Inclusive Training Solutions Ltd

Further Education and Skills inspection report Date published: 14 May 2015 Inspection Number: 440400 URN: 59124 All Trades Training Limited

p.1

Summary of key findings for learners

 a high proportion of apprentices are successful in gaining their qualifications within agreed timescales  leaders and managers have successfully developed the provision to meet the skills needs of local employers and the priorities of the Local Enterprise Partnership and ensure apprentices are well prepared for the world of work  leaders and managers have high expectations of staff and learners and have a clear vision to raise quality and standards, which is supported by extensive, well-planned, professional training and development  managers make particularly robust use of data to monitor regularly the work of staff and learners so they can take swift action to resolve any underperformance  trainers provide very effective coaching and support, and employers provide good opportunities for learners to develop in their job roles, leading to highly motivated and successful learners  learners receive good initial information advice and guidance and thorough assessment of their

p.1

Summary of key findings for learners

starting points to ensure they take the appropriate qualification and are on the correct level programme.

p.1

Summary of key findings for learners

 managers do not focus sufficiently on the evaluation of teaching, learning and assessment  trainers do not use a sufficient variety of assessment methods to support progress and meet individual needs consistently effectively  a small minority of learners make slow progress in gaining English and mathematics skills  arrangements to obtain, analyse and use data on learners’ progression goals and routes are underdeveloped and require improvement.

p.1

This inspection: Good-2

Previous inspection: Requires improvement-3 Outcomes for learners Good-2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good-2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Good-2

p.1

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Raise the standard of teaching, learning and assessment through more detailed evaluations of observations of staff and learners and use the outcomes to identify further areas for development.  Increase the frequency of assessment observations and make better use of technology, such as digital voice recorders, to gather evidence and improve learners’ progress.  Develop more effective learning plans by including learners’ progress in English and mathematics alongside their training for the workplace skills.  Collect and analyse detailed information on career planning and progression. Increase the range of additional learning available to help learners progress and introduce more rigour in the discussion with them about their next steps in order to ensure they reach their maximum potential.

p.2

Inspection judgements

 All Trades Training Limited (ATT) provides apprenticeships at intermediate, advanced and higher levels to learners aged 16 to 18 and 19 and over. The inspection covered the provision in subject areas funded directly by the Skills Funding Agency, which currently forms a minor part of ATT’s work. The large majority of learners are on health and social care programmes, of which most are at intermediate level. A small number of apprentices follow business administration, retail and commercial enterprises programmes. ATT’s staff place learners across the East of England and the South East, with the majority in Norfolk.  Success rates are high. In 2013/14, the very large majority of intermediate and advanced apprentices gained their qualifications and of those, most achieved within the planned end dates. However, while remaining above national rates, current data show a decline in retention. Managers have taken good action to ensure all those learners retained have the maximum

p.2

Inspection judgements

opportunity for success.  The progress that learners make is improving and enables them to complete by the target end date for their programme of learning. However, for a small minority of learners, progress to achieve their qualifications is slow given their starting points.  Learners make good progress in developing the vocational skills and knowledge they need to achieve their qualifications and meet the needs of the business in which they work. Health and social care learners acquire thorough knowledge about rules for medication as well as safeguarding requirements. Customer service learners develop high-level skills when dealing with customers as well as a broader understanding of their organisation. Warehousing learners improve their knowledge and, in one good example, a learner introduced a new process and template for emails, which all staff now use.  Learners are becoming more confident and they are developing their personal and social skills

p.2

Inspection judgements

well. For example, through raising the standard of their communication skills, health and social care learners are better able to interact with the people they look after. Managers have recently introduced systems to evaluate the acquisition of wider skills such as team working, problem solving and the development of confidence and self-esteem. Early results show that learners are developing these skills well. However, opportunities to gain additional qualifications or broaden experience, which would further improve learners’ employment options and chances of promotion, are underdeveloped. For example, only business administration learners receive formal training to develop their information and communication technology skills.  The promotion and achievement of English and mathematics is mostly good. The large majority of learners already hold a GCSE in English and mathematics at grade C or better. Despite this,

p.2

Inspection judgements

the majority of intermediate apprentices have chosen to study English and mathematics at a level higher than that needed to achieve their qualifications. The very large majority of learners pass their functional skills examination at the first sitting for both mathematics and English at level 1 and 2.  Managers regularly check data to identify gaps in achievement of different groups. The differences between achievements of the different groups of learners are very small. The few learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive good support and make good progress and all have passed their qualifications.  The very large majority of learners remain in employment upon completion of their qualifications. A small minority progress to higher levels of study. Arrangements to obtain and analyse wider progression data such as, increased responsibilities, pay or promotions or into further areas of study are underdeveloped and require improvement.

p.3

Inspection judgements

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.3

Inspection judgements

 Teaching, learning and assessment are good and reflect the high success rates and the good development of learners’ personal skills and vocational knowledge.  Trainers provide good workplace learning to develop learners’ knowledge. They use good exploratory questioning to ensure learners have a strong understanding of subject specific topics. Training in the workplace by employers is of a high standard, which helps learners increase their job tasks and responsibilities. Trainers make good use of technology and plan learning sessions well. They introduce a good range of vocational resources, including short video clips as well as paper workbooks that learners use well to improve their knowledge. Learners use their ATT portable hard drive well, for referencing to the qualification standards, as well as saving work and copies of their electronic reviews, which supports their timely progress. Learners have good research skills as they use helpful websites to develop their knowledge, for

p.3

Inspection judgements

instance to look up specific legislative requirements.  Learners receive good initial information, advice and guidance. Staff take care to discuss learning needs with employers and learners, and ensure they work towards the most appropriate qualification and level. Initial assessment is robust, with a thorough check of learners’ skills to plan learning and support. Managers recognise that while some discussion takes place at the end of a learning programme on progression, this is currently too informal to be of significant use.  Learners demonstrate good motivation to progress in their jobs and apprenticeships, receiving good personal support from coaches who provide effective encouragement. Learners value these visits, which build good working relationships with ATT staff. Trainers make additional visits to learners in their workplaces where progress is slow and maintain good contact between visits to ensure learners are working towards agreed actions. Employers provide good

p.3

Inspection judgements

supervision, allocating a mentor to learners to support their progress at work.  Reviews of learners’ progress are effective in monitoring their performance at work as well as progress in their qualification. Employers participate well in discussions to share information, as well as to coordinate any workplace training. Learners’ progress towards the completion of the different aspects of the apprenticeship framework are clear. Learners participate well in plans to improve their performance and complete their own review electronically. Trainers give very good verbal feedback, resulting in learners having a strong understanding of their progress and what they need to do before the next learning and assessment visit. In a few instances, written feedback is insufficient to inform learners what they have done particularly well and what they need to do to improve.  Trainers do not consistently use a sufficient variety of assessment methods to support progress

p.3

Inspection judgements

and meet individual needs. They over rely on written work by learners and written assessment reports. The use of technology for assessment is underdeveloped. For example, the use of voice recorders for professional discussions is insufficient and all portfolios, including for business administration learners who use computers routinely in their jobs, are paper-based.  Newer learners receive more timely tuition of functional skills learning and assessment. Specialist support staff are available and learners receive a clear individual plan and guidance to good learning resources that they use well to improve their weaker areas. However, learners who have been on programme more than six months have made slower progress with their functional skills learning and trainers’ plans for improvement and encouragement to learners are not always sufficiently effective. Support has not always been early enough in the programme,

p.4

Inspection judgements

and learners often postpone any functional skills work that they find too challenging.  Trainers develop the large majority of learners’ English skills well. The correction of spelling and grammatical errors by trainers has improved and it is now mostly good. Trainers do not include mathematics learning in subject sessions consistently well. In a good example, the trainer gave a useful session using presentation slides to explain measurement and metric conversions. In another example, the trainer did not check learners’ skills in relation to percentages when the opportunity arose.  Trainers mostly promote equality and diversity well. The majority of learners, particularly those working in health and social care, have a good understanding of these areas. All learners recollect the effective questioning at reviews to check their understanding and all know what to do should they have any concerns. Trainers make reasonable attempts to bring topics into

p.4

Inspection judgements

sessions, but these are mostly cursory and do not explore learners’ deeper understanding of aspects of diversity.

p.4

Inspection judgements

The effectiveness of leadership and management Good

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Since the previous inspection, directors and managers have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of provision, and as a result, they have raised success rates for apprentices effectively. Directors and managers are strongly committed to becoming outstanding and have invested heavily in both staff development and improving business processes. Staff at all levels share this ambition and use it to motivate their learners to succeed. Managers now monitor all aspects of provision more carefully to ensure learners receive the support they need to achieve.  Managers have a good understanding of the employment needs of the geographical and vocational areas in which it operates. Managers have strong partnerships with employers, local business organisations and the Local Enterprise Partnership as well as key funding bodies. Staff use this information well to ensure they meet the needs of apprentices and employers.

p.4

Inspection judgements

Managers have revised processes for the recruitment and placement of apprentices and set clear expectations of employers to ensure learners receive the support and training they need; as a result most apprentices achieve within agreed timescales.  Management of staff performance is particularly robust. Managers use data effectively to monitor the work of staff and learners. Weekly data updates highlight to managers any deviation in expected performance levels and actions to improve performance are rapid. Comprehensive monitoring reviews take place every month. Directors and managers investigate thoroughly any underperformance not already identified, and monitor closely to ensure trainers put support in place and performance improves to the expected level.  Staff at all levels are set stretching improvement targets linked to the high expectations directors have for the quality of provision. Targets, which managers monitor monthly, are clearly

p.4

Inspection judgements

defined and relevant to their job roles. Managers, using an exceptionally comprehensive range of accurate and timely management information reports, review staff progress toward the achievement of targets frequently. All staff have comprehensive training and development plans linked to key areas for improvement. For example, all staff responsible for learning have had appropriate training in the incorporation of English and mathematics into training sessions and the promotion of equality and diversity.  Self-assessment identifies key strengths and areas for improvement accurately. Staff at all levels review progress in the implementation of quality improvement plans and actions regularly. Managers monitor the performance of trainers well through accurate and frequent observations and the use of feedback from learners and employers. However, managers recognise the need to focus with more consistency on the evaluation of teaching, learning and assessment at an

p.5

Inspection judgements

organisational level to improve provision further.  The strategic approach and the priority of developing English and mathematics for new learners is leading to greater success and improvements in training and skills of learners. Specialist English and mathematics staff provide support for learners and develop staff skills. However, support for learners is not consistent and for those learners who are nearing the end of their programme of learning they still require intensive support to ensure they have the English and mathematics skills needed to function in the workplace effectively.  The management of equality and diversity is good. Managers have a strong commitment to increasing equality of opportunity and promoting diversity among staff and learners. All staff receive training and regular updates of current equality and diversity themes, such as misconceptions associated with mental health. Learners receive detailed informative

p.5

Inspection judgements

assignments and workbooks to extend their knowledge and understanding. The majority of apprentices are able to apply these values to their working lives and can put them into practice in the workplace.  Safeguarding for learners and its management are good. Staff receive regular training, as well as updates and briefings on safeguarding issues. Managers record any identified issues well and review procedures regularly, with appropriate referrals made to the relevant support agencies. Staff check employers and their premises effectively before they place apprentices and review placements regularly to ensure employers maintain safety standards. The large majority of learners have a good understanding of safeguarding and all receive good training materials such as highly detailed workbooks, which form an integral part of their portfolio of evidence.

p.5

All Trades Training Limited

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

p.6

All Trades Training Limited

1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires improvement 4: Inadequate Overall 14-16 part-time provision 14-16 full-time provision 16-19 study programmes Traineeships 19+ learning programmes Apprenticeships Employability Community learning

p.6

All Trades Training Limited

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment 2 2

p.6

All Trades Training Limited

The effectiveness of leadership and management 2 2

p.6

Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

p.7

full contract year

Principal/CEO Mrs Maria Collins Date of previous inspection November 2013 Website address www.alltradestraining.co.uk

p.7

programme level

Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 and above

p.7

Apprenticeship level and age

Intermediate Advanced Higher 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 7 53 0 24 0 16 Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total N/A N/A N/A Number of learners aged 14-16 N/A Full-time N/A Part-time N/A Number of community learners N/A Number of employability learners N/A Funding received from Skills Funding Agency (SFA)

p.7

Contextual information

ATT is in receipt of a direct contract from the Skills Funding Agency, to provide intermediate, advanced and higher level apprenticeship programmes to those aged 16 to 18 and 19 and over in business and administration, retail and commercial enterprise and health and social care. The largest numbers of learners are within the health and social care sector. ATT has two established subcontracts, funded by the SFA, to provide apprenticeships, work-based learning and adult classroom-based learning programmes for those aged 16 to 18 and 19 and over. The largest subcontract is with Leeds College of Building, which forms the large majority of its provision. In addition to this ATT is the primary subcontractor for REED in Partnership in providing the East of England European Social Fund workplace learning contract. Both of these subcontracts were outside the scope of this inspection.

p.8

Contextual information

ATT’s main centre is located in Rackheath, near Norwich where it provides training courses for the construction trades. The provider has another training centre near Norwich city centre where it offers pre-employment courses. All provision for apprenticeship programmes takes place on employers’ premises, in Norfolk, Middlesex, Sussex and Kent.

p.8

Information about this inspection

One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and one additional inspector, assisted by the provider’s Quality Manager as nominee, carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors also used data on learners’ achievements over the last three years to help them make judgements. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected throughout the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors looked at the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across all of the provision and graded the sector subject areas listed in the report above.

p.8

Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills 2012, Part 2:

p.9

Grade Judgement

www.gov.uk/government/publications/handbook-for-the-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills- from-september-2012

p.9

Grade Judgement

guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

p.9

Grade Judgement

Learner View is a website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too.

p.9

Grade Judgement

To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9

Grade Judgement

Employer View is a new website where employers can tell Ofsted what they think about their employees’ college or provider. They can also see what other employers think about them too.

p.9

Grade Judgement

To find out more go to www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, 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.

p.9

Grade Judgement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and provider inspection reports, please visit https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.10

Grade Judgement

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.10