Gateshead’s Mesma has supplied its online quality assurance and education software to one of England’s largest providers of 16-19 apprenticeships to ensure its better prepared for Ofsted inspections.With an office in Newcastle, Key Training has boosted its self-assessment and improvement planning using Mesma as part of the national services it undertakes to secure work for young people not in employment, education or training.
Following an initial product trial, the firm adopted Mesma software to boost the central co-ordination of quality assurance activity in a move to simplify existing processes in a business with a number of locations across the country.
Mesma is an adaptable, versatile and cost effective web-based resource, which enables important areas of the self-assessment process, associated improvement planning activities and observations of teaching and learning to be allocated to authorised people within a education environment, driving greater accountability in the delivery of training provision for apprentices.
The software provides a central repository for critical data, improving Key Training’s capacity to undertake self-assessment tasks, deliver superior managerial control and bring greater transparency and efficiencies to time intensive administrative processes.
This allows all the information required for an Ofsted inspection to be readily available at the press of a button.
Mesma also offers other advantages according to Key Training’s quality director Rosie Ross including a more coherent inspection framework for easier assessment against Ofsted CIF (Common Inspection Framework) and added consistency in the quality of information provision.
She said: “We are moving ahead with the technology across all our operations, and while we are still populating it, the benefits are already apparent.
“Intuitive and easy-to-use, Mesma is a good tool that asks all the right questions to ensure that we are preparing for Ofsted inspections.
“It helps us to keep a clear record of where we are and what we need to improve on with a focus on developments that directly impact on people right across the organisation, while offering greater transparency so we see easily what areas need improving and why.
“It’s used by different staff who benefit from shared ownership of the system, enabling them to see critical information about improvement and planning at the press of a button. This will make for better and confident decision making in the light of the Ofsted changes.”
Mesma was set-up in response to changes implemented by education watchdog Ofsted, which led to schools, colleges and independent providers receiving reduced notice of inspection. It is owned and operated by three directors – Neil Donkin, Carole Loader and Louise Doyle – who between them have more than 30 years experience in business and working in with the education sector.