Ofsted round-up – This week: Inspectors downgrade i2i’s self assessment to inadequate

Condition Training Limited, Greater Manchester

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

Achievement and standards Satisfactory: Grade 3

Quality of provision Satisfactory: Grade 3

Leadership and management Satisfactory: Grade 3

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Satisfactory: Grade 3

Formed in August 2006 to provide accredited training to the security services industry, Condition Training Limited (CTL) is based in East Lancashire. CTL gained Train to Gain contracts funded through the Lancashire and East Midlands LSCs in August 2007 and represents approximately one-third of the overall provision. There are 22 learners on CTL’s programme, with a further 10 due to have started within the two weeks following Ofsted’s inspection. All learners work towards a National Vocational Qualification at level 2 in providing security services.

The overall effectiveness of the provision is satisfactory and CTL demonstrates a satisfactory capacity to improve. Timely success rates are low and are identified as an area for improvement in the self-assessment report. CTL has already made significant changes to the programmed to improve timely success rates and has started to tackle progress reviews and assessment as areas for improvement.

The self-assessment process was found to be satisfactory, and although this was the first self-assessment report completed by the provider, the report was broadly accurate. Ofsted found that the inspection findings matched the grades and judgements in the self-assessment report closely. Key strengths within CTL include good off-the-job training, good programme design to meet employers’ and learners’ needs and extensive opportunities for learners to further develop their security industry skills.

Achievement by under-represented groups is good with five of the seven female learners on the programme successfully achieving the NVQ and one awaiting certification. Overall success rates are satisfactory. Of the 137 starts in 2007/08, 76 have successfully achieved the NVQ with a further 18 awaiting certification, representing 70% of leavers. Although timely success rates are low, with no learners having completed their NVQ in accordance with their planned leavings dates, CTL has restructured the programme significantly to improve timely success rates but it is too early to assess the effectiveness of these changes at this stage.

Yorkshire Training Partnership, Yorkshire

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Satisfactory: Grade3

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 areas:

Health, public services and care Satisfactory: Grade 3

Engineering and manufacturing technologies Good: Grade 2

Retail and commercial enterprise Good: Grade 2

Business, administration and law Good: Grade 2

Established in September 2000, Yorkshire Training Partnership (YTP) supports a consortium of work-based learning providers and works on behalf of these providers with the South Yorkshire LSC. YTP supports provider partners and the LSC to increase participation and achievement in work-based learning in line with LSC regional and national priorities. The main source of income for the YTP management team comes from the fees charged for the management of the Train to Gain consortium with YTP currently holding a Train to Gain contract with South Yorkshire and Humberside.

The overall effectiveness of the provision is satisfactory with YTP showing a satisfactory capacity to improve. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall and the standard of learners’ work is generally high with programmes meeting the needs of employers and learners particularly well. Although YTP has satisfactory arrangements for improvement, these are recent and have not fully impacted on the quality of provision. Ofsted has found that YTP’s self-assessment process is not developed well and that many of the partners remain inexperienced in self-assessment.

The self-assessment report is found to be consultative yet remains insufficiently developed with the report being evaluative but lacking precision on the exact nature of strengths and areas for improvement. Key strengths within YTP include good overall success rates in most areas, good development of learners’ confidence and workplace skills, flexible learning programmes that meet employers’ and learners’ needs, adaptable and flexible support for learning, strong leadership, productive and responsive partnership working and strong support for new partners.

Achievement and standards are good with YTP, having two full years of success data from 2006 to 2008. Over this period, overall success rates have declined from 93% to 83% and success rates across sector subject areas range from a very high 94% in engineering and manufacturing technologies to 72% in health, public services and care. Timely success rates for the provision as a whole are satisfactory and improved from 60% in 2006/07 to 65% in 2007/08. Many learners also take skills for life qualifications alongside their vocational qualifications. Success rates in 2007/08 were good at 84%.

Inspire to Independence, York

Summary of grades awarded:

Effectiveness of provision Inadequate: Grade 4

Capacity to improve Satisfactory: Grade 3

Achievement and standards Inadequate: Grade 4

Quality of provision Inadequate: Grade 4

Leadership and management Inadequate: Grade 4

Equality of opportunity Contributory grade: Inadequate: Grade 4

Sector subject areas:

Retail and commercial enterprise Inadequate: Grade 4

Business, administration and law Inadequate: Grade 4

Founded in 2004 and based in York, Inspire to Independence (i2i) is a private training provider. Initially the company provided New Deal pre-employment provision through a Department for Work and Pensions contract and in 2007 i2i extended its provision into workforce development. I2i holds five regional LSC contracts to provide Train to Gain at levels 2 and 3 in Yorkshire and Humberside, Greater London, the South West, East Midlands and West Midlands. I2i offers National Vocational Qualifications and currently has 1,551 learners enrolled.

Ofsted has found that the effectiveness of the provision is inadequate. I2i has demonstrated a satisfactory capacity to improve. After disappointing first year outcomes for the provision, significant changes have been made to the management structure with directors resolving staff shortages effectively in many areas of the business and additional new staff being recruited.

The self-assessment process was found to be ineffective as the report overlooks many areas for improvement and strengths are overstated. The process does not include sufficient contributions from staff, learners and employers in evaluating the provision. Key strengths within i2i include good and thorough assessment practices, clear strategic direction, shared with and understood by staff, good induction, mentoring and support for new staff, good recent initiatives to improve provision and highly effective strategies to establish good employer links.

Achievements and standards are inadequate despite the self-assessment judging it to be satisfactory. Overall and timely success rates are low as evidenced by i2i’s only full year of data. Success rates are low in business, administration and law, but in retail and commercial enterprise overall success rates show an improving trend in the first five months of 2008/09.

Natalie Hailes