South Tyneside-based charity ‘delighted’ as Ofsted reports big improvements

Ofsted has praised staff at Groundwork South and North Tyneside, which has made considerable improvements in its latest report.
The Route2Work team at Groundwork South and North Tyneside: (Left to Right) Hayley Daglish, Laura Lewis and Barry Johnson, Learning Support Workers; Rebecca Ramsden, Specialist Tutor and Programme Lead; Karen Bell and Julie White, Learning Support WorkersThe Route2Work team at Groundwork South and North Tyneside: (Left to Right) Hayley Daglish, Laura Lewis and Barry Johnson, Learning Support Workers; Rebecca Ramsden, Specialist Tutor and Programme Lead; Karen Bell and Julie White, Learning Support Workers
The Route2Work team at Groundwork South and North Tyneside: (Left to Right) Hayley Daglish, Laura Lewis and Barry Johnson, Learning Support Workers; Rebecca Ramsden, Specialist Tutor and Programme Lead; Karen Bell and Julie White, Learning Support Workers

The charity, which is based at Jarrow Hall in South Tyneside was rated as ‘Good’ by the watchdog at an inspection which took place in May 2019.

Previously known as Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle, the charity works with disadvantaged young people aged 16-24, from across the region to improve their prospects and help them get back into work.

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The report shows the charity has made a number of improvements over the last two years, following a 2017 report that found the quality of teaching and learning was not consistently of a high standard.

Now Ofsted reports that leaders have recently taken successful action to tackle the weaknesses in the provision and have high aspirations for their learners.

Staff were praised in the report as working together to create a culture of inclusiveness and using their expertise to create engaging learning activities.

As a result, young people who have had poor experiences of education previously are able to thrive and develop their work related and independent living skills.

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Rachel Kitson, operations manager of learning and standards at Groundwork South and North Tyneside, said: “We are delighted to have received a Good rating from Ofsted. We continually aim to improve our processes and frameworks, and I am proud of the passion and hard work of our team who go the extra mile to ensure our students make personal and academic progress.

“We work with each of our learners to create individualised programmes and personalised timetables to suit their goals and capabilities. In addition to gaining recognised qualifications, our learners also receive hands-on experience at our farm, work placements and life skills, to ensure they are well-equipped for their next steps, be that in employment or education.

Ms Kitson added: “We work closely with the local authority, Connexions and our partners to cater to the bespoke needs of each student. Since we have placed a greater focus on the individualised programmes, we have received exceptionally positive feedback from our learners and partners, and it is great to see this reflected in our improved Ofsted rating.”