Intuitions Limited

Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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This is a good provider

 Highly ambitious leaders have empowered staff to provide high-quality learning for apprentices in the hairdressing and beauty therapy industry.  Managers uphold high standards of teaching and learning by evaluating and developing the quality and outcomes of staff’s work, and by improvement planning.  Trainers, known as educators, are well qualified and have excellent occupational skills that are recent, relevant and of a high industry standard, and which inspire and motivate apprentices.  Staff provide good support to assist in apprentices’ career progression in the hairdressing and beauty therapy industry; almost all apprentices progress into permanent and sustainable employment.  Apprentices achieve their qualifications; many intermediate apprentices progress to advanced apprenticeships and develop a wide range of additional, trade-specific and employability skills.  Apprentices make good progress in lessons and in

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This is a good provider

the workplace through well-planned training programmes that challenge and inspire apprentices.  Employers support their apprentices very well; many have work-based assessors, enabling apprentices to receive timely assessments and make good progress towards their qualifications.  Educators rigorously promote British values throughout the curriculum at training centres and in the workplace, resulting in apprentices being very aware of what it means to live in modern Britain.

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This is a good provider

 Not all intermediate apprentices achieve their programmes within the planned timescales, particularly at the sub-contracted provision.  Too many apprentices do not have a full understanding of the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation.  English and mathematical skills are not sufficiently reinforced in practical sessions.  Longer term learning targets and written feedback from staff do not sufficiently focus on what the apprentice needs to improve.

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Information about the provider

 Intuitions Limited is an independent training provider located in Harrogate. The company was established in 1993 and offers apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships in hairdressing and beauty therapy. It operates from its main training centre in Harrogate and the premises of its only sub-contractor in Middlesbrough.  Currently, 169 apprentices are studying with Intuitions; over half are aged 16 to 18 and the remainder are adults. The vast majority of all apprentices are completing hairdressing apprenticeships, with a very small minority enrolled on beauty therapy apprenticeships. Intuitions has a relatively small number of learners on adult learning programmes and traineeships in comparison with its apprenticeship provision. Unemployment rates in Harrogate and Knaresborough are low, standing at 2.2% compared with a national rate of 5.7%.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Improve the proportion of intermediate apprentices who successfully complete their programme within the planned timescales, particularly in the sub-contracted provision, by continuing to monitor their progress and ensuring that these apprentices achieve at the same high level as advanced apprentices.  Continue to develop staff’s ability to reinforce apprentices’ mathematical skills, especially by integrating these skills into practical sessions.  Ensure that educators integrate into practical sessions opportunities for apprentices to apply the English skills taught in discrete sessions so that learning is consolidated. Additionally, ensure that educators appropriately correct apprentices’ spelling, punctuation and grammar to promote professional standards.  Ensure educators provide clear and concise written feedback following learning and assessment activities, and also that they provide specific, longer term learning targets so that apprentices are clear about how

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

they can develop their skills further and rapidly progress on their programmes.  Continue to promote to all apprentices the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation, and ensure that they have a full understanding of the Prevent duty.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The managing director has set a highly ambitious vision for the company and provides strong leadership. The commitment and understanding shown of the developments and trends in the hairdressing and beauty therapy sector are evident in the exceptionally high standards that are set and maintained, successfully accomplishing the company’s mission of ‘bringing the best learning experience to students through innovative, creative and passionate education’.  Directors have secured substantial improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by frequently and robustly monitoring, managing and improving the work of teachers and assessors. Those who underperform are encouraged to improve through highly effective support and mentoring programmes. Staff morale is high and most take great pride in improving their teaching skills and professional practice.  Quality assurance and quality improvement arrangements are exceptionally effective. Managers are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

relentless in their pursuit of excellence to provide high-quality learning experiences for apprentices. Managers conduct comprehensive checks on the quality of learning provided. These checks include rigorous audits, observation of theory and practical lessons, evaluation of apprentices’ practical and theory work, and evaluation of portfolios of evidence to ensure that the quality of learning is consistently good.  Managers evaluate the performance of each educator thoroughly and frequently to ensure that they continue to provide good learning that prepares apprentices well for their careers, beyond the requirements of their qualifications. The observation of teaching, learning and assessment has been considerably improved since the previous inspection and is one of the key strengths of the company.  Managers provide comprehensive and prompt feedback to educators following lesson observations. They

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

set often very challenging, and sometimes unrealistic, targets for educators to improve their teaching performance at the next observation. The scale of the task in a few cases is too daunting for them to accomplish and difficult for managers to measure precisely; for example, educators have been given targets requiring them to establish the use of information learning technology, or embed mathematics effectively, in eight weeks.  Through significant investment in extensive online learning resources in a range of subjects, managers have created a culture of continuous learning in all salons, including those of partners. This has helped educators to refresh and update their skills very well. Apprentices and staff make good use of online learning resources to enhance their skills through independent learning.  Managers and directors know their provision exceptionally well. They conduct a rigorous and critical

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

analysis of the performance of the company by examining evidence from a wide range of sources, such as robust data on learners’ outcomes, apprentices’ and employers’ views, rigorous course evaluations, and the results of observations of teaching, learning and assessment. The self-assessment report is accurate. The development plan is specific and focused on maintaining quality and improving weaker aspects. Managers encourage all new partners and the sub-contractor to conduct their own self- assessments, which are accurately integrated into that of Intuitions.  Leaders and managers have very strong links with employers. They conduct regular and thorough checks on salons to ensure that apprentices receive high-quality training and support from employers. Employers value the high quality of training that apprentices acquire, and rely on Intuitions to provide well-trained professionals to work in their salons. Managers recruit apprentices carefully to meet employers’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

requirements.  Managers place a strong emphasis on developing the English and mathematical skills of their apprentices. All staff, including those with partner organisations, have either achieved a qualification at level 2 in English and mathematics or are working towards this requirement. All apprentices are supported to achieve qualifications and develop skills on an ongoing basis. Individual support for learners, and resources to support learning and development in English and mathematics, are used effectively, leading to apprentices making good progress.  Curriculum planning and management are good. Staff plan well all stages of apprentices’ experiences such as initial and ongoing assessment, pastoral support, initial, ongoing and exit careers guidance and advice, and progress reviews. Good careers information and advice prepare apprentices well for a range of careers in the hairdressing and beauty therapy industry.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 Senior managers at Intuitions have worked tenaciously with Contemporary Hair Academy, its only sub- contractor, to improve the quality of training and the outcomes for apprentices, which were low. Following this support, current apprentices are making good progress.  Educators successfully make apprentices aware of British values such as democracy, tolerance and the rule of law, by reinforcement through teaching, both in the training centres and in the workplace. Apprentices demonstrate their understanding well by the extensive projects that they complete throughout their apprenticeship programme.  Staff promote equality and diversity well. All apprentices have a good understanding of diversity in society; learners from different backgrounds show mutual respect. Apprentices have a good awareness of discrimination, bullying and harassment. They know how to protect themselves and to whom they should

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The governance of the provider The managing director and owner of Intuitions has overall responsibility and strategic oversight of the whole organisation and is ably supported and well informed by the finance director and a number of other managers. They provide regular information on the performance of the organisation and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. This information is regularly and effectively used to challenge managers to make further improvements in the provision to benefit apprentices and employers and improve the quality of teaching and learning and apprentices’ outcomes.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective Safeguarding arrangements are effective and as a result apprentices feel safe in training salons and at their workplaces. Staff are well informed about issues in relation to health and safety, e-safety and child sexual exploitation and take effective steps to protect apprentices.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

Leaders place a significant emphasis on raising staff’s and apprentices’ awareness of issues related to radicalisation and extremism. All staff have a good awareness of the Prevent duty. The local police service works particularly well with Intuitions to provide effective training, and educators reinforce these topics in lessons well. However, more work is needed to ensure that all apprentices understand how the Prevent duty relates to them and the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. Managers place a high priority on e-safety and provide very effective training to enhance apprentices’ understanding of the need to protect themselves from the dangers of the internet and social networking, whether at work, in the training centre or in their personal lives.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Standards of teaching, learning and assessment are good and enable learners to make at least their expected progress and attain good standards of work. Educators, who are well qualified and experienced with current industry experience, have high expectations of their apprentices, encouraging them to develop their creative hairdressing and beauty skills. Apprentices are enthusiastic and motivated, with most making good progress from their starting points. Consequently, apprentices quickly develop their creative and technical skills in cutting, hair-colouring and beauty-therapy techniques.  The planning of learning activities is good, ensuring that apprentices make good progress both in lessons and in the workplace. Educators plan assessment well, placing particular hairdressing and beauty clients with particular apprentices in order to provide the practice needed. In hairdressing, educators challenge

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

apprentices to work quickly within industry timings, and to progress to more advanced, creative haircuts. Educators use a range of assessments well to ensure apprentices’ understanding before they move on to acquire further skills.  Apprentices work in high-quality salons with committed employers who provide good support, linking off- the-job training with training in the workplace. A significant number of salons have work-based assessors in place who are encouraged and supported by Intuitions to work collaboratively. As a result, apprentices rapidly develop skills for the hairdressing and beauty therapy sector, receive timely assessments and make good progress toward achieving their qualifications. Apprentices gain confidence in the workplace and quickly become valued team members, contributing to their employer’s business early on in their apprenticeship.  Training centres are of a high standard and provide learning environments that inspire apprentices,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

reflecting the commercial standards within the hairdressing and beauty therapy industry. Opportunities for apprentices to extend their learning through additional courses, such as in hair colouring and cutting, are good and improve their employment opportunities.  Apprentices work to high standards, producing work which is highly commercial and beyond the requirements of the qualification. Apprentices are confident and professional in their work and demonstrate this in their customer service skills and client consultations. Standards of behaviour are excellent: apprentices demonstrate good attitudes to learning and a high level of respect for their peers and for staff.  Team leaders carry out observations of their educators and use the results of these to support staff development. Follow-up individual development plans focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning. Team leaders regularly monitor the progress of apprentices to ensure good progress is being

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

made. They set targets for educators relating to the progress of apprentices and success rates. Educators set helpful, short-term learning targets in lessons for apprentices. However, longer term learning targets set at progress reviews are not sufficiently clear and do not focus sufficiently well on what skills learners need to develop or improve next.  Educators provide good support for apprentices, ensuring that the large majority make good progress. Staff have a good understanding of the wider support needs of apprentices and are sensitive to individual circumstances, identifying where more intensive support maybe required. Staff have good links to external agencies to refer apprentices who have more specific support needs.  Educators do not always use opportunities in practical lessons to reinforce English and mathematical skills. Educators do not correct spelling and grammatical errors in apprentices’ written work to enable

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

them to learn from their mistakes and improve; spelling errors exist in a minority of progress reviews completed by educators.  Staff introduce apprentices to the concepts of equality and diversity, the dangers of extremism and radicalisation and the promotion of British values at induction. These themes are reinforced as part of apprentices’ progress reviews, and classrooms have highly visible displays that promote apprentices’ understanding of these themes.  Apprentices receive good careers advice from staff prior to starting on programmes. Taster days and work experience are provided for prospective apprentices prior to starting to help them decide whether to enter the hairdressing and beauty therapy industry. Access to careers advice throughout the programme is good, with staff providing good guidance on how to progress within the industry and information about progression pathways. Apprentices have a clear view of the next steps in their career development. Many

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

apprentices make good career progression within the hairdressing and beauty therapy industry, progressing into positions of responsibility and management at work.

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is good

 Apprentices enjoy their learning programmes. All apprentices gain a wide range of work-related skills and qualifications, and are fully aware of the importance of these skills in their career development. In particular, Intuitions supports a number of young people leaving public care who successfully complete their apprenticeship programmes and gain permanent employment with their employers.  Attendance at training sessions and in the workplace is good. The vast majority of apprentices make good progress towards their qualifications. Well-qualified educators develop apprentices’ skills well at weekly off-the-job learning sessions, and liaise with trained salon assessors, who support learners to make progress and achieve their qualifications in the workplace.  Intuitions staff and its sub-contractors provide good support to assist apprentices’ career progression. The majority of intermediate apprentices progress to advanced-level apprenticeships. They receive industry-

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is good

relevant careers guidance to achieve their personal goals and career aspirations, with many past apprentices becoming salon supervisors, managers and educators at Intuitions.  Apprentices have a good understanding of British values following the constant promotion of these principles in training sessions and progress reviews. They demonstrate their understanding by producing creative posters that are displayed prominently at training salons, and through involvement in focus groups. For example, apprentices understand the importance of democracy in British society by holding elections for a member of the class to represent apprentices’ views at learners’ voice meetings.  Apprentices feel safe at Intuitions and in their workplaces, and are aware of the support they can acquire from well-trained designated safeguarding officers. They are made aware of the risks associated with radicalisation, extremism and e-safety when using the internet and social networking sites; these themes

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is good

are covered well during their induction and throughout their apprenticeships. However, not all apprentices have sufficient understanding of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism.  The majority of intermediate apprentices are developing skills in English and mathematics and taking qualifications at a higher level than that required by their apprenticeships. However, educators do not sufficiently reinforce these skills outside discrete sessions.

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Outcomes for learners are good

 Apprentices complete their programmes of study successfully. They acquire a wide range of occupational and employability skills that assist them in gaining high-quality employment in the hairdressing and beauty therapy sector, precipitating a successful career for many apprentices. Apprentices’ achievement rates in 2013/14 were significantly above low national rates; advanced apprentices’ attainment was outstanding, while intermediate apprentices’ achievement rates were good.  In 2013/14, more than three quarters of all apprentices completed their programme within the planned timeframe. Almost all advanced apprentices achieved their qualifications within the planned timescales, enabling them to acquire rapidly the advanced skills required to contribute successfully to their employers’ businesses. A third of intermediate apprentices did not complete their qualifications within their planned timescale, particularly those in the sub-contracted provision. Although this completion rate is better than

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Outcomes for learners are good

that in similar providers, it indicates that these apprentices could make even more rapid progress.  The vast majority of apprentices enjoy their training both at Intuitions and in the sub-contracted provision. They make good progress in developing high-quality occupational skills within the hairdressing and beauty therapy sector, with the guidance and support of highly experienced and qualified educators using effective short-term targets. However, the lack of specific, longer term learning targets means that apprentices are less clear about their next steps.  The development of apprentices’ English and mathematical skills is good. Almost all apprentices who are required to achieve English qualifications, and the vast majority of apprentices who require mathematics at level 1, achieve their qualifications at the first attempt. Although the large majority of apprentices achieve their mathematics qualifications at level 2, too few succeed on the first attempt and are required

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Outcomes for learners are good

to re-sit examinations.  Staff encourage apprentices to continue to develop their English and mathematical skills to a higher level to meet their personal goals and the needs of their employers. Almost two thirds of current intermediate apprentices are progressing well on English and mathematics qualifications at a higher level than that required by their apprenticeship. However, progress is inhibited as educators do not use all opportunities to correct appropriately spelling, punctuation and grammar errors in apprentices’ work, or highlight mathematical concepts in practical activities to reinforce skills developed in lessons.  The proportion of apprentices progressing to higher level apprenticeships is good and improving year on year. Almost two thirds of all apprentices who complete their intermediate apprenticeship progress to advanced apprenticeships. As a result, almost all apprentices gain permanent and sustainable

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Outcomes for learners are good

employment and achieve the personal goals identified at the start of their programme.  Apprentices take up a wide range of additional training opportunities and achieve trade-specific qualifications to complement and enhance the skills that they acquire on their apprenticeship. Almost two thirds of apprentices take part in national competitions, product training and enrichment seminars. A minority of apprentices gain promotion at work; these individuals progress to study management qualifications.

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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full contract year

Managing director Ms Michelle Oliver Website address http://intuitionsltd.co.uk

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Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 92 38 14 25 0 0 Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total 9 0 9 Number of learners aged 14–16 0

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Intermediate Advanced Higher

Funding received from Skills Funding Agency (SFA)

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Inspection team

Paul Cocker, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Harmesh Manghra Her Majesty’s Inspector Stephen Miller Her Majesty’s Inspector Shabana Mahmood Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

The above team was assisted by the managing director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider. guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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