Learner View: helping learners have a voice
Learner View, a website enabling learners to rate their further education and skills provider launches today.
Learners’ views are vital to Ofsted during an inspection and this new website enables them to give their views all year round. It not only gives valuable information to Ofsted but will also be of interest to other learners and providers who will be able to access this feedback in real-time.
National Director for Learning and Skills, Matthew Coffey said:
I encourage everyone attending a college or work based learning provider to fill out the questionnaire – it takes less than five minutes and could make a really positive difference. Learners’ views are crucial to Ofsted and under-pin all the work we do. By filling out the short questionnaire you will be contributing to a bank of knowledge which will help providers continue to improve.
Learner View asks whether learners would recommend their education provision, if lessons are taught well and if their programme or course is preparing them well enough for their chosen next steps. This information will inform inspectors’ decisions about whether courses are effective in leading learners in the right direction either to employment or further study.
Learner View will enable anyone to see what learners think of any provider in England – providing valuable information when choosing where to study or train. When Ofsted inspects colleges or other skills provision, inspectors will continue to speak to learners to understand their views and experiences but the information on the site will provide inspectors with a valuable additional source of information about learners’ views across the provision.
Each learner’s response on Learner View will be confidential. Ofsted will not tell colleges or skills providers the names of any of the learners who have completed the survey.
If you are a learner and would like to take part in the survey to rate your further education and skills provider please go to the following link and register your details: www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk.
Notes to editors
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Ofsted takes security issues very seriously and this is why we have taken the time to ensure robust measures are in place to guard against the inappropriate use of Learner View. Along with a number of other measures, the site will require learners to enter an email address and password to complete the questionnaire. If someone does fill out the questionnaire more than once using the same email address, the previous entries will be overwritten.
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Learner View will not be available to pupils in school sixth forms as schools are inspected under the Schools Inspection Framework. Ofsted already gathers the views of parents whose children attend school sixth forms as part of Parent View.
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The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.
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Further education and skills providers are defined by being wholly or partially in receipt of public funds from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) or the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) or both. Providers can be: General FE Colleges, Sixth Form Colleges, Specialist Colleges, Community Learning and Skills Providers, Independent Learning Providers or Employer Providers.
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