Inspection report Organisation name Mayfair School of English, London Inspection date 4-5 February 2014 Section standard Met Not met Management: The management of the provision will operate to the benefit of its students, in accordance with its publicity and in accordance with the Declaration of legal and regulatory compliance. Resources and environment: The learning resources and environment will support and enhance the studies of students enrolled with the provider, and will offer an appropriate professional environment for staff. Teaching and learning: Teachers will have appropriate qualifications and will be given sufficient support to ensure that their teaching meets the needs of their students. Programmes of learning will be managed for the benefit of students. The teaching observed will meet the requirements of the Scheme. Welfare and student services: The needs of students for security, pastoral care, information and leisure activities will be met; any accommodation provided will be suitable; the management of the accommodation systems will work to the benefit of students. Care of under 18s section Met Not met There will be appropriate provision for the safeguarding of students under the age of 18 within the organisation and in any leisure activities or accommodation provided. Recommendation We recommend continued accreditation. Publishable statement The British Council inspected and accredited Mayfair School of English in February 2014. The Accreditation Scheme assesses the standards of management, resources and premises, teaching, welfare and care of under 18s and accredits organisations which meet the overall standard in each area inspected (see www.britishcouncil.org/accreditation for details). This private language school offers courses in general English for adults (18+). The inspection report stated that the organisation met the standards of the Scheme. Report expires 31 March 2018
Organisation profile Inspection history First inspection 2005 Last full inspection 2009 Subsequent spot check (if applicable) Subsequent supplementary check (if applicable) Subsequent interim visit (if applicable) Current accreditation status Other related schools / centres /affiliates Other related non-accredited activities (in brief) at this centre Private Sector Date of foundation 1986 Ownership Other accreditation/inspection Mayfair group Dates/details 2010, 2013 (new premises) Accredited Meetings Rooms: rooms available for rental by external corporate clients Premises profile Address of main site Details of any additional sites in use at the time of the inspection (location/normal use of site/when used/number of rooms used) Details of any additional sites not in use at the time of the inspection Inspectors note of sites inspected 103a Oxford Street, London W1D 2HG Mayfair School of English (MSE) operates from relatively newly acquired premises in Oxford Street, with very good transport links and in the midst of numerous restaurants, cafes and shops. The building is on a corner, with shops at ground floor level, but the school has its own dedicated entrance from the street. The school now occupies the first two floors of the available five, and additional space can be booked on upper floors as necessary. Otherwise the rest of the building is given over to rentable meeting rooms, which is another business operated by the same owner. The entrance to the school is at ground floor level, and there is a lift and staircase to upper and lower floors. The lower ground area is cordoned off and is used for services. The main reception is on the first floor and is an open plan arrangement accommodating administrative staff and a desk for the Director of Studies (DoS), with the principal s office adjoining. Also on this floor are a small lending library, two classrooms, toilets, server room and a small office. The second floor houses four further classrooms, toilets, a staffroom and a small computer room with four stations, all around a breakout area for students. There are small shelf tables with high stools and power points, as well as a larger table with further seating and vending machines. Student profile At inspection In peak week (August) (organisation s estimate) Of all international students, approximate percentage on ELT/ESOL courses 100% 100% ELT/ESOL Students (eligible courses) At inspection In peak week Total ELT/ESOL student numbers (FT + PT) 140 full-time 180 full-time Full-time ELT (15+ hours per week) 18 years and over 140 180 Full-time ELT (15+ hours per week) aged 16-17 years Full-time ELT (15+ hours per week) aged under 16 Part-time ELT aged 18 years and over Part-time ELT aged 16-17 years Part-time ELT aged under 16 years
Minimum age (including closed group or vacation) 18 18 Typical age range 18-30 years 18-30 years Typical length of stay 9 weeks 4 weeks Predominant nationalities Italian, Spanish Italian, Spanish Number on PBS Tier 4 General student visas 2 12 Number on PBS Tier 4 child visas Number on student visitor visas 46 38 Number on child visitor visas Staff profile At inspection In peak week (organisation s estimate) Total number of teachers on eligible ELT courses 9 11 Number teaching ELT under 10 hours/week 0 Number teaching ELT 10-19 hours/week 2 Number teaching ELT 20 hours and over/week 7 Total number of administrative/ancillary staff 4 Academic staff qualifications to teach ELT/TESOL Profile at inspection Professional qualifications Total number of teachers Diploma-level ELT/TESOL qualification (TEFLQ) 1 Certificate-level ELT/TESOL qualification (TEFLI) 8 Holding specialist qualifications only (specify) YL initiated Qualified teacher status only (QTS) Rationale(s) required for teachers without appropriate ELT/TESOL qualifications Total 9 These figures include the academic manager(s) None. Course profile Eligible activities Year round Vacation Other - General ELT for adults (18+) General ELT for juniors (under 18) English for academic purposes (excludes IELTS preparation) English for specific purposes (includes English for Executives) Teacher development (excludes award-bearing courses) ESOL skills for life/for citizenship Other Run n Run n Run n
At the time of the inspection, all students were following general English programmes of either 15 or 21 hours per week. One-to-one classes are offered as required. Accommodation profile Number of students in each at the time of inspection (all ELT/ESOL students) Types of accommodation Adults Under 18s Arranged by provider/agency Homestay 3 Private home Home tuition Residential 2 Hotel/guesthouse Independent self-catering e.g. flats, bedsits, student houses Arranged by student/family/guardian Staying with own family Students own arrangements 135 Introduction The Mayfair School of English (MSE) was founded in 1986, and moved to its current, leased premises in 2012. Since the spot check of the new premises in 2013, the school has been physically reorganised so that it now occupies two of the five floors in the building. The remaining floors are used by Meetings Rooms, a business under the same ownership which provides space and facilities for meetings and events. This arrangement means that the school can acquire additional rooms if required and would be able to expand into the upper floors if necessary. The school has also undergone a change of management. The former principal has been replaced and the current principal joined at the end of July 2013. In the short time that she has been in post, she has begun a programme of change, much of which is still ongoing, including adjustment of what were felt to be rather rigid systems. At the time of the inspection, the DoS, who had been with the school in various capacities for ten years, was leaving, and a handover was in process with the incoming DoS. Both were present throughout the inspection. The small administrative team has remained unchanged through this period, as have some of the teaching staff. All courses are general English and students can choose between full- or part-time programmes and standard or intensive timetables, with or without exam preparation. There is also an English focus option with business English, interactive English or Cambridge FCE preparation as the focus. There are additional, free, daily activities sessions which include conversation, skills for work and pronunciation, as well as film club and social programme slots. The inspection took place over one and a half days. Meetings were held with the owner/managing director, the principal, the two DoSs (incoming and outgoing), the registrar, the assistant registrar and the accounts manager. All teachers were observed and focus groups were held with teachers and students. No homestay providers were visited as the school operates through an agency registered with the British Council. Management Legal and statutory regulations Criteria M1 Declaration of compliance M1 The items sampled were satisfactory.
Staff management M2 Management structure M3 Duties specified M4 Communication channels M5 Human resources policies M6 Qualifications verified M7 Induction procedures M8 Monitoring staff performance M9 Professional development M4 Communications throughout the school are largely informal, as staff are co-located and/or in regular day-to-day contact with each other. The principal and the owner meet regularly, and office staff meet informally as and when opportunities arise. There is no meetings calendar, and few minutes of meetings were seen. M5 The new principal has not yet carried out a great deal of recruitment. A recruitment policy is in place but as yet there is little evidence of its implementation. M8 Appraisal procedures are clear and records are kept on staff files. Student administration M10 Administrative staff and resources M11 Information on course choice M12 Enrolment procedures M13 Student records M14 Student attendance policy M15 Conditions and procedures M10 The administrative team is extremely helpful and friendly and manages its work efficiently and competently. M11 Time is taken during the enquiry stages to ensure that prospective students are thoroughly informed about the different course types. This is normally done through email correspondence and has a personal touch. M13 Records are comprehensive and students are asked to inform the school if there are any changes to details, although there is no proactive system for updating these details. M14 The attendance policy is clear and there is an effective system to ensure that all absences are accurately recorded. However, as all absences of three or more days are followed up on Fridays, it could be as long as seven days before any issues are discovered. Quality assurance M16 Action plan M17 Continuing improvement M18 Student feedback and action M19 Staff feedback and action M20 Complaints M17 The principal is still relatively new, but she has made a list of plans for improvement, with timescales, and
some of these have already been implemented. The plans would benefit from better documentation and dissemination to ensure that all aspects of the school go through the process in a systematic way. M18 Student feedback is collected and collated. Some action is recorded but there is more to do to ensure that any dissatisfaction is captured and addressed, and that this process is recorded. M20 A complaints file is kept in the principal s office and has details of complaints made and action taken. Publicity M21 Accessible accurate language M22 Realistic expectations M23 Course description M24 Course information M25 Cost M26 Accommodation M27 Leisure programme M28 Staff qualifications M29 Accreditation The school s publicity materials comprise the website and a brochure, in the form of a folder with printed inserts. M22 Publicity generally gives rise to realistic expectations; however, printed publicity contains some information that is no longer applicable because of relatively recent changes. M24 Non-teaching days were not specified, although this was changed during the inspection. Class size is given as 16 in printed publicity and 18 on the website. Actual class sizes had exceeded 18 on occasion. M25 The cost of books is included on the website but not in print. Additional costs associated with the leisure programme were not included in publicity; this was changed during the inspection. M29 The accreditation marque is used correctly; however, the website describes its accreditation as of the highest level, and the agency used for accommodation is described as approved rather than registered. Management summary The provision meets the section standard. The school is managed to the benefit of both staff and students, and benefits from effective administration. Quality assurance is adequate. Publicity will benefit from some revisions and amendments, and printed publicity is out of date in some instances. Resources and environment Premises and facilities R1 Adequate space R2 Condition of premises R3 Classrooms and learning areas R4 Student relaxation facilities R5 Signage and display R6 Staff room(s) R1 The building provides adequate space and scope to secure further rooms as required on the upper three floors. R2 The school is in a very good state of repair throughout. R3 Classrooms are of a good size, with secondary glazing and natural light. Furniture is appropriate, especially the chairs, which are on wheels with under seat storage, and provide great flexibility.
R4 The area within the school is not large, although adequate for current numbers. The school is directly on Oxford street with a wealth of facilities. R6 The staffroom is spacious for current teacher numbers, and well-organised, with kitchen facilities and room for storage. There are also noticeboards and pigeonholes. Learning resources R7 Learning materials R8 Resources for teachers R9 Educational technology R10 Self-access facilities R11 Library/self-access guidance R12 Review and development R8 There is an adequate stock of appropriate materials and resources, and teachers have access to computers and software for interactive whiteboards (IWB). There is a teachers network for shared materials and ideas, but this is not very fully exploited. R9 There are computers and IWBs in all classrooms, and support is excellent both for technical issues and in terms of training for use. R10 There is a small room with four computers for students to use independently. No materials are supplied. There is also a small lending library on first floor next to reception, the use of which is self explanatory, although help is available if required. R12 Although the new principal has reviewed courses, there is no systematic process for the review and development of materials and resources. This has been a point to be addressed in the past; the new DoS is aware of it and is beginning to work on embedding such review into wider school systems. Resources and environment summary The provision meets the section standard. Premises provide a suitable environment for teaching and learning. Resources are adequate and the level of technology is good, with strong support. Systematic review of materials and resources is beginning to be addressed. Teaching and learning Academic staff profile T1 General education (and rationales) T2 ELT/TESOL teacher qualifications T3 Rationales for teachers T4 Profile of academic manager(s) T5 Rationale for academic manager(s) T1 The rationale for the teacher without a level 6 qualification was accepted in the context of this inspection. Academic management T6 Deployment of teachers T7 Timetabling T8 Cover for absent teachers
T9 Continuous enrolment T10 Support for teachers T11 Observation and monitoring T9 Continuous enrolment is not yet adequately supported; for example, the use of coursebooks is not planned out across terms, and it is not clear at any given entry point where a teacher might be in a particular book. T10 Teachers receive good support and this will be further enhanced when a new mentor role assigned to one of the teachers comes into effect. T11 Observation is professionally conducted and linked to appraisal as well as to teacher development sessions. Teachers appreciated and valued observations and feedback. Course design and implementation T12 Principled course structure T13 Review of course design T14 Course outlines T15 Study and learning strategies T16 Linguistic benefit from UK T12 Description of course structure is within the course books and course book-related teacher support materials being used; there is no separate syllabus mapped out for teachers use. T13 Course design is currently under review, both as part of the handover between DoSs and as a key objective for the new DoS, in liaison with the principal. Some changes have already been introduced, based on student feedback, but there is more to do to ensure that review is systematic and comprehensive. T15 No strategies are included in course design to support independent learning, although individual teachers may address the area. T16 Courses do not include strategies to ensure that students can develop their language skills outside the classroom, and the coursebooks which form the basis of courses are not specific to language learning in the UK. Learner management T17 Placement and level T18 Monitoring students progress T19 Examination guidance T20 Assessment criteria T21 Academic reports T22 Information on UK education T17 Placement procedures are efficient, although at certain times it may be the registrar, who is not a qualified teacher, who marks tests and places students in class. T18 Students benefit from weekly tutorials and each student has a Student Progress and Academic Record (SPAR) form a very newly-introduced system which is intended to help join up information for students, teachers and office staff. Classroom observation record Number of teachers seen 7 Number of observations 7 Parts of programme(s) observed all
One teacher providing cover at the time of the inspection was absent at the time of the observation slots and therefore not observed. Classroom observation T23 Linguistic systems of English T24 Appropriate language T25 Planning content T26 Coherent and relevant activities T27 Classroom management T28 Teaching techniques T29 Student engagement T30 Sensitivity and learning atmosphere T23 Overall, teachers demonstrated sound knowledge and awareness of linguistic systems and phonemic script was confidently used in a number of segments observed. Appropriate written and spoken models were provided, although there was an instance where an inaccurate model was provided and written up on the board. T24 Most teachers adapted their own language well, but there was inappropriate grading on more than one occasion, and some teachers need better guidance in this area. T25 Lesson plans included useful student profiles and course objectives were clearly taken into account. Anticipated problems were rather generic and not related to specific students or their profiles, however, and solutions were generally not included. T26 Lessons were largely coursebook-based, with logical sequencing and relevant activities. T27 Classroom management was good, and teachers managed a range of resources effectively. IWBs were confidently and competently handled and particularly well exploited for a variety of uses, including video, visuals, added script and notes, and error correction. The flexible chairs were used by many teachers to move around and monitor and work at the same physical level as students. T28 A range of techniques was seen, including nomination, eliciting, and pre-teaching of appropriate language items. Feedback techniques were generally good, with promotion of self- and peer-correction and collection of errors for delayed feedback, as well as quick, on-the-spot correction appropriately used. Some opportunities for selfor peer-correction were missed, some identified errors were not sufficiently explored, and in a number of cases teachers asked for explanations rather than using other techniques to establish or check meaning. T29 A good variety of activity and interaction was seen and teachers gave clear instructions and regularly changed the composition of pairs and groups something that students were clearly used to. Teachers listened carefully to students, allowing them to complete sentences and, and students were very engaged, their genuine interest and involvement quite apparent. T30 Teachers were sensitive and created a positive classroom atmosphere. They clearly knew their students well, and students in the focus group were appreciative of this, and the fact that teachers always knew and used their names. Classroom observation summary The teaching observed met the requirements of the Scheme and ranged from satisfactory to good, with the majority of segments observed judged as good. Teachers showed sound knowledge and awareness of language, with some exceptions. Planning was generally good but could be more specifically linked to individual learning needs. A good range of teaching techniques was evident and resources were well managed. Teaching and learning summary The provision meets the section standard. Academic management, particularly observation and monitoring, is effective, although the implications of continuous enrolment are not yet fully dealt with. Course design is in the process of being more comprehensively addressed, and learner management is appropriate, with promising new systems. The teaching observed met the requirements of the Scheme.
Welfare and student services Care of students W1 Safety and security onsite W2 Pastoral care W3 Personal problems W4 Dealing with abusive behaviour W5 Emergency contact number W6 Transport and transfers W7 Advice W8 Medical and dental treatment W1 A fire risk assessment of the building has been undertaken and regular fire drills take place. The front door, which opens onto busy Oxford Street, gives access to the lift and to the upper floors while bypassing the school reception. On the third and fourth floors external companies rent meeting rooms. The front door is supervised at certain times of day but a regular signing-in/badge system for visitors and meeting participants, and badges for school staff, would allow for improved monitoring of who is in the building. W2 Pastoral care is provided by a very approachable team of school staff, two of whom have experience of being language students in London. Students in the focus group commented on how friendly and helpful everyone on the school staff was. W6 Airport transfers can be organised on request by the accommodation agency which the school uses. W7 The student handbook contains very useful information for students. The section on personal safety is very appropriate but could usefully include information about the law in relation to the use of drugs. Accommodation profile on the accommodation seen by the inspectors In August 2013 a decision was taken to work with an accommodation agency which is registered with the British Council. The agency can arrange homestay, private home and residential accommodation and the school s registrar is responsible for liaising with agency staff. There is very low demand from the school s students for accommodation arranged via the school but the system works well and feedback on the accommodation has been good. As the agency is registered with the British Council, no accommodation was visited during this inspection. Accommodation: all types W9 Services and facilities W10 Accommodation inspected first W11 Accommodation re-inspected W12 Accommodation registers W13 Information W14 Student feedback W15 Meals in homestay/residences W14 Students in accommodation arranged via the school complete a first-day questionnaire and an end-of-course questionnaire. The registrar enters the feedback data onto an accommodation tracking system so levels of satisfaction can be closely monitored; the feedback questionnaires are also forwarded to the agency for information. Problems are rare and have been dealt with promptly but action taken is not recorded.
Accommodation: homestay W16 No more than four students W17 Rules, terms and conditions W18 Shared bedrooms W19 Students first language W20 Language of communication W21 Adult to welcome None. Accommodation: residential W22 Cleaning W23 Health None. Accommodation: other W24 Information and support W25 Other accommodation None. Leisure opportunities W26 Events and activities W27 Leisure programmes W28 Health and safety W29 Responsible person W26 There is a noticeboard with information about the school s leisure programme but otherwise limited information about other social, cultural and sporting events taking place in London. W27 The school s leisure programme is organised by a teacher and the assistant registrar and offers students a wide range of activities, which are all very popular. Every week there are free classes (conversation, pronunciation, preparing for work); there is a weekly cinema club and a social event on Friday evenings (pub visit, guided walks, museums). Excursions to places of interest outside London are organised every six weeks. All leisure activities are led by teachers and the students in the focus group were very enthusiastic about the programme. W28 The risk assessments in place are very generic and need further development, including drawing up practical guidelines for teachers leading on-site and off-site activities. Welfare and student services summary The provision meets the section standard. The needs of students for security, pastoral care and information are met. The leisure programme offers a wide variety of appropriate activities and is very popular. Most students arrange their own accommodation but the school can offer accommodation arranged via an agency which is
registered with the British Council. The management of the accommodation systems works to the benefit of students.