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Quality Systems, Monitoring and Records

All learners have the right to be supported in then best possible way, and funders need to be able to justify the use of their money. Equally, organisations owe a duty to themselves, their staff and their clients to deliver the best and highest quality services possible.

This means that mechanisms to ensure high quality and continuous improvement are essential, not only to satisfy the current inspection regimes, but also to allow organisations to develop and move on.

There are a number of resources and quality systems that help in developing appropriate mechanisms for an organisation, and remember, although you will be involved in quality measures the degree of involvement may depend on the degree of engagement you have - are you a sign-poster, a broker, a provider?
> Click for "Degrees of Engagement"

• Self Assessment is an essential part of any system and is insisted upon by the LSC. It has to focus on systems and how good they are in supporting learners and delivering on objectives. A good resource to help build a self assessment system is found in “Success in Adult Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL Provision - A guide to support the Common Inspection Framework”, one of the key documents in “Don’t Get by, Get on - Delivering Skills for Life” and is available on www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus , where you can download it.

• The LSC and (if you have a contract with them) Job Centre Plus carry out regular reviews of providers, and use theses as a way of creating a conversation between providers and funders as well as setting monitoring schedules.

• The Common Inspection Framework (CIF) is the statutory framework for inspection of education and training in the country. It has been developed by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) and by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and is used to inspect quality of provision across the whole post-16 sector. All education and training delivered under contract from government sources falls under the ALI and the CIF. “Success in Adult Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL Provision - A guide to support the Common Inspection Framework”, is key to developing systems to work with the CIF and is available on www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus , where you can download it. Also from the same source, “Raising Standards, A Contextual Guide to Support Success in Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL Provision, Adult and Community Learning” is an essential supporting text for developing services.

• The Basic Skills Quality Initiative (BSQI) is designed to support staff and organisational development. It seeks to improve provision and contains materials, resources to hire trainers and access to training and development events. It is overseen by the LAS, and delivered by the Association of Colleges (AOC). www.aoc.co.uk

• The Matrix is the national quality standard covering the delivery of information advice and guidance (IAG).  It has ten elements, setting out the criteria needed to meet the standard, and covers areas like how staffing, feedback, monitoring systems and premises. The matrix standard at a glance (ENTO, Guidance 2004) can be read at www.matrix-quality-standard.com

• There are other quality systems, such as the Charter Mark, IIP and others which may be appropriate to an organisation, and may support quality of Embedded Basic Skills Provision.

• Maintaining records is important in running quality systems, and in accounting for funds. This is complex and the level and complexity that any organisation has to get involved in will depend upon degree of engagement. Whatever levels of involvement are, systems to track and maintain records are of great help.
  > Click here to see the system for tracking funds and monitoring information developed by Exeter CVS.

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[Qualifications]
[Quality systems]
[Staff Development]
[Degrees of Engagement]