Setting

Mr Simon Healey Chief Executive Officer Shape Accredited Training Centre Richard Crosthwaite Centre Sotherby Road Middlesbrough TS3 8BT

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Short inspection of Shape Accredited Training Centre

Following the short inspection on 16 and 17 February 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the provider was judged to be good in October 2011.

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Short inspection of Shape Accredited Training Centre

 You, trustees and the leadership team have maintained strong and particularly effective partnerships within Middlesbrough and the Tees Valley local region. Through these, you continue to take good account of local community and employer needs and ensure that Shape Accredited Training Centre (Shape) provides a range of programmes that meet these needs well.  One of the key developments you and senior leaders have overseen very successfully since the last inspection has been to develop and adapt the programme you already had in place for young people so that it meets all of the requirements of 16 to 19 study programmes. Leaders and managers responsible for study programmes design learners’ programmes well. A high proportion of those following study programmes at level 2 in childcare move into apprenticeships, further study or employment in childcare settings.  You provide very effective 16 to 19 study programmes for local young people

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Short inspection of Shape Accredited Training Centre

who are at risk of being not in education, employment or training (NEET), and not yet ready to attend other learning providers. Tutors ensure that young people’s programmes are personalised to meet their individual needs and they provide learners with very good personal support. Leaders of the study programme have ensured that it provides all learners who are ready and who would benefit from it with purposeful work experience through which they gain confidence and improve their attitudes to work. Learners enjoy attending and the programme helps them to overcome many of their personal barriers Ofsted

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Short inspection of Shape Accredited Training Centre

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.gov.uk/ofsted to learning so that a good proportion progress into apprenticeships, further study or employment.  You have made good progress in addressing most of the weaknesses from your previous inspection. Managers now use the lesson observation process more effectively to bring about improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. You rightly recognise that the process needs further development and improvement if it is to become a fully effective management tool to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment further.  Leaders of the provision have ensured that the proportions of health and social care and childcare apprentices who achieve and continue to work in the sector remain high. Since the last inspection, you and trustees have reviewed the range of subjects in which you provide apprenticeships. Although you

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Short inspection of Shape Accredited Training Centre

considered ceasing the delivery of dental nursing apprenticeships due to challenges you faced in recruiting suitable staff, you took the decision to continue delivering in this area after consulting with employers in the sector. You and senior leaders recognise that there has been a decline in the quality of delivery in this area and that the proportion of apprentices who complete within the planned timescale is too low. You have put a number of appropriate actions in place to address these issues. However, you also recognise that trustees, you and other leaders need to monitor the impact and effectiveness of these actions more frequently and thoroughly to provide the assurance you all need that the provision is improving quickly enough.

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Short inspection of Shape Accredited Training Centre

 The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and action is taken to safeguard learners. A team of three suitably qualified leaders and managers, one of whom is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with overall designated responsibility for safeguarding, respond to safeguarding concerns swiftly. Safeguarding policies and procedures are comprehensive and clear. As a result, staff have a very good understanding of how to report any incidents or safeguarding concerns. Incident logs are detailed, recording actions taken and learning points and where referrals have been made to the local safeguarding children’s board or other agencies including social services and mental health professionals.  Robust procedures are in place to keep learners safe when online and to raise learners’ broader awareness about the risks associated with inappropriate use of the internet and social media, for example cyber bullying. All staff and

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Short inspection of Shape Accredited Training Centre

trustees have undergone training in the ‘Prevent’ duty and received detailed briefings from the local police counterterrorism liaison officer. Tutors provide learners with suitable advice and guidance about the risks of radicalisation and extremist views and opinions.

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Inspection findings

 The effectiveness of leadership and management is good. Since the previous inspection, leaders have taken appropriate steps to develop and sustain the provision to meet the needs of local communities and employers in Middlesbrough and the Tees Valley. Shape’s leaders have responded well to the locally identified need to provide a high-quality 16 to 19 study programme for young people who have a range of complex needs and barriers to learning and participation, and who are at risk of being NEET.  Governance of Shape through the board of trustees is good. The chair of trustees meets regularly with the CEO and, as a result, he is very well informed about Shape’s strengths and remaining areas for improvement. Trustees meet regularly to consider detailed reports about financial and operational performance such as recruitment. Although they are well informed about the actions leaders are taking to remedy weaker aspects of provision,

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Inspection findings

they do not receive sufficiently detailed reports on the impact of these actions to be fully assured that the progress leaders are making is sufficient.  The procedures for observing teaching, learning and assessment are effective. The scope of observations has been broadened to include interviews, initial assessment, progress reviews and induction but does not yet cover workplace visits or training in apprentices’ workplaces. The process is systematic and well managed by two observers who focus clearly on evaluating the learning taking place and how well learners are supported to make good progress. Recent changes to the process require tutors to reflect more carefully about their own practice assisted by helpful coaching from observers. However, the new system requires further development to ensure the impact of follow-up actions is monitored rigorously so that standards of teaching, learning and

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Inspection findings

assessment improve as a result.  The 16 to 19 study programme provision is particularly good with a few outstanding features. Learners benefit from high-quality programmes that tutors tailor well to meet their individual needs. Learners receive particularly good support, which helps them to overcome many of their personal barriers to learning, some of which are significant. As a result, they improve their behaviour, confidence and attitudes to learning and work well. The majority of learners participate in relevant work experience, which prepares them well for employment. Learners who are not ready to access a work placement due to challenging personal circumstances are well supported by tutors delivering employability skills classes to develop the skills they will require for work experience in the future. The large majority of learners on study programmes make good progress from their starting points and are prepared well for their

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Inspection findings

next steps. A good proportion progress to apprenticeships, higher-level study programmes or employment.  Learners following advanced apprenticeships in dental nursing develop good practical skills through very effective on-the-job training in the workplace. Tutors from Shape use their current and good professional expertise to assess these skills rigorously during frequent visits to apprentices’ workplaces. The proportion of dental apprentices who achieve their qualifications within the planned timescale has recently declined. Leaders and managers identified the reasons for this decline, which related to the loss of experienced members of staff, and initiated a range of actions to address the causes. However, managers have not set sufficiently clear and precise targets for improvement to supplement the actions. As a result, although managers routinely monitor whether actions are completed or implemented as planned, they are not clear

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Inspection findings

whether the changes made are securing necessary improvements. Although managers have taken action to recruit new staff to replace experienced staff who have left Shape, too much of the off-the-job teaching, learning and assessment in this area requires improvement.  Tutors have responded well to staff training and support provided by managers and the large majority now integrate English and mathematics well in vocational lessons. Through this, learners recognise the importance of improving their skills and gaining qualifications in these subjects in order to achieve their longer-term career ambitions. Tutors plan learning well to ensure that learners develop good basic mathematical skills before progressing to more complex topics. As a result, learners confidently apply their skills in more challenging contexts. Learners improve their English oral skills well and work hard to improve their written work as a result of well-

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Inspection findings

planned activities which prepare them effectively for assessment. Although leaders and managers have implemented a range of actions to improve learners’ attendance at English and mathematics functional skills and GCSE classes, they do not produce or analyse attendance data thoroughly enough to monitor whether these actions are having the intended outcome. Learners still do not attend English and mathematics classes as well as they do vocational or employability training lessons.

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Next steps for the provider

Leaders and trustees should ensure that:  actions implemented to bring about improvements to weaker areas of provision are accompanied with clear and precise targets and well-defined, measurable outcomes so that the effectiveness they are having in improving the provision can be regularly and accurately assessed  actions and targets are reviewed and further developed where necessary and progress is evaluated by leaders and routinely reported to trustees  the process for observing teaching, learning and assessment is developed further to include on-the-job training and assessment and that it becomes increasingly robust and challenging so that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment continues to improve across all areas of provision  the quality of off-the-job training in dental nursing improves quickly and managers provide the inexperienced staff in this area with the support they need to build on their professional expertise to become effective teachers

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Next steps for the provider

 the proportion of dental nursing apprentices who achieve within the planned timescale improves  learners’ attendance at English and mathematics lessons is consistently high. I am copying this letter to the Skills Funding Agency and the Education Funding Agency. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors were assisted by the Chief Executive Officer as nominee. We met with senior leaders and spoke to trustees with responsibility for governance. We observed lessons and assessments taking place at the provider’s training centre. We held meetings with, or spoke to, managers, tutors and learners. We spoke to apprentices and employers. We scrutinised learners’ work and assessment records. We scrutinised key documents relating to: the provider’s strategy and implementation plans; self-assessment and improvement planning; and safeguarding. We considered the views of learners through discussions during learning sessions we visited and through the responses received through Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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