Agenda item

This report sets out a response to a matter raised by Councillor Maple on the recent OFSTED report on Medway Community Learning.

Discussion:

Councillor Maple thanked Officers for producing at short notice, a report on the outcome of the recent OFSTED inspection of the Medway Adult Learning. He explained the importance of this issue and his reasons for asking for this Member’s item.

The Assistant Director – Organisational Services undertook a brief presentation and explained that the Medway Adult Learning Service had been inspected by OFSTED during the week commencing 4 March 2013 and a report published on 15 March 2013 had identified Level 4 (inadequate).

She drew attention to the positive comments on various elements of the service and the outcomes for learners and the quality of teaching and learning which remained at level 3 but drew attention to the fact that the service was rated at level 4 due to a lack of progress in improving the service overall.

The level 4 score related to concerns around management of the service and, in particular, the level and breadth of information provided to senior leaders to enable them to challenge and scrutinise performance.

It was also pointed out that the inspection was carried out under a new OFSTED regime which placed greater emphasis on leadership and management and that regardless of scores received in other elements of the inspection, a level 4 in the leadership and management section could only lead to an inadequate outcome.

The service was now required to provide a clear improvement plan to the Skills Funding Agency within 6 weeks of the inspection and a number of actions were outlined as follows:

·        Following the departure of the Service Manager, a very experienced Interim Manager has been appointed to move the service forward and manage the improvement plan;

·        An Improvement Board had been established, chaired by the Portfolio Holder and attended by the AD, Organisational services and MALS Senior Management Team to monitor progress on the improvement plan and review statistical data to ensure that retention and performance on outcomes improves and is bench-marked against national and local trends

·        An improvement plan had been drafted and would be reviewed by an external professional to ensure that it is robust

·        Additional resources would be transferred from the Council’s learning and development team to support the improvement plan

·        External support will be provided from the Learning and Skills Improvement Services

·        Self-assessment panels have been reinstated with the curriculum managers and will be collated into an overall self assessment for the service. This in turn will feed into a cohesive approach to improvement planning

·        Regular monitoring meetings have been agreed with the Skills Funding Agency to update on progress

·        Curriculum Managers would receive immediate training to ensure that they are aware of the need for a robust approach to lesson observation, use of technology and individual learner plans

·        The senior management structure would be reviewed to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to meet the improvement agenda with a view to adding resource (from within the current budget) to quality improvement support

Decision: 

a)                 That the report be noted and the actions taken to far to improve the service be supported; and

b)                 That a further report on progress against the improvement plan be brought back to the committee in September 2013