Sheffield Independent Film and Television Limited

Published date January 2010 Inspection Number 343682 Unique reference number: 58047

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Name of lead inspector: Jill Szutenberg HMI

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Last day of inspection: 27 th November 2009

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

5 Brown Street Sheffield S1 2BS Telephone number: 0114 272 6304/0304 Sheffield Independent Film and Television (SHIFT)

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Information about the provider

1. Sheffield Independent Film and Television (SHIFT) is a registered charity based in Sheffield governed by a board of trustees. It contracts with the South Yorkshire Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to provide vocational training at level 1 in interactive media, skills for life and personal and social development through its Entry to Employment (E2E) programme. The provider currently has 24 learners on programme. SHIFT's E2E programme was reinspected. It has no other provision.

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Information about the provider

2. SHIFT employs a full-time chief executive officer, a project manager, a key worker and three freelance tutors and assistants. Two members of staff work with both SHIFT and its sub-contracted partner to deliver Skills for Life training and to co-ordinate the E2E programme.

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Information about the provider

3. SHIFT's minority ethnic learners represent 12% of its cohort compared with 9% of the population nationally and locally. The proportion of young people in Sheffield who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) has fallen over the past two years from 10.7% to 8.5% in March 2009. Approximately 35% of the local working population does not have a qualification at level 2.

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Information about the provider

4. SHIFT's last inspection was in June 2008 when it was awarded inadequate grades for all aspects of its provision.

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Information about the provider

5. The following organisation provides training on behalf of SHIFT :

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Information about the provider

 Darnall Education Centre Associated Training Co-operative Ltd (DECAT) (E2E provider specialising in music technology, adult literacy and numeracy, and motor vehicle maintenance)

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Provision for young learners:

Foundation learning, including Entry to Employment 63 full-time learners

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Summary report

Grades: 1 is outstanding; 2 is good; 3 is satisfactory; 4 is inadequate

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Grade

Leadership and management 3 Safeguarding Equality and diversity

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Overall effectiveness

6. The overall effectiveness of SHIFT’s provision is satisfactory. Nearly two-thirds of learners have moved from the provision into further education or employment this year compared with just over a third in 2008/09. Learners develop good personal and work-related skills. They have a good awareness of both health and safety and equality and diversity. The provider protects its learners well, and they feel safe.

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Overall effectiveness

7. Learners enjoy their sessions and take responsibility for their learning by monitoring their own progress well. They produce good quality work that they use well to help them to find employment or more advanced learning courses. Since its inspection, SHIFT has expanded its provision to give learners a better range of tasters and of job-related experience. It makes good use of staff’s professional links to provide these opportunities for learners. The provider works very effectively with a well-chosen range of partners to give learners a full and rewarding experience.

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Overall effectiveness

8. SHIFT looks after its learners well. Staff and learners treat each other with respect. SHIFT acts on learners’ suggestions to improve their experience. The provider has improved many aspects of its provision since the inspection in June 2008. However, it does not have well-developed and fully effective systems to help it to monitor its improvements.

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Main findings

 Learners produce good, interesting job-related work. They develop good personal and social skills and enjoy their learning.  Learners take good responsibility for their own learning and for their health and well-being. They run a successful and popular breakfast club to make sure that everybody can have a healthy breakfast at the start of the day.  Tutors and learners build up a full picture of the learners’ interests at the start of the programme and use this effectively to motivate learners and to measure their progress. Learners’ programmes are individual and match their needs and interests very well.  SHIFT works very well with other organisations to develop the opportunities available to young people. Learners participate in a good range of interesting activities which develop their understanding and experience and help them to continue to learn or to get a job.  SHIFT’s learners treat each other with respect. The provider encourages learners

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Main findings

to explore their feelings and to express their thoughts honestly and positively. Learners understand how their behaviour can affect others.  SHIFT protects its staff and learners very well. Learners feel safe and are safe.  Many learners gain their first qualification during their programme. They are rightly proud of this; their families are very impressed by their enthusiasm and their achievement.  Some of SHIFT’s staff still work in the media industry and show learners exactly what they need to do to find work in this field. Learners appreciate the expertise and experience of their tutors.  SHIFT designs its programmes well to include elements of literacy and numeracy which are important to learners. Learners see the relevance of this to their future employment. However, the provider does not always check its own documents well enough and some contain spelling and punctuation errors.  SHIFT has increased the number of work placements for learners but they are

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Main findings

still insufficient to give learners the full range of experience they require.  SHIFT has made many improvements to the provision but it does not plan and monitor their impact sufficiently. Planning lacks clarity. Self-assessment is not effectively used to measure progress. SHIFT observes its tutors and reports on their performance but it does not use this information well enough to plan for or monitor improvements in teaching and learning.  The provider collects information on learners’ progress and provides appropriate support. However, it does not assess the impact of this support well enough to know that it meets learners’ needs fully.

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What does SHIFT need to do to improve further?

 Increase positive outcomes to give learners a wider range of progression opportunities.  Develop further opportunities for vocationally relevant work-placements to benefit learners wishing to pursue careers in media.  Develop a systematic approach to planning and monitoring the impact of support to ensure that it is fully effective and relevant to learners’ needs.  Develop and focus strategic planning, prioritising actions that have a direct impact on the quality of learning.  Accurately identify and monitor targets to raise standards throughout the organisation.  Develop a focused, inclusive and evaluative self-assessment process to drive improvements and to guide action planning.  Continue to develop and improve observations of teaching and learning to raise the quality of teaching and learning throughout the organisation.  Continue to develop and improve quality improvement systems to monitor and

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What learners like:

 being treated as adults  learning how to use computers  the enjoyable learning  feeling respected  the relaxed atmosphere  the skills that they develop  gaining confidence in their own identity and feeling worthwhile in their own right.

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What learners would like to see improved:

 the equipment that does not always work  the accommodation which is not entirely fit for purpose.

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What employers like:

 the good skills shown by learners  the learners’ positive attitude towards work.

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What employers would like to see improved:

 the range of experience that learners bring with them.

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Capacity to make and sustain improvement Grade 3

9. SHIFT’s capacity to make and sustain improvement is satisfactory. No strengths were identified in the provider’s inspection in 2008 but reinspection identified that two former areas for improvement are now key strengths, a further five are satisfactory and the two remaining areas for improvement have been partially rectified. In the last year, the provider’s positive outcomes have risen from 37% to 58%, with more learners due to progress into either further learning or work in February 2010. Although this is still below the national average, most learners have a low starting point and develop good personal and employability skills during their programme. Self-assessment is still not used well enough to identify the provider’s strengths and weaknesses and to bring about improvements. However, staff are aware of what needs to be done to improve and takes satisfactory action to raise standards. Strategic target

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Capacity to make and sustain improvement Grade 3

setting is broadly satisfactory but not always sufficiently clear or adequately monitored. Staff set satisfactory individual targets for learners and these are generally met. The board of trustees now appraises the provider’s performance effectively and receives appropriate reports on learners’ success. Staff and other resources have been increased and are now sufficient to secure satisfactory value for money. The provider’s staff use their professional expertise and knowledge of the industry very well to give learners the skills they need to succeed. SHIFT makes effective use of feedback from learners to improve the quality of provision.

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Outcomes for learners Grade 3

10. Learners attain their goals satisfactorily. The provider has improved its positive outcomes by 21 percentage points over the last year. More learners are gaining qualifications to help them to progress to further learning or to secure employment. Most learners meet their personal targets and manage their behaviour and attendance well. Learners develop good personal and social skills. They make good progress relative to their potential and prior attainment. Learners develop satisfactory skills in numeracy, literacy and language.

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Outcomes for learners Grade 3

11. Learners gain good transferable and specialised employability skills. Most use these well to progress to further learning or employment. Learners have satisfactory understanding of their rights and responsibilities at work.

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Outcomes for learners Grade 3

12. Learners at SHIFT and DECAT feel safe. Learners have good knowledge and understanding which enable them to make informed choices about their health and well-being. For example, learners run a breakfast club to ensure that everybody can start the day with a nutritious meal. They have a satisfactory understanding of health and safety but this is not always sufficiently well reinforced during learning sessions. 13. Learners have good involvement in vocationally relevant community-based development activities and projects. Many projects help learners to develop a sophisticated understanding of community cohesion by concentrating on specific issues such as ability rather than disability in the work of disabled film- makers.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

14. SHIFT uses initial assessment well to build a profile of learners’ interests and barriers. It uses this information successfully to formulate personal targets and to plan sessions. Tutors give learners useful critical feedback on their work. Learners work at a high standard.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

15. The provider matches its programme very well to learners’ interests and needs. It encourages learners to gain qualifications such as level 1 in interactive media and to create a personal media portfolio. Learners benefit from a good range of activities and services which help them to enjoy their learning and to develop their personal skills more effectively. SHIFT continues to develop its programme of placement opportunities to benefit more learners.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

16. SHIFT works well with a carefully chosen range of partners to develop the curriculum and widen opportunities for existing and potential learners. Learners access relevant specialist support and advice through partnership working.

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The quality of provision Grade 2

17. Learners benefit from satisfactory support and guidance. Staff are working towards relevant qualifications to improve this further. Staff do not adequately record the support and guidance offered to help SHIFT identify areas for improvement.

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Leadership and management Grade 3

18. The provider meets national and local priorities and interests well by engaging learners who would not otherwise have the opportunity to develop their skills in the context of media. Some learners have been rejected by other providers and many have not previously had the opportunity to live and learn outside restricted and protected environments. SHIFT has expanded its range of courses to meet the needs of a wider group of learners and to ensure that learners have a suitably wide range of skills to make them more employable. The provider uses data satisfactorily to assess employers’ needs and to plan and review the service. Resources, including staff, accommodation, facilities and technologies, are developed and used to support learning effectively. However, SHIFT’s strategies for planning and developing learning programmes and services are insufficiently clear. It does not link strategic planning with

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Leadership and management Grade 3

operational activity sufficiently. Targets lack precision.

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Leadership and management Grade 3

19. In recent years the board and the provider have not communicated effectively to improve their service. However, the board now satisfactorily sets and monitors SHIFT’s strategic direction. It receives adequate progress reports from SHIFT’s managers. A board member is responsible for observing teaching and learning.

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Leadership and management Grade 3

20. Arrangements to safeguard and protect learners are good. Safeguarding is prioritised well within the organisation. The provider carries out criminal records bureau (CRB) checks on all relevant members of staff and holds a single central register. Staff understand their responsibilities. They have had relevant training in safeguarding and further training is planned. The provider works very effectively with external agencies and professionals to safeguard learners. Staff take very positive action to identify and respond to users’ welfare concerns. In some cases, support is given to both learners and their families to resolve complex issues.

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Leadership and management Grade 3

21. SHIFT manages equality and diversity within the organisation well. It successfully promotes equality and diversity with staff, learners, employers, parents and other partners. It uses naturally occurring events very effectively to challenge perceptions and to change attitudes and behaviours. SHIFT’s understanding of equality and diversity is very sophisticated; it recognises its learners and staff as individuals with complex identities and challenges. It does not revert to simplistic interpretations of equality but has a sensitive, pragmatic and supportive approach to individual issues. The provider has a comprehensive and effective range of policies and procedures to support learners which make reference to all relevant legislation. It deals satisfactorily with complaints and logs their outcomes adequately. The provider has clear recruitment targets for priority groups and meets these targets. It monitors the comparative

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Leadership and management Grade 3

performance of groups and has identified the need to raise the aspirations and success rates of young white working-class males as a priority. It is taking good measures to ensure that this group benefits from the expertise of tutors and advisers specialising in this area. However, it has not yet closed the achievement gap for these learners.

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Leadership and management Grade 3

22. The provider engages with users to support and promote improvement satisfactorily. It has satisfactory procedures to involve learners in decision making through its learner forum and through feedback and evaluation. It seeks the views of employers and has expanded its range of activities for learners in response to their feedback. The provider works well with learners’ families, particularly in cases where there are complex problems such as breakdown in relations or estrangement. Its work with external partners supports learning and improvement effectively.

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Leadership and management Grade 3

23. The provider does not have effective processes for monitoring and evaluating performance and tackling weaknesses. Its quality systems are too new to have had an impact. It is revising its self-assessment process to make it more inclusive and relevant to the provision. The most recent self-assessment report lacks clear judgements and does not lead sufficiently to effective improvement planning. Similarly, its system for observing teaching and learning is very new and it is too early to assess its impact. The provider analyses data satisfactorily and uses it adequately to identify some areas for improvement. However, this process is insufficiently formal. Information gathered at an operational level does not contribute to strategic planning. Action plans are insufficiently clear, and have imprecise targets which are difficult to monitor.

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Leadership and management Grade 3

24. Most learners make good progress in relation to their starting points. The provider considers the views of users carefully and responds where appropriate. SHIFT manages its existing resources adequately. It has an accommodation strategy to improve facilities for learners and is developing its staff to ensure that learners have a good and improving learning experience. SHIFT does not monitor its documents for errors sufficiently; they form a poor model for learners who are developing their own literacy skills.

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Information about the inspection

25. One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and one additional inspector, assisted by the provider’s chief executive officer as nominee, carried out the inspection. Inspectors also took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, comments from the LSC, the previous inspection report, reports from the inspectorate’s quality monitoring inspection and data on learners and their achievement over the period since the previous inspection.

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Information about the inspection

26. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and emails. They looked at questionnaires learners and employers had recently completed on behalf of the provider. They also observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. Record of Main Findings (RMF) Sheffield Independent Film & Television (SHIFT) Learning types: 14 – 16: Young apprenticeships; Diplomas; 16-18 Learner responsive: FE full- and part-time courses, Foundation learning tier, including Entry to Employment; 19+ responsive: FE full- and part-time courses; Employer responsive: Train to Gain, apprenticeships

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Information about the inspection

Outcomes for learners 3 3 How well do learners achieve and enjoy their learning? 3 3 How well do learners attain their learning goals? How well do learners progress? How well do learners improve their economic and social well-being through learning and development? How safe do learners feel? 3 Are learners able to make informed choices about their own health and well being?* How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community?* 2 Quality of provision 2 2 How effectively do teaching, training and assessment support learning and development? How effectively does the provision meet the needs and interests of users? 2 How well partnerships with schools, employers, community groups and others lead to benefits for learners? How effective are the care, guidance and support learners receive in helping them to achieve? Leadership and management 3 3 How effectively do leaders and managers raise expectations and promote

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Information about the inspection

ambition throughout the organisation? How effectively do governors and supervisory bodies provide leadership, direction and challenge?* How effectively does the provider promote the safeguarding of learners? 2 How effectively does the provider actively promote equality and diversity, tackle discrimination and narrow the achievement gap? How effectively does the provider engage with users to support and promote improvement? How effectively does self-assessment improve the quality of the provision and outcomes for learners? How efficiently and effectively does the provider use its available resources to secure value for money? *where applicable to the type of provision Grades using the 4 point scale 1: Outstanding; 2: Good; 3: Satisfactory; 4: Inadequate Overall 14-16 16-18 Learner responsive 19+ Learner responsive Employer responsive Approximate number of enrolled learners Full-time learners Part-time learners

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Information about the inspection

Overall effectiveness 3 Capacity to improve 3 inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Information about the inspection

If you would like a copy of this report in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Information about the inspection

You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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Information about the inspection

Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann’s Square Manchester, M2 7LA

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Information about the inspection

T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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