“Significant weaknesses” at North London Connexions

North London Connexions Partnership has been criticised by
Ofsted for providing unsatisfactory value for money and for failing
to change the service  from its previous  careers orientation.

North London, one of the first Connexions partnerships to be
established, has “significant weaknesses”. It has weak
leadership and management, with little central direction and
leadership for the two main contractors which are private careers
companies. As a result, the service has not developed a broad
enough remit and is still focused on careers, says Ofsted.

Staff recruitment difficulties have also had a serious and
adverse impact on the partnership’s capacity to meet its
objectives, but in any case the partnership doesn’t know
whether it is meeting its targets because it has not been able to
establish baseline measures for young people’s participation
or achievement.

Good progress has been made in actively involving young people
in designing and shaping the service but the achievements of young
people and the quality of their learning are unsatisfactory
overall, and practice is too variable. In the absence of effective
leadership and management, the capacity for improvement is limited,
says the report.
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/servicereports/507.pdf