4C: How is success in guidance and support recognised?

Learners receive good support with their learning from tutors. They also receive support with personal issues and these discussions are handled sensitively and in an appropriate manner for adult learners. The LEA employs male development workers to encourage fathers into family learning who might otherwise be reluctant to join courses. Learners are encouraged to progress onto other courses or move into more mainstream provision. There is good guidance for learners on the range of family learning courses available and progression routes available to them. Staff in family learning work with the local advisory service for minority ethnic groups to support learners with identified language needs that act as a barrier to their accessing learning.

Learners are well supported. The free crèche enables learners to participate in learning and tutors are sensitive to the demands on families with young children. There is a clear explanation of what learners will cover on the course. School tutors are involved in explaining aspects of the school curriculum and learners are given guidance on other courses available.

There is appropriate support for learners. Information, advice and guidance [IAG] is offered at the end of each long course and tutors provide information on progression within shorter courses. The service is part of the IAG network and there are two approved centres. The other two are working towards accreditation. Crèches are provided free for family learning programmes. Dyslexia support is available when needed.

There is good support for learners through effective partnerships. A wide range of professional workers work in cooperation for the benefit of learners and their families. Headteachers, schoolteachers [and] college tutors […] plan learning programmes to support parents and their children. Tutors provide guidance for routes into further education. There are excellent ratios of staff to learners, enabling very good classroom learning support. Some tutors are bilingual and interpreter support is also available. A translation service ensures course information is available to learners in many languages.

Crèche facilities are readily available to support family learning. The LEA has established its own company for providing community crèches. This service supports nearly all of the learning sessions, except in schools which do not have a suitable room to host a crèche. The LEA monitors qualifications and training of crèche workers. There is a clear policy and procedure document and guidelines for users. In some cases, bilingual crèche workers provide essential language support for adults and young children.

Good pastoral and learning support is offered on family learning programmes. Learners on most programmes have good relationships with tutors. Effective advice and guidance is offered to most learners.

View the inspection report for Staffordshire LEA

There is good progression from family learning to foundation courses where parents moved from supporting their child’s learning to taking a course themselves. On one course, eight progressed to numeracy, seven achieved a basic numeracy test and several progressed to take Level 1 and 2 national tests.

View the inspection report for Lincolnshire LEA

In family learning programmes tutors take great care to support learners who require additional help.

View the inspection report for Greenwich LEA