5C: How is success in leadership and management recognised?
The following extracts from ALI and Ofsted inspection reports illustrate effective practice in leadership and management.
Adult Learning Inspectorate | OFSTEDThe provider has an innovative literacy and numeracy strategy. It responds positively to the national agenda, to local needs and to the needs of learners.
View the inspection report for Northern College for Residential Adult Education
There is an up-to-date and relevant basic skills policy, together with a basic skills strategy and implementation plan for 2003-04.
BTG has developed a basic skills strategy to ensure that all staff are trained in the core curriculum and are working towards a basic skills qualification where appropriate.
In the year before inspection, the organisation realised that it needed to improve its capacity to offer basic skills learning. With good support from the board, a strategy was discussed and additional financial resources were made available. Managers and staff agreed a development and action plan detailing how and when the strategy was to be put in place. The plan has now been achieved and has provided for a basic skills specialist who is available to support all programme areas. Most of the training staff have since achieved the first level of the basic skills award.
The company has identified that nearly half of its learners in the most recent intake have reading and writing skills at Entry Level 1 or below, and there is an increasing number of learners who have additional learning needs. It has made sure that most of its training consultants are trained to identify literacy, numeracy and language needs, and that some are trained to offer the necessary specialist support.
Staff appraisal and development is thorough and effective. The appraisal system is well documented and uses performance data on teaching, individual group targets and learners' feedback. There are funds available for staff development, which are used to update professional qualifications and teaching and assessors' qualifications. The company encourages staff to participate in continuing professional development and many staff do so.
The induction process for new staff is good and the company monitors it closely. New staff are well supported and receive 3 days' training in key skills, regular meetings with training managers, and 10 days' training in teaching over 10 months.
The company organises a wide range of staff training events. These have included training in the core curriculum and training in assisting learners who need help with literacy and numeracy. Many staff have recently achieved relevant qualifications. The company develops employers' understanding of important issues affecting learning. For example, it has recently provided training about different learning styles and training to raise awareness of literacy and numeracy. One employer helps learners with spelling and writing in the workplace.
View the reinspection report for Stubbing Court Training Limited
Communication between the learners, teachers/assessors, training manager and employer are particularly effective.
There is very effective use of management information to monitor progress towards targets for retention and achievement. Whole-company targets are set for pass rates in key skills and performance against these targets is monitored.
The company uses its management information system effectively. Information from the database is presented at meetings and provides the basis for continuous improvement.
Learners have a good understanding of equality of opportunity and diversity issues. Policies are adapted to be more learner friendly, and an equal opportunities charter is given to all learners. Learners are able to discuss their rights and responsibilities and how to deal with issues such as bullying, harassment and discrimination as they relate to the working environment.
View the inspection report for Nottinghamshire County Council Culture and Community Department
BTG has a clear equal opportunities policy which includes equal opportunities targets in the strategic plan. The policy outlines the support available for learners from minority ethnic groups, for those who have a disability, and how these issues are to be monitored.
Resources are efficiently managed. There is sensitive use of the budget to support the improvement of existing training and to fund additional activity. For example, when the scheme of teaching observations revealed a need for teachers to use more information technology in their lessons, additional budget was made available to buy modern computers.
Learners are placed with employers where they have access to appropriate hardware and software to support the ICT qualification they are working towards. Employer staff are experienced in supporting learners. Other staff have relevant qualifications to support learners who have additional learning needs, particularly literacy and numeracy. Learners are given a handbook that is clear and easy to use. Protocol Skills has introduced more support materials for learners, which staff can access through the company's intranet or bulletin board. These materials are well written and offer good support for the learners.
There is a team of five tutors for literacy, numeracy and language support. All are working towards the new recommended qualifications for teachers and support teachers. Accommodation is welcoming and well maintained. Many areas used by the learners display a wide range of material, some of which is the learners' work. There has been effective investment in information technology resources for learners and staff. Recent computer upgrading has provided most learners who attend the two centres with appropriate access to computers with Internet access.
View the inspection report for CMS Vocational Training Limited
The organisation has made a good investment in learning resources. There is a good ratio of staff to learners. An individual budget has been allocated to each teacher so that they can buy additional learning aids for their programme. A budget is also allocated to each learner. This can be used to buy any additional individual learning resources to help them complete their programmes.
Good leadership and management leads to a good experience for every learner.
'How is success in leadership and management recognised?' in other guides:
- Adult and Community Learning
- E-learning
- Embedded Learning
- Family Learning
- Further Education Colleges
- Jobcentre Plus Programmes
- Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities
- Prisons
- The Juvenile Secure Estate for Young People Aged 15-17
- Voluntary and Community Sector
- Young Offender Institutions for Young People Aged 18-21
