Please scroll down for tracking paperwork, inspection report and the ESSU Reports.
This resource is free to providers in Hampshire and the Isle
of Wight. There is a small charge to providers out of area. The tracking documents
will provide an infrastructure for you to record learner information from
initial interview to exit. It includes pro formas for:
Interviews
Schemes of work
Individual learning plans
Interim and exit reviews
The tracking paperwork has been developed to be responsive to provider needs.
It addresses issues raised in ALI inspection reports and provides a sound
auditing trail. It can be customised in word format or an electronic version
is available. This version is interactive to avoid the duplication of input
and to ensure that all documents feed relevant information into each other.
In this way providers can be assured that they meet issues raised by ALI regarding
synergy tracking learners.
If you would like to access copies of the paperwork, please contact
Jo Bennett at the ESSU on jobennett@essu.org
The ALI Inspectorate has recently published its report on
the quality of Skills for Life provision across country. They have identified
the following:
Annual Report of the Chief Inspector 2003-04
The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) has recently launched its annual report
based on the most recent essential skills inspections.
An overview:
• Skills for Life targets met,
• E2E is heavily oversubscribed,
• Majority of offenders do not have adequate basic skills,
• Skills for Life, at a cost of £3.7 billion over six years, appears
to offer a response that is proportionate to the seemingly overwhelming need,
• Implication that more school leavers are joining the pool of people
with basic skills,
• Rising levels of educational qualification required to thrive in our
economy,
• Need to take care not to exaggerate the problems we face with literacy
and numeracy, however, lest investment in learning be skewed too far towards
the lowest and the highest levels, neglecting level 3 where Britain compares
least well with our industrial rivals.
Prisons:
• Most prisons gave education and training a high priority. Their understanding
of the importance of learning and education to the resettlement of offenders
grew,
• Few prisons knew how many prisoners had literacy, numeracy or language
problems,
• Targeting learners at levels 1 and 2, did not give sufficient opportunities
to prisoners who would benefit from other levels of programme,
• Poor collection and use of data meant that prisons did not have a
clear view of learners’ progress across programmes and over time,
• Co-ordination of education or training between prisons was very poor,
records and information were not passed on,
• Foundation programmes were poor: one in five prisons had unsatisfactory
provision for literacy, numeracy and language support.
Work-based learning:
• Grades given for work-based learning rose. Inspection grades for areas
of learning and for leadership and management improved since 2002-03,
• Support for the development of learner’s literacy, numeracy
and language skills was inadequate. Staff providing the support rarely had
appropriate qualifications and expertise.
Support Offered by the ESSU
We are happy to support providers to address issues of quality within their
organisations. This support can be provided in a number of ways:
We deliver training to address quality issues including: how to write an SAR;
carrying out effective lesson observations and meeting requirements of ALI
and OFSED.
We have a quality portfolio which leads providers through quality processes
in order to meet the inspection framework.
We l offer intensive one to one consultancy support free to organisations
in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and for a small cost to providers out of
area.
Feedback from local Post-16 OFSTED Reports
We have researched a range of inspection reports to identify some of the key
issues raised within them. We feel it could be of use to providers to see
common strengths and weaknesses identified from the reports, in order to help
with their own planning for inspection, SARs etc.
We have divided the findings into Colleges, Work-based learning providers
and the Hampshire Adult Learning Unit.
Colleges
Common strands in all the reports are identified. These are listed below:
| Common Strengths | Common Weaknesses |
| Strong senior management commitment to basic skills | Insufficient take up of accreditation |
| Excellent achievement rates | Lack of rigour in the formation of individual learning plans |
| Clear strategic direction for curriculum development | Insufficient co-ordination and planning of work in basic skills across the college |
| Good integration of basic skills into vocational areas | Inadequate accommodation, resources and specialist equipment |
| Effective initial assessment firmly fixed in vocational contexts | Some poorly planned lessons and schemes of work with no clear aims and objectives |
| A strong commitment to student centred learning | Lack of attention to student needs |
| A commitment to basic skills as part of a strategy to widen participation | Poor attendance |
| Good teaching and study support | Limited support for mainstream students |
| Effective monitoring of students | Lack of systematic identification of part-time students’ needs |
| A good range of provision including accredited courses | Inappropriate courses |
| Clear progression | Insufficient progression opportunities |
| Effective teamwork | Over emphasis on teaching for qualifications |
| Well planned and differentiated courses | Emphasis on group teaching rather than addressing individual student needs |
| Effective learning plans and reviews of student progress | Lack of staff experience in dealing with behavioural difficulties |
| Prompt provision of support following screening | Lack of reliable data |
| Well managed and enthusiastic volunteers | Lack of differentiation |
| Sound management | Inadequate staffing |
| Innovative provision for young people needing to be reintroduced to learning | |
| A supportive learning environment | |
| High levels of attendance and retention | |
| Work experience as an integral part of full-time courses | |
| High quality student work | |
| Easy access to IT |
Work-based Learning
Common strands in all the reports are identified. These are listed below:
| Common Strengths | Common Weaknesses |
| Good initiatives to attract learners from under-represented groups | Lack of involvement in some workplace supervisors in key skills training |
| Good key skills training for most learners | Inadequate individual learning plans |
| Inadequate basic skills arrangements |
Inspection Report from the Adult Learning Inspectorate on Hampshire Adult
Learning Unit
There was no specific section on basic skills in the report as this is funded
directly to organisations via the LSC. However, with the increasing emphasis
on basic skills through stealth and community learning, we felt that if would
be beneficial to highlight the key general strengths and weaknesses identified
in the report.
| Common Strengths | Common Weaknesses |
| Good quality, non-vocational, adult education in accessible range of venues. | Formal quality assurance under developed |
| Achievement good with high quality teaching | Not moved sufficiently towards lifelong learning agenda to provide access for all. |
| Little evidence of childcare to support learners | |
| Inadequately funded |
For more information on the work of the Unit, please click on
the reports listed below:
Final Report 2003 (pdf)
Interim Report 2004 (pdf)