Ofsted watch: Private provider rated grade four in first inspection

A private training provider has received a grade four in its first ever Ofsted report this week, as three other providers stayed grade at three – two for the third time.

Elsewhere, there was better news for a local authority provider which saw its grade go up from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’.

Training 4 U Services (UK) Ltd, a Luton-based independent training provider, was rated ‘inadequate’ across the board in a report published November 22 and based on an inspection in mid-September.

Leaders at the provider, which offers level three and four provision in a range of areas including health and social care, and beauty therapy, were criticised for failing to have “effective plans in place to improve the quality of their provision”.

They were found to have a “poor understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for learners”.

“Too many” learners failed to achieve their qualifications, and “most” made slow progress, the report said.

Adult learning provider Kingston upon Hull City Council was one of three providers to remain at grade three following full inspection this week.

Leaders were found to have been “too slow to take effective action when teaching staff underperform” since the last inspection in 2016, in a report published November 20 and based on an inspection in early October.

“Not enough” learners achieved functional skills qualifications or got high grades in GCSE English or maths, while “too few” adult learners and those on 16 to 19 study programmes progress onto education, employment or training after their courses.

However, its apprenticeship provision was rated ‘good’, and inspectors noted that apprentices made “good progress” and “strong contributions to their employers’ businesses”.

As previously reported by FE Week, two other providers were rated grade three for the third time in a row this week: employer provider Boots Opticians Professional Services Limited, and Birmingham Metropolitan College.

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council boosted its grade from three to two in a report published November 21 and based on an inspection in mid-October.

“Good-quality teaching, learning and assessment” at the adult and community learning provider help learners “develop their vocational and technical skills and their knowledge well” with “most” making good progress.

They also made good progress in developing “social and employability skills” which “helps them contribute more fully to family life and society”.

“Governors, leaders and managers provide a curriculum that is well aligned to local economic regeneration needs and that helps vulnerable, socially isolated and disadvantaged local people to re-engage with learning,” the report said.

Just one other FE and skills report was published this week: an early monitoring visit to apprenticeship provider Proactive in Partnership Training Limited.

The provider, which offers apprenticeships in business improvement techniques, was found to be making reasonable progress in all three themes under review in a report published November 20 and based on a visit in late October.

GFE Colleges Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
Birmingham Metropolitan College 16/10/2018 23/11/2018 3 3

 

Independent Learning Providers Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
Training 4 U Services (UK) Ltd 19/09/2018 22/11/2018 4 –
Proactive in Partnership Training Limited 23/10/2018 20/11/2018 M M

 

Adult and Community Learning Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
Kingston upon Hull City Council 09/10/2018 20/11/2018 3 3
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council 16/10/2018 21/11/2018 2 3

 

Employer providers Inspected Published Grade Previous grade
Boots Opticians Professional Services Ltd 23/10/2018 19/11/2018 3 3

Third ‘requires improvement’ rating in a row for mega college in debt

A cash-strapped college whose highly-paid leader was the first in a spate of principals to step down has been rated ‘requires improvement’ for the third time in a row by Ofsted.

Birmingham Metropolitan College received a grade three overall and in five headlines fields in a report published this morning.

However, the inspection was carried out in mid-October – three weeks after Andrew Cleaves resigned with immediate effect.

Inspectors found that “significant weaknesses” remained from the previous inspection, in February 2017, particularly in relation to the “progress that all students studying on level three courses make from their starting points”.

Governors were criticised for failing to “hold leaders to account fully due to the lack of information they receive in relation to students’ progress”.

However, the report noted that the college had “significant financial difficulties” since the last inspection, and had “recently been subject to a series of interventions from the Education and Skills Funding Agency and the FE commissioner”.

Cliff Hall, who was appointed interim principal following Mr Cleaves’ departure, said the report “recognises that significant improvements have been made across the college since the last inspection”, which included “increased achievement rates on the large majority of courses”. 

He said the college was pleased to have been rated good in three headline fields: apprenticeships, adult learning, and personal development, behaviour and welfare.

“However, there is further work to be done,” he acknowledged.

“We are already getting on with a clear plan that reflects the high expectations and determination of our staff to achieve the best outcomes for our students.  New measures have recently been in place to continue improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment at BMet and we are confident they will be successful.”

BMet is one of the largest colleges in the country, with an income of £61.3 million in 2016/17 and over 16,000 learners.

But according to ESFA accounts for the year, it owed almost £14 million in exceptional financial support – more than any other college.

Despite this, Mr Cleaves, who led the college from 2014 until September this year, was the second most highly paid principal in the country, with a massive £266,000 salary.

Today’s inspection report is the third ‘requires improvement’ report in a row for the college – all three of which were handed down during or shortly after Mr Cleaves’ tenure at the college.

Until recently, these three grade threes in a row would automatically have qualified the college for an ‘inadequate’ grade.

Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman told FE Week earlier this week that she had changed this rule when she took over the top job at the inspectorate in January 2017 “because I thought it was flawed in conception”.

“The job of inspection is to report on what we see when we inspect,” she said.

“To artificially say that something is ‘inadequate’ and trigger all the consequences that we know go with grade four judgments, because we want to heap up pressure, I don’t think that’s the right thing for us to do”.

BMet board minutes from earlier this year indicate that the college had self-assessed itself to be ‘good’ in all the main inspection themes except outcomes for learners.

“Although this was still graded as a three there was reasonable in year information to show to inspectors to support a grade two,” minutes from a meeting held in March said.

Mr Cleaves was one of eight high-profile college leaders to have stepped down with immediate effect in recent months.

Their departures are understood to be related to the introduction of the college insolvency regime, which will come into effect at the end of January.

 

Confusion surrounds Milton’s view on college and private provider collaboration

Confusion surrounds the skills minister’s view on college and private provider partnerships, after FE Week discovered that her published speech for the Association of Colleges conference contradicts what she actually said.

Anne Milton told over 1,000 delegates on Tuesday that she wants to see “more and more apprenticeship training being offered by colleges and where possible, possibly in collaboration with independent training providers”.

It made a change to former skills minister Nick Bole’s message to the conference three years ago in which he told the audience to stop letting private providers “nick your lunch”.

The new stance was met with fanfare from AELP boss Mark Dawe, who in his weekly members’ newsletter said: “The other great change in language was we didn’t hear any of the previous nonsense about ‘eating your lunch’ – instead there was a clear message about collaboration with ITPs – I nearly fell off my very comfy ICC seat!”

However, the Department for Education has since published the skills minister’s written speech, and it sends a completely different message.

Anne Milton’s published speech encourages competition between colleges and private providers

“There is the apprenticeship levy money out there in the market – you need to show what you can do on training and be real competition for the independent training provider market,” it says.

FE Week has listened back to the speech and found that the minister followed it nearly word for word, but missed out a couple of sentences, including this one about encouraging competition.

Her actual words at conference about encouraging collaboration were not included in the published speech.

It appears the minister had a last minute change of opinion, which will leave the sector wondering exactly what the Department for Education wants when it comes subcontracting.

Mr Dawe said: “Officials advise, ministers decide and it’s about time some officials moved on and recognise that there has been a change in line under this minister as has been clearly shown in her previous speeches and appearances before select committees.”

You can read Ms Milton’s full published speech here.

Petroc comes top in FE Week ’s college league table for 2018

Petroc has been crowned the best college in the country in FE Week’s exclusive league table for 2018.

This year’s NICDEX gave 186 colleges a score of up to 40, with 10 marks available in four categories: learner satisfaction, employer satisfaction, 16-to-18 positive progression and adults into employment.

The league table was first devised in 2016 by Nick Linford, FE Week’s editor and a former director of performance at Lewisham College, based on key and official criteria published by the Department for Education.

Petroc topped this year’s leader board and was celebrated at a drinks reception, hosted by FE Week in partnership with Pearson, at the Association of Colleges conference this week.

Exeter College was knocked off the top spot after winning the previous two league tables.

Petroc scored an impressive 36 points overall, scooping a perfect 10 for both employer satisfaction and 16-to-18 progressions. The college scored 8 points for learner satisfaction and 8 for adults into employment.

Second place was shared by Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, and Weston College, which both scored 34 points.

In joint third with 33 points each were Barnsley College, Middlesbrough College and West Suffolk College.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be top of this highly regarded league table, improving on last year’s second place,” said Petroc principal Diane Dimond.

“My thanks go to all our amazing staff and hardworking students, as well as employers and partners in the area who work so closely with us.”

She continued: “At Petroc, success at every level is promoted as a positive driver for continuing in education and gaining employment, and every year our students go on to the best universities in the country, higher and degree apprenticeships as well as skilled careers.

“We pride ourselves on our strong links with employers, ensuring our learners have great work opportunities available to them, and I truly believe this is why we have such success with student progression into employment.

“We work closely with organisations across a wide range of sectors, and value their feedback to shape our curriculum and ensure we’re meeting the needs of our communities. The fact that over 93 per cent of employers would recommend us as a training provider is fantastic and makes me extremely proud.”

Click here to read the full NICDEX supplement.

Picture: From left: Lsect MD and FE Week publisher Shane Mann, Petroc principal Diane Dimond, Petroc vice principal Bill Blythe and FE Week editor Nick Linford

Do Skills Advisory Panels even make sense?

Will SAPs really be able to match local skills supply to employers’ needs, or is this just magical thinking, asks Ewart Keep

Sometimes a piece of policy is announced and then vanishes from view for a lengthy period. This often signifies that it is proving hard to design and deliver. A current case in point is the Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) whose birth was heralded in the Conservative party manifesto in 2017.

The SAPs would, it was claimed, provide the mechanism to ensure that local skills supply was better matched with the needs of employers – a policy goal that we have been pursuing by one means or another for more than 35 years.

With the election out of the way, the Department for Education sat down and tried to work out what SAPs could do, how they could do it and how they might best be structured. The SAPs were extremely vaguely sketched in the manifesto, so this proved to be a major challenge, not least as the government had abolished the preceding infrastructure that aimed to help link supply and demand sector skills councils (SSCs) and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES). One strand of thought was to have a single national SAP, but in the end this was abandoned.

Proposals are now, finally, emerging and there are questions as to whether they make any sense. Each Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) is to have a SAP. Each SAP will assess skill demand/need data, manage relationships in order to use the SAP analysis to create a common understanding and move skill priorities forward, and deliver priorities through influencing a more efficient allocation of resources. Sounds easy!

It is hard to identify things that currently do not exist

Three big problems loom. First, the survey data that is supposed to power the SAPs’ deliberations and planning, when broken down by sector or firm size at LEP level, will be weak, and data of any kind to answer some of the questions the SAPs have been set (particularly around firms’ training efforts) is simply unavailable at present.

Second, the SAPs are supposed to be shifting the pattern of provision without any real financial levers. Our marketplace for provision is highly centralised. The vast bulk of funding is controlled by DfE and the Education and Skills Funding Agency at national level and disbursed to providers without any mechanism for local involvement in decision-making. The MCAs will soon have what is left of the adult-education budget devolved to them, but this is a limited pot of money, and its ability to leverage fundamental changes in the pattern of provision, particularly pre-19, is probably close to nil. Government plans talk about the SAPs “identifying levers”, but it is hard to identify things that currently do not exist.

The third problem is that the SAPs are intended to encourage local co-operation between providers. Given the absence of major funding powers to incentivise different behaviours, and given also the marketization of the different strands of provision (14-16, 16-18/19, apprenticeship levy and non-levy, loans funded +19, etc), it is profoundly unclear how this can be achieved. As recent issues of FE Week have illustrated in the starkest possible fashion, the “invisible hand” of contestability and quasi-markets is working its magic with providers in ways that DfE and the architects of marketization probably never dreamed of. The idea that elements of planning and cooperation can be superimposed on often fierce local competition across a range of providers looks like magical thinking.

In Scotland a broadly similar regime has been introduced, with regional skills assessments and sectoral investment plans producing demand forecasts at spatial and occupational levels, and these are then used to negotiate outcome agreements with both colleges and universities that aim to encourage institutions to flex supply to help meet demand.

The key difference is that the Scottish Funding Council negotiates the agreement with the college via a two-way, iterative process, and the agreement is in turn tied to releasing the block-grant funding that keeps the college in business – in other words, funding incentivises everyone to take the process seriously.

Colleges can give students a headstart over universities

With their close employer relationships, colleges have a major advantage over schools and universities, says Ronel Lehmann

For years there has been discussion around the growing skills gaps faced by UK industry. With Brexit looming, the worry about filling skilled jobs has intensified and many employers are urgently looking at ways to address the issue.

Fifty years ago, technical education suffered from snobbery. People began to view academic achievement as the main driver of success, and grammar schools became the institution of choice, ahead of technical schools and colleges.

Traditional polytechnics rebranded themselves as universities, with vocational learning taking a back seat and an academic focus taking priority. This supported the previous government’s target of getting 50 per cent of young people into higher education.

Yet it was an evidently flawed approach, as here we are in 2018 with the demand for skilled workers growing exponentially. Employers complain that graduates are not adequately prepared for the world of work – hardly surprising considering the lack of emphasis on careers throughout the entire school system.

Compounding this problem, further-education colleges, which tend to have a much sharper focus on skills and careers, are severely underfunded and not admired enough for the vital technical and vocational provision they offer.

Having been an employer for many years, in industries from finance to communications, I now help young people from a range of backgrounds to get into their chosen career. Many have armfuls of high-quality qualifications, perhaps from the best schools and universities, yet woefully lack the skills needed in a commercial environment.

Learner recruitment needs to be about promoting a route to a fulfilling career

Skills such as being able to shake someone’s hand and look them in the eye sound basic but, believe me, are often missing. Presenting information confidently to other people doesn’t come naturally to many and must be taught. Then there is workplace etiquette – being part of a team, getting to work on time and striving to do your very best. Again, these skills can be lacking if young people have never been taught them or set foot in a workplace.

With schools dropping vocational subjects to focus on academic qualifications, FE colleges have an unprecedented opportunity to fill the gap. In a tough financial climate, every college should capitalise on their strong links with employers and get students into the workplace wherever possible.

Most schools could never offer the many vocational options available at colleges – which often come with industry-standard facilities and expert tutors. College recruitment needs to be about promoting a route to a fulfilling career.

Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman didn’t make herself popular when she said this at the Association of Colleges conference this week, and AoC chief executive David Hughes made a valid retort that universities seem to ignore the ratio of course places to employment prospects. The purpose of education is an important debate – is it valuable in itself or only as a route to a career? –  but the larger point is that informed choice for students is vital.

Curriculums should be developed in partnership with employers – a luxury unavailable to schools and something many universities feel they don’t need to do.

In reality, many employers have never visited an FE college and are unlikely to knock at the door of an unfamiliar environment, asking to get involved. We employers moan about the lack of skills, but rarely do we proactively approach colleges and work with them to fix the situation.

I would urge colleges to invite local businesses in and tell them clearly how they can support you and inspire your students. It’s a win-win situation. Employers will quickly see the advantages of driving curriculum development and helping to nurture young talent.

I regularly see young people leaving school or university who have had no guidance about careers throughout their entire educational journey. This is a disaster.

Students progressing from college into higher education or work may well have a clearer idea where their careers are heading and a more specialist set of skills – a real asset in securing fulfilling employment.

Colleges are and should be the first choice for many learners. They should be better valued and more widely recognised for their ability to help address the skills crisis facing our economy.

College staff survey 2018: six things we learned

The Department for Education published its first ever college staff survey earlier this week, giving a comprehensive insight into working in the FE sector.

It’s based on surveys from 140 college principals and 9,603 teachers and leaders, and 117 staff return questionnaires, and covers a wide range of topics including pay, the best and most challenging aspects of working in colleges, and recruitment and retention.

The survey, carried out earlier this year, is part of a wider programme of research by the DfE to “provider a richer evidence base for the FE sector” to help the department to develop better and more supportive policy for the sector – particularly on light of the upcoming introduction of T-levels.

Here are six things we learned from the survey:

Numbers, numbers, numbers

Based on the data from the completed surveys they received, researchers estimated there around 66,970 teachers and leaders working in general FE and specialist colleges.

Of these, 58,980 – or 88 per cent – are teaching staff, while the remainder are leaders: principals, governors, heads of faculty or subject, and other senior leaders.

At the time of the survey there were 199 college principals, and an estimated 2,900 college governors.

College teachers earn less than school teachers

More than a third – or 35 per cent – of college teachers were paid less than £20,000, while a further 31 per cent earned between £20,000 and £29,999.

That means 66 per cent of teaching staff in colleges were earning less than £30,000.

The researchers point out that direct comparisons between FE and school teachers’ incomes “are not straightforward” due to different levels of teaching hours and proportions of full and part-time staff.

Nonetheless, DfE school workforce statistics show that more than 70 per cent of classroom teachers in state-funded schools earn more than £30,000.

“This suggests college teachers are paid significantly less on average,” the survey says.

Challenges: workload, funding and government policy

One thing that FE teachers do have in common with their school counterparts is citing workload as their biggest challenge.

A total of 48 per cent of teachers said workload was the main difficulty of working in FE – making it the most commonly cited challenge.

However, they raised a wide range of difficulties and challenges, which researchers said highlighted the “complex and varied roles of teachers in FE colleges”.

The most common challenge for leaders was lack of funding or resources – highlighted by 62 per cent – while a further 22 per cent said that constant policy changes by government was a frustration.

It’s all about the learners

Nearly all teachers (90 per cent) said that working with learners was the best part of working in FE.

Around 40 per cent said that learner progression – or learners making general progress in the skills and knowledge – was the best part of working in the sector, while 30 per cent cited learner achievement – or learners gaining qualifications and skills.

Other learner-related benefits included “supporting learners who have previously not achieved” and “making a positive difference to learners”.

The teachers aren’t happy

Just 41 per cent of FE teachers said they were satisfied with the opportunities to develop their career in FE.

Teachers of standalone numeracy/ adult maths skills were unhappiest about opportunities to develop their career, with 39 per cent saying they were dissatisfied.

“This is particularly pertinent, as maths teachers are one of the most difficult groups to recruit”, the report said.

At the same time, 42 per cent of teachers said they were likely to leave the FE sector in the next 12 months.

This rose to 47 per cent in digital/ IT – one of the first three T-level pathways to be introduced in 2020.

Construction is a challenge

Another of the first T-level subjects, construction, is shown to be particularly challenging for colleges to recruit and retain staff in.

The survey revealed that construction, along with engineering and manufacturing, had some of the highest volumes of teaching staff and teaching hours of all vocational subjects – which the researchers said “may be creating pressures in these areas” given the recruitment and retention issues in these areas.

Construction had the highest number of reported vacancies, at 260, as well as the joint highest vacancy rate, at five per cent – and 54 per cent of principals said that construction was the most difficult subject to recruit for.

Meanwhile, 22 per cent of construction teachers said they were ‘very likely’ to leave the sector in the next year.

 

WEA Awards recognise inspirational lifelong learners and tutors

A former boxer who overcame alcohol and substance abuse to get back into the ring as a coach has been crowned outstanding student of the year by the Workers’ Educational Association.

Now in their sixth year, the awards celebrate the people – including learners, tutors and WEA staff – who have transformed their own lives and the lives of those around them through lifelong learning.

These include ex-professional fighter Kevin McCann, from Liverpool, who managed to turn his life around after taking part in the WEA’s Endurance programme specifically for people with addiction problems.

As a result he’s been able to reconnect with his boxing past and is now both a coach and a judge, and he’s also a mentor on the Endurance programme, helping other former addicts.

The judges chose Kevin as the winner because of his “incredible achievements”.

“His story is a powerful example of how one small step into education can lead to a whole world of new opportunities,” they said.

“Kevin has used learning to enhance his life, and he is inspiring others to follow in his footsteps, and for this his award is richly deserved.”

Ruth Spellman, the WEA’s chief executive, offered her “heartfelt congratulations” to Kevin and all the other award-winners and nominees, and said they were “an inspiration to us all”.

“The WEA Awards event is our way of recognising the impact of adult education,” she said.

“Every winner has demonstrated this impact, and it’s our privilege to celebrate their success.”

Other winners include a group of six Syrian refugees who won the award for outstanding student group.

The six men arrived in the UK with their families, unable to speak, read or write English, but thanks to a WEA pre-English for speakers of other languages course, run in partnership with JobCentre Plus, they were able to improve their language skills and gain confidence to support themselves and their families.

The judges said “their story really highlights the power of education and the difference it can make especially to those facing hardship”.

Language barriers were the start of another award-winner’s journey through learning.

Tulay Cenik Akfirat won the Olive Cordell foundation student award, which honours those who have demonstrated indefatigable self-motivation and hard work.

Originally from Turkey, she came to the UK unable to speak English – but her efforts to learn were stymied by her immigration status.

Nevertheless she persisted, thanks to the WEA, and Tulay is now a Turkish-language teacher, as well as a language adviser for Ofqual and an examiner for the International Baccalaureate.

The Olive Cordell foundation tutor award went to Maria Crimmins, who teaches ESOL for the WEA in Bradford.

Other award winners include New Routes Integration, a grassroots organisation supporting refugees and asylum-seekers, which won the social impact award.

Sharon “Ronnie” Stuart was named outstanding volunteer of the year, for her work with the WEA’s north east region’s history and heritage branch, while Vivien Vernede, who teaches the schools and parenting pathway in Oxford, won the outstanding tutor award.

WEA Reading branch won the impact in your local community award, while the Enfield Town Schools Partnership was crowned outstanding regional partner.

The outstanding staff member/team award was shared between two WEA education co-ordinators – Ross Weatherby, in Aberdeen, and Deborah Walsh, in the East Midlands.

A number of regional winners also received awards at the event, while stage and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern and Baroness McGregor-Smith CBE were both named fellows of the WEA for their commitment to the WEA’s ethos.

[Photo caption: National and regional award winners celebrate at this year’s WEA Awards in London]