Behind the Inspection Rating: Innovation engages learners
Derren Hayes
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Nisai Learning Hub, Nottingham - independent school - inspected November 2014.
The catalyst for the creation of the Nisai Learning Hub was 2012's Improving Alternative Provision report written by Charlie Taylor, the Department for Education's expert adviser on behaviour.
The report criticised pupil referral units and alternative education providers that neglect academic tuition and do little more than keep children "off the streets".
And after reading it, Nisai Learning's managing director Dhruv Patel concluded that he could deliver a fusion of online and offline education that would showcase how alternative provision should be done.
Drawing on more than a decade of experience of delivering online education to students, Patel's company developed the Nisai Learning Hub in December 2013. Based in Nottingham, the hub takes in pupils referred by schools in the city, across Nottinghamshire and from neighbouring Leicestershire who have either been excluded or are at risk of exclusion.
It is already looking like a success story, earning a "good" rating from its first-ever Ofsted inspection. The inspectors praised the school for the high expectations it had of the young people, its "innovative and effective" curriculum, and the turnaround in pupil attitudes to learning and attendance.
High-quality teaching is central to the hub's success says Paul Keenleyside, director of learning at Nisai Learning: "If young people have been out of school what they need is a really high-quality offer."
The hub has four teachers who cover the core subjects of English, maths, science and computing through online lessons that are designed to be two-way experiences rather than broadcasts. "The online staff use a whole variety of methods to make it engaging - video clips, sound clips, conversations, break out rooms," says Keenleyside. "It is not a straight send and receive. It feels like a proper lesson. The kids can talk to each other and you can send them off to do group work and then report back. All those things you would use in a classroom we can use using our platform."
As well as computers to access the online lessons, the hub also has facilities where its four vocational trainers teach courses in hair and beauty, sport and fitness, childcare or construction. As with the hub's academic work the emphasis is on getting the young people to achieve and the courses are designed to lead to Level 1 or 2 Qualification and Credit Framework award.
But great teaching alone is not enough and that's where the hub's mentors come in. "What makes the difference is high-quality teaching plus high-quality mentoring," says Keenleyside. "Put those two things together and you've got something that works really, really well."
The hub's mentors come from youth work and teaching assistant backgrounds and, says Keenleyside, they are the "glue" that unites the academic, vocational and pastoral aspects of the school's work. They help to support the young people, improve their attitudes and build relations with their families.
And while it's still early days for the hub, the blend of online classes, vocational education and mentor support seems to be working with 13 of the 14 young people who attended in the past year going onto positive destinations.
Fact File
Name: Nisai Learning Hub
Location: Top Valley, Nottingham
Description: The hub is an independent school delivering online lessons, on-site vocational training and mentoring to 14- to 19-year-old boys and girls who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion from school. It was created by Nisai Learning, a company that uses technology to teach children who cannot attend classroom lessons. It works with young people from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.
Number of learners: 20 boys and girls on roll but the school can admit up to 35 students
Ofsted inspection number: 140487
Helpful Hints
- Stats provide structure. "Having clear data collection and metrics about the progress children are making means you can have conversations with them about what they are doing that are meaningful," says Nisai Learning's director of learning Paul Keenleyside. The main metrics that the Nisai Learning Hub tracks are students' performance, progress, attendance, behaviour and contribution.
- Don't neglect careers advice. Nisai Learning Hub offers its students advice and guidance that is certified under the Matrix quality standard and also works with the careers services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to support the young people attending the school. As Ofsted's inspectors noted, decisions about students' readiness for leaving the hub are "made on the basis of robust careers advice and an excellent awareness of local opportunities".
- Give all staff a say. The hub's leadership approach encourages the involvement of every member of the staff team. "All issues are discussed openly and all views are valid," says Keenleyside. "With a small team there is very little value in having a highly regimented or structured system."