Education, skills and work activities (Ofsted)

Please note: The expectations for Education, Skills and Work have been revised to incorporate Ofsted’s new inspection framework, which came into effect on 1 February 2020.

All children are expected and enabled to engage in education, skills or work activities that promote personal development and employability. There are sufficient, suitable education, skills and work places to meet the needs of the population and the education, skills and work activities are of a good quality.

In England, this part of the inspection will be conducted by Ofsted. To ensure that establishments are held accountable to the same standard of performance as schools and colleges in the community, we have chosen to explicitly adopt Ofsted’s inspection framework, which explains the different style of this section of Expectations. For establishments in Wales, see expectation 70. For establishments in Northern Ireland, which we inspect only by invitation, we will use the Education and Training Inspectorate Northern Ireland’s inspection and self-evaluation framework, which can be found here and is reproduced here.

69.1 Children benefit from good quality education, skills and work.

In addition to the evaluation criteria set out in HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ Expectations for men’s prisons and Ofsted’s Handbook for the inspection of education, skills and work activities in prisons and young offender institutions, inspectors will also consider the following indicators in relation to the quality of education, skills and work.

Children have access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that includes education, an introduction to the world of work through pre-vocational training and work-related learning, and the promotion of their personal and social development.
The views of children form an effective part of the review and future planning of the curriculum.
The requirements of the national curriculum are adapted appropriately when planning provision for children under school leaving age. Children under school leaving age receive their statutory entitlement of education, skills and work and learning and related skills activities.
Teaching staff have access to the necessary information to understand how broader issues, such as family, relationships and well-being (including mental health) currently affect individual children and impact on their learning.
Children access a curriculum that provides them with challenge and inspiration, and enhances their confidence and self-esteem. Children are involved in setting, reviewing and monitoring their progress towards the achievement of a clear and well-defined curriculum. Where relevant, individual learning goals are underpinned by appropriate personal and social development targets.
Children have equal opportunities to access education, skills and work activities.
Children have appropriate access to a range of additional learning resources. Children based in locations other than normal location, for example in care and separation and health care, are provided for. Up-to-date information collected on the existing skills and knowledge needs of the children, such as that contained in education and health care (EHC) plans, informs the provision of education, skills and work-related activities.
Staff have appropriate qualifications and expertise, and can access specialist support, such as speech and language therapy, and dyslexia and autistic spectrum services.
Staff have an appropriate understanding of mental health issues and their impact on children’s attitudes, ability and readiness to learn.

69.2. The establishment successfully promotes positive behaviour and attitudes.

Children behave well and poor behaviour is responded to quickly and managed effectively. Children are only returned to their residential units if their behaviour becomes too disruptive to manage and leaders and managers investigate repeated returns to identify underlying causes.
Exclusions from education are monitored robustly and used only as a last resort. Leaders, managers and staff do not use separation as their main behaviour management strategy.
Children who are excluded have a clear and timely plan for their full reintegration. During the period of their exclusion, they are provided with high-quality learning opportunities that are sufficient to occupy them throughout the day.
Children who refuse to attend education, skills and work activities are actively monitored. They have a clear and timely multidisciplinary plan, which addresses their difficulties and works towards a return to their learning and skills programme at the earliest opportunity.
Classes are rarely cancelled. Cancellations are robustly monitored and appropriate action is taken to make sure that classes are not cancelled again. In these cases, teaching staff deploy contingency plans to allow children to catch up with their work and to continue making progress with their learning.
The effectiveness of safeguarding practice in education, skills and work activities includes the prevention of extremism and radicalisation of children.

69.3. Provision successfully promotes positive personal development.

Children are encouraged to develop their research and independent learning skills, including the development of their digital skills, through supervised use of the internet.
The contents of learning plans are properly coordinated with any other existing plans involving the children.
Education staff attend all training, planning and remand management meetings and make a significant contribution to training or remand plans.
All children leave custody with finalised arrangements for their education, work or training. There is a good liaison between the establishment and education, training and employment provider to organise ‘start up’ arrangements and other practical aspects of transition, to allow children to begin their education without delay.
Links with community youth offending teams (YOTs) and home-based careers advice services enable children to continue to receive appropriate education, training and employment guidance.
Leaders and managers prepare children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to become more independent in their everyday life.
Leaders and managers prepare children for successful life in modern Britain and promote the fundamental values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different backgrounds, faiths and beliefs.
There are no significant variations in the progress and achievement of different groups of children such as those in different locations within the establishment, for example health care or care and separation.

69.4. The leadership and management of education, skills and work activities effectively improves outcomes for children.

When transferred or released, an accurate record of the child’s learning needs, progress and achievements is sent promptly to the receiving establishment or education, training and employment provider.

Human rights standards

Education, skills and work activities
In relation to expectations 69 and 70: The right of each child to education is recognised in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (see CRC 28 and 29). Children must be provided with education and vocational training that meet their individual needs (assessed on arrival and on an ongoing basis) and aspirations by properly qualified staff. Consideration must be given to ensuring that children are able to carry on with their education and training on release (see ERJO 50, 62.6, 76–77; 102.1; CPT 107, 109–110; HR 38–40, 42–43, 81, 84–85; EPR 28, 106; CRPD 27).

See also human rights standards in relation to expectations 63–68 and standards relating to equality and diversity.