Ofsted round-up – This week: JWL Associates and Standard Practice Limited reports

Standard Practice Limited, Bradford-on-Avon

 

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

Capacity to improve Good: Grade 2

Achievement and standards Good: Grade 2

Quality of provision Good: Grade 2

Leadership and management Good: Grade 2

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Education and training Good: Grade 2

Standard Practice has a long-standing relationship with local authorities for supporting employer led programmes and is a preferred supplier for workforce development terms in the Slough, West Berkshire and Wokingham local authorities. Thames Valley Learning and Skills Council funds the company under a Category C employer response contract, now subsumed into the Southeast Skills Challenge. Currently, 25 learners are taking NVQs at level 2 and 170 at level 3 in schools in Berkshire. Most learners’ work in primary schools and the majority began their programme in September 2008.

Ofsted has found the overall effectiveness of Standard Practice’s Train to Gain provision to be good with retention being high and learners developing good work skills and confidence through learning programmes. The quality of the provision is also good, with learners benefitting from highly effective coaching planned to meet their individual needs, supported by standard practice’s staff and their extensive experience and knowledge of teacher training.

Standard Practice demonstrates that it has good capacity to improve with the provider offering highly successful programmes through previous ETP programme contracts with Wiltshire and Berkshire local authorities. The provider has shown that it uses its highly effective communications and meetings structure to monitor learners’ performance effectively. Standard Practice is in its first year of Train to Gain operation and the self-assessment process is its first for this provision. The self-assessment process is thorough and inclusive of views from learners and schools. Key strengths include, high retention, good development of work skills, highly effective coaching, particularly effective involvement of employers in the learning process, highly responsive support to meet individual learner’s needs, outstanding collaboration with employers and local authorities and good leadership and management of training.

Achievements and standards are good, with retention being high at 93%. Learners’ progress well through their programme and all were expected to achieve by the end of July 2009. All 144 learners who started their programme in September, and remained in learning, completed their qualification.

 

JWL Associates, Derby

 

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Good: Grade 2

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

Achievement and standards Good: Grade 2

Quality of provision Good: Grade 2

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Sector subject area:

Engineering and manufacturing technologies Good: Grade 2

JWL Associates is a sole trader and currently operates on behalf of an employer group based in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire who manufacture fibreboard. JWL has been in operation since 2003 and has held very small Government funded contracts since 2005 initially with Derbyshire LSC for the Employer Training Pilot and latterly with the east of England regional office for Train to Gain. Twenty-six learners have started a programme with JWL since 2005. Of these, 10 learners started in 2008/09 and are still on programme. Eight are working towards National Vocational Qualifications at level 2 in fibreboard manufacture and conversion and two are on level 3 programmes.

The overall effectiveness of the provision is good, with JWL’s capacity to improve being satisfactory. The provider has consistently demonstrated very good success rates within planned programme durations.

The self-assessment process is satisfactory and suitably inclusive. The report is a broadly accurate account of the provision. However, business and development planning are insufficient. Key strengths include, very good success rates, good enhancement of skills and confidence, well designed training programme, highly committed employer, very flexible programme to meet learner needs and well coordinated programme.

Ofsted has found that achievements and standards are good and that success rates are high. Of the sixteen learners who completed their programme between 2005/08, 14 have successfully completed and have done so within the planned duration of their programme. Of those learners who left the programme early, a full analysis of the reasons has been undertaken between the provider and employer. Of the ten learners who started in 2008/09 all are still in learning, have made satisfactory progress and are in the final completion stages to succeed within the planned duration of their programme.

Natalie Hailes