1. Ofsted and the inspection of further education and skills
Sheila Willis Senior HMI Further Education and Skills
East Midlands Region
The Derbyshire Network
27 June 2014

2. Ofsted - focus for the next 12 months East Midlands performance
Session outline
Ofsted - focus for the next 12 months
East Midlands performance

3. Raising standards, improving lives
Ofsted’s reach 6 3

4. Regional working
The regional focus gives us a good understanding of the quality of provision in each local area.
This allows us to focus our inspection and improvement activity in the places which need it most.
Working regionally also gives us closer links to local stakeholders, so we can get an understanding of current local issues and work with others to find solutions.

5. Key messages from the 2012/13 Annual Report
The proportion of young people under 19 starting an apprenticeship is lower than last year. 
Too much provision is not responsive to local employment needs.  
Training providers need to ensure that vocational provision is better matched to the needs of local businesses and communities.  
Providers must improve the quality of apprenticeships. Too many providers do not work closely enough with employers and, consequently, apprentices fail to get the right training.  
Far too many young people from poorer backgrounds fail to achieve in their post-16 destination and drop out of education, employment or training. 5

6. Apprenticeships are still failing to meet their full potential
Many young people want an apprenticeship, but are not sufficiently employable.
For young people under 19, there were seven applicants for every apprenticeship vacancy in 2012/13, but people over the age of 25 are much more likely to be given an apprenticeship place.
Schools and FE and skills providers must do more to ensure that young people are employable and well prepared for an apprenticeship.
Providers must improve the quality of apprenticeships. In 2012/13, we judged 9% of apprenticeship provision to be inadequate – this is far too high.
2013 Annual Report – FE and skills section | 6

7. Good practice in the delivery of apprenticeships
Initial assessment of learning needs and job roles to ensure that an individual learning plan agreed between provider, learner and employer is in place from the beginning.
A three way relationship between provider, learner and employer updated through reviews of progress, often on a monthly basis.
Vocationally experienced and up-to-date staff who are respected for their knowledge by learners and employers.
Programmes are delivered in such a way that learners benefit from interacting with other apprentices and assessment uses a wide variety of evidence.
The use of information technology to enhance the learning and assessment experience of apprentices (through electronic portfolios, resources and methods of recording performance such as digital video and voice recording). 7

8. Inspection focus on the development of English and mathematics
Four key messages
Approximately 279,000 young people complete KS4 without achieving a grade C or above in English and maths.
In 2012/13, only 17,600 and 21,000 achieved a grade C or above in English and maths (respectively) through the FE and skills sector.
FE and skills providers do not have the capacity for improving learners’ skills in English and maths and this is not improving quickly enough.
Ofsted is giving a priority to the inspection and reporting of this provision.

9. Alison Wolf’s recommendations
Programmes for students under 19 without GCSE A*-C in English and/or maths should include a course which either leads directly to these qualifications, or which provide significant progress towards future GCSE entry and success.
DfE and BIS should consider how best to introduce a comparable requirement into apprenticeship frameworks.
Government policy:
Apprentices who have not yet achieved GCSE A*-C in English and maths should have the opportunity to do so. This is likely to be compulsory from 2016.
16-19 study programmes will include English and maths for learners without a grade C. This will be a condition of funding from September There must be evidence of significant progress.

10. East Midland Performance

11. Quality of FE & Skills

12. Derbyshire and Derby performance
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4 3 11 7 LA
Overall success rates (%)
Timely Success rates (%)
Derbyshire 79 62
Derby 76 57
East Midlands 71 55
England 74 60

13. Change in previously grade 3 providers

14. Looking forward key/regional priorities
Targeted support and challenge:
Provision in Nottingham and Derby
Independent Learning Provider sector to improve apprenticeship performance regionally
Employer-led apprenticeships
NEETs
Targeted support – 95 providers in EM
NCN and Derby remain at grade 3, Central College and South Leicester due
for inspection in Autumn term – pace of improvement is not fast enough.  
A third of wider remit providers (21 out of approximately 75) wider remit providers have success rates below 70%. Derby,
Nottingham and Central College have very large contracts.   
Risk assessment carried out by LA has identified at risk providers. Action to target under-performance before inspection.
Employer apprenticeship inspections in 2013/4 have been graded RI
Neet figures are reducing but the figures mask some hot spots – Nottingham, Derby and Leicester have rates above England and Nottingham and Leicester figures are increasing
By –
using the best providers to disseminate best practice in leadership and governance
using risk assessment to target under-performance in providers of apprenticeships
further developing employer engagement and the quality of subcontracted provision

15. Future Changes Inspection of good and outstanding providers
A review of the common inspection framework
Better engagement with learners using the learner voice on inspection
Funding for apprenticeship training

16. Thank you www.ofsted.gov.uk