Even before I arrive at ELATT Connected Learning in East London, I know that this charity training provider is a force to be reckoned with.

ELATT has provided education and support to marginalised young people and adults for the past 31 years, offering a route out of long-term poverty and exclusion. Not only did it scoop three prizes at the 2016 TES FE Awards back in April - including the prestigious overall FE provider of the year title - but it is also rated outstanding across the board by Ofsted, it was in the top 20 best small places to work in the UK in 2014, and it has highly impressive statistics for achievement, progression and student satisfaction.

With this impressive record in mind, I assume that I will be visiting an imposing, heavily branded glass monument to match the technology companies in nearby Shoreditch. But I find a building that hums with community spirit rather than corporate gloss.

There is a rockery outside the entrance, and a van selling healthy cooked food is parked next to a group of mismatched chairs covered by an awning. The area is bustling with students of all ages. Inside, the low-key, friendly atmosphere continues. As I’m taken past the vibrant, open-plan staffroom to the staff kitchen, it feels as though I’m stepping back in time - in a good way.

I am sitting alone at the kitchen table looking at a windowsill lined with spider plants when a smiling member of staff strides in. She makes herself a sandwich and offers to make me one, too. I want to hug her. I’ve already seen enough to start considering selling up and moving to Hackney to try to get a job at this welcoming organisation. I later learn that this would probably remain just a dream because staff turnover is so low. Once people start working at ELATT, they don’t leave.

A recent survey recorded a 97 per cent student satisfaction rate, and last year 93 per cent of students achieved their learning aim, with 44 per cent recorded as being in work by the end of their course.

So what is happening in this modest setting to give skills, support and hope to people who live complex lives in disadvantaged neighbourhoods? The palpable feeling of community and of shared values is a big factor in ELATT’s success. IT tutor Touria Sadiq tells me that she can explore the curriculum to pack in as much learning as possible because of the trust and autonomy she is given as a teacher. She feels valued by the organisation and listened to by management.

Warmth and camaraderie

The strength of this learning community is also stressed by youth programme coordinator Oran Blackwood. “I don’t come to work thinking, ‘These are my colleagues’,” he says. “It’s a friendship group. That’s promoted from the top down, and that’s what you want from leadership.”

Later, I ask chief executive Anthony Harmer what single thing about ELATT gives him the most pride. He could tell me about the statistics, or the long-term, sustainable links with employers, or the focus on volunteerism that creates transformative opportunities for many learners, or the range of projects to develop and share good practice across the sector.

But he says none of these things. “I’m proudest of what a lovely bunch of people work here,” he explains. “They’re such a pleasure. It makes working easy because they are so willing, so flexible and so motivated and they want to do well for their students.”

Sarah Simons works in FE colleges in the East Midlands. She tweets at @MrsSarahSimons

This is an edited version of an article in the 20 May edition of TES. Subscribers can read the full story here. This week’s TES magazine is available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here. TES Further Education subscription packages are available here. 

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