Training company found inadequate on Foundation Learning Programme

The Maidstone-based company, which runs childcare training on behalf of further education and training organisations, was inspected on its Foundation Learning Programme in July.

The Foundation Learning Programme, which accounts for less than one per cent of its training, was the only provision to be inspected. Parenta’s vocational childcare services are delivered under sub-contract arrangements to other providers and have been graded satisfactory in separate inspections.

Inspectors found that both outcomes for learners and quality of provision for those enrolled on Parenta’s Foundation Learning programme were inadequate.

Parenta is appealing the findings of the report, as it claims that inaccurate data was used to calculate success rates of the programme, and it was marked down for not providing ICT key skills, when it is not a course requirement.

In this contract year, 2011-12, 63 learners, aged 16-18, enrolled in the Foundation Learning programme. Currently there are 22 learners on the programme.

All learners on the Foundation Learning programme work towards vocational qualifications in childcare at level 1.

According to Ofsted, 30 per cent of learners leave without completing the programme. During 2011/12, less than half of learners progressed into employment or went on to further education or training.

The report states, ‘Learners receive poor care, guidance and support. Advice and guidance available are inadequate to ensure that learners are offered and placed on an appropriate programme to match their academic level. In addition, too few exit interviews occur to help with learners’ next step.’

It goes on to say that success rates and functional skills in mathematics are satisfactory, but functional skills achievements in English are very low.

Ofsted inspectors claim that IT is rarely used in lessons and learners have limited opportunity to take relevant IT qualifications. A lack of work experience to help learners develop practical childcare skills is also mentioned in the report.

Nick Williams, director of Parenta, said, ‘Parenta Training focuses almost exclusively on providing childcare qualification throughout the UK. These are vocational qualifications delivered in the workplace, and our Ofsted grade for this was satisfactory. We have invested heavily in this area since that grading, and many of the recent Quality Assurance visits of this provision found our service to be good.

‘The inspector believed that we should be providing ICT key skills as part of the course, and marked us down significantly for not doing so. We have since proved to them that this is not a requirement of the course and to penalise us for not providing it is therefore erroneous.’

He added, ‘Regardless of the inaccuracies, we took the findings of the report very seriously. The provision of Foundation Learning to local children is not core to our business, and we seriously considered withdrawing the service. It is, however, a key part of our ethos to support the local community, and as such we felt that withdrawing the service would disadvantage those who it is designed to support.

‘We are hopeful that our appeal with Ofsted will result in another inspection, which we have requested, and believe that if Ofsted use the correct data, and course criteria, the findings would be wholly different.’

Since its Ofsted inspection, Parenta has moved its provision to a larger location in Maidstone, where there is an IT suite, to be able to expand its service to support more 16-18 year olds enrolled in the Foundation Learning Programme.