.

p.3

Scope of the reinspection

This reinspection reports on specialist provision in:

p.3

Scope of the reinspection

 Leisure, travel and tourism Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009 4 of 10

p.3

Description of the provider

1. Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) is one of four metropolitan boroughs in the Black Country region of the West Midlands. The Adult and Community Learning Team within the Directorate of Adult, Community and Housing services manage the adult and community learning provision. The service offers vocational and non-vocational courses across 15 centres. DMBC receives funding from the Black Country LSC.

p.4

Description of the provider

2. The reinspection follows the service’s inspection in November 2007. At that time the overall effectiveness of the provision, the self-assessment process and capacity to improve were satisfactory. Leadership and management and equality of opportunity were satisfactory. Provision in arts, media and publishing and family learning were good and satisfactory in retail and commercial enterprise and preparation for life and work. Provision in leisure, travel and tourism were inadequate.

p.4

Description of the provider

3. Currently 475 learners follow sport and leisure courses. This is 14 % of learners on all programmes. A specialist sports and leisure curriculum leader supports 11 part-time tutors. Twenty-five per cent are new learners.

p.4

Description of the provider

4. Thirty-seven per cent of the population of Dudley have no formal qualifications. Thirteen wards in the borough have levels of literacy and numeracy which are poor in comparison to the national average. The 2001 census gives the minority ethnic population in Dudley as six per cent as compared with eight per cent nationally. Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009 5 of 10

p.4

Summary of grades awarded at previous inspection

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

p.5

Summary of grades awarded at previous inspection

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

p.5

Summary of grades awarded at previous inspection

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

p.5

Summary of grades awarded at previous inspection

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

p.5

Summary of grades awarded at previous inspection

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

p.5

Sector subject areas

Leisure travel and tourism Inadequate: Grade 4

p.5

Summary of grades awarded at reinspection

Achievement and standards Satisfactory: Grade 3

p.5

Summary of grades awarded at reinspection

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

p.5

Summary of grades awarded at reinspection

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

p.5

Sector subject areas

Leisure travel and tourism Satisfactory: Grade 3 Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009 6 of 10

p.5

Key strengths

 Good acquisition of personal and practical skills  Positive initiatives to provide sport and leisure in community settings  Strong direction and leadership  Particularly effective management of change  Positive actions to identify and support under represented groups

p.6

Key areas for improvement

 Undeveloped recording of observations of teaching and learning  Insufficient arrangements for Skills for Life provision  Insufficient use of data to measure variation between groups of learners Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009 7 of 10

p.6

Satisfactory: Grade 3

5. Achievement and standards are satisfactory, a grade lower than proposed in the provision’s self-assessment. Standards of learners’ work have been maintained since the previous inspection. Learners’ acquisition of personal and practical skills is good as identified in the self-assessment report. Learners in Pilates and yoga sessions demonstrate good control of postures and increased flexibility and coordination. Learners much enjoy and value the benefits associated with attending classes such as increased fitness and stress reduction. Learner progress, identified as a weakness at the previous inspection is now satisfactory.

p.7

Satisfactory: Grade 3

6. Retention rates are good and have improved from 91% in 2006/07 to 94% in 2008/09. Low attendance rates of 79% in 2007/08 are improving in 2008/09.

p.7

Satisfactory: Grade 3

7. Achievement of group learning goals is good at 88% although some learning goals are inappropriate for the learning activity. Achievement reports for individual learning goals have been introduced but are very new.

p.7

Satisfactory: Grade 3

8. The quality of provision overall is satisfactory as recognised in the self- assessment report. Unsatisfactory teaching and learning, an area for improvement at the previous inspection, are now satisfactory. Observation grades are broadly in line with inspection findings. In the better sessions enthusiastic teachers plan lessons well, handouts support learning and are well presented. Individual correction is good and monitors safe practice. Learners receive good encouragement and praise through informal verbal feedback and clear comments in individual learning diaries. Tutors develop a positive rapport with learners. In the weaker sessions insufficient attention is paid to developing learner awareness of correct techniques, appropriateness of learning outcomes and planning for different levels of learning.

p.7

Satisfactory: Grade 3

9. Arrangements for recognising and recording progress and achievement are satisfactory. Staff use of the systems and procedures for recognising and recording learner progress is much improved. It is well established in some specialist areas but not all. Initial assessment has improved as have health and safety arrangements. Reinforcement of safe working practice, a weakness at the previous inspection, is now satisfactory. Risk assessment and physical activity readiness questionnaires are used systematically.

p.7

Satisfactory: Grade 3

10.The quality of recording observations of teaching and learning is undeveloped. Observers do not focus sufficiently on recording learning and attainment and Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009 8 of 10

p.7

Satisfactory: Grade 3

mostly describe tutor activity. Action plans lack specific detail and timescales are not systematically followed up at the next observation. However, arrangements for monitoring actions arising from observations have improved.

p.8

Satisfactory: Grade 3

11.The extent to which the provision meets the needs and interests of learners is good. The service provides a range of positive outreach initiatives to promote sport and leisure activities in community settings. These include workshops, health events, family walks, celebration events and projects. Effective partnership work with the public health service and specialist agencies such as Age Concern ensures the success of targeted work in priority wards. Asian women and older learners benefit from discrete sessions. The Dudley Autism Resource Team (DART) project supports the specialist needs of male learners with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. It provides a secure and safe environment in which learners build their confidence to progress into mainstream provision. Learners receive helpful advice on nutrition and are able to incorporate exercise principles to everyday household tasks. Courses are available at a variety of times and

p.8

Satisfactory: Grade 3

12.Information, advice and guidance are satisfactory. The service holds the Matrix accreditation quality mark and specialist subject advice is available for potential learners. Progression is monitored more closely and course reviews are analysed to inform future planning. Learners receive a satisfactory induction, which includes equality and diversity and are made fully aware of complaints procedures. A recent telephone survey indicated a good level of learner satisfaction. Recognising and recording progress and achievement is not sufficiently explained in some sessions.

p.8

Good: Grade 2

13.Leadership and management are good as recognised in the self-assessment report. Strategic leadership of sport and leisure, an area for improvement at the previous inspection, is good. Senior managers at all levels have a shared vision for the role of sport and leisure within the borough which links effectively to regional and national agendas. Senior staff are represented on appropriate strategic partnership groups to develop the sector area. A new curriculum structure, established by the senior management group, facilitates clear lines of reporting and accountability. Arrangements for performance management, staff communication, meeting structures and quality improvement are more clearly defined. The new specialist curriculum lead contributes well to the improved focus in the curriculum. The service has rationalised staffing and provision to provide better value for money.

p.8

Good: Grade 2

14.Management of change is particularly good. The previous monitoring visit inspection report recognised the speed of progress and the commitment and responsiveness of staff in implementing the post inspection plan. All areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection are now satisfactory. Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009 9 of 10

p.8

Good: Grade 2

Curriculum management is satisfactory. Curriculum leaders and mentors are developing effective strategies to support tutors’ professional practice. Support for tutors is much improved with increased opportunities for involvement in meetings, training, workshops and sharing of good practice. Quality assurance arrangements are satisfactory and staff contribute well to improvement activities. Standardised and improved paperwork is systematically used for all aspects of initial assessment, schemes of work, lesson plans and observations.

p.9

Good: Grade 2

15.Staff development and training are satisfactory. Tutors are registered with the Institute for Learning and four are undertaking a teaching qualification. The service provides a range of training events related to the curriculum area.

p.9

Good: Grade 2

16.Self-assessment is improved and is now satisfactory. At the previous inspection judgements in the 2005/06 self-assessment report were not sufficiently supported with evidence. This has much improved and the report for 2008/09 has made better use of data, course reviews and the Common Inspection Framework. The process is inclusive. Some key findings lacked evaluative judgements but broadly matched those of inspectors.

p.9

Good: Grade 2

17.The service has insufficient arrangements to ensure learners receive adequate access to Skills for Life support. Tutors, centre managers and staff have received basic skills awareness training and learner referrals can be made at any time during the course of the programme, however, learners do not automatically receive a skills check at induction. Learner take-up of literacy, numeracy and English for speakers of other languages is extremely low.

p.9

Good: Grade 2

18.Equality and diversity is satisfactory as recognised in the self-assessment report. Social inclusion is good. The service is compliant with appropriate policies and procedures in place. DMBC takes positive action to identify and support under- represented groups. It makes good use of data and management information to engage hard to reach learners in deprived areas. Resources are targeted well to support learners in priority neighbourhoods. In 2007/08 the percentage of disabled learners was 19% and much higher than the service or borough target. Partnership arrangements are effective in removing barriers to learning and enabling individual needs and learning aspirations to be met through projects such as DART and discrete provision for Asian women and older learners. However, staff do not yet make sufficient use of data to monitor and address significant variations in the performance of different groups. The proportion of

p.9

Good: Grade 2

male learners participating in learning remains low.

p.9

Good: Grade 2

19.DMBC follows the policy and procedures for the protection of vulnerable adults and is meeting current government requirements for safeguarding participants. A designated member of staff is responsible for protection issues. Staff training plans include training for safeguarding. DMBC carries out appropriate vetting checks on all new staff and managers. Equality impact assessments are set regionally and monitored at directorate, centre and programme level. Reinspection report: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, 6 January 2009 10 of 10

p.9

Good: Grade 2

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.10

What learners like:

 The tutors who are brilliant  ‘The Pilates class it’s challenging and I’ve really made progress’  ‘Our swimming tutor who is a naturally gifted teacher’  Feeling fitter, more flexible and supple  Improving their balance and coordination  ‘It’s motivating to learn with other people’  ‘I don’t have back ache anymore’  ‘I feel so relaxed after the meditation’  ‘I’m much more aware of my posture’

p.10

What learners think could improve:

 The heating  The noise from the swimming pool  The paperwork

p.10