Huddersfield Textile Training Limited

FE&S report Huddersfield Textile Training Limited Not-for-profit organisation

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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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 Good

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This is a good provider

 Leaders and managers are highly ambitious for the success of all learners and are committed to providing high-quality training and assessment.  Thorough self-assessment processes support continuous improvement effectively.  Performance management arrangements are highly effective and ensure that all staff and subcontractors continue to improve their work.  Almost all learners make good progress, improve their skills, increase their self-confidence and achieve their qualifications.  Assessors use their good skills and experience very effectively to motivate learners and support their good progress.  A good proportion of learners progress to higher courses, take on increased responsibility and gain promotion at work.  Staff use good learning resources very effectively to support the development of learners’ skills in textile research, design and manufacture.  The vast majority of employers work very effectively with the provider’s staff and are

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This is a good provider

thoroughly involved in planning learning and reviewing the progress of learners.  Learners receive good information and careers guidance which prepare them well for their next steps after they complete their training.

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This is a good provider

 Staff do not do enough to ensure that all learners improve their mathematics and English skills.  Learning targets are insufficiently challenging to ensure that all learners reach their full potential.

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Information about the provider

 Huddersfield Textile Training Limited (HTTL) is a not-for-profit organisation. It was founded in 1976 as a group training association serving the textile industries in the north of England. HTTL delivers work-based teaching, learning and assessment services to its membership of 100 textile companies. HTTL has a very well-resourced training centre that has advanced technical equipment which is used for research and development within the textile sector.  HTTL provides training for learners through intermediate and advanced apprenticeships. Around 30 learners enrol on apprenticeship programmes with HTTL each year. Learners follow apprenticeships in textiles, business administration and engineering, which are key focus areas for the Skills Funding Agency. Learners come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is consistently good across the whole provision by: making sure that all staff provide learners with sufficiently challenging individual learning targets, which not only focus on achievement but are aimed specifically at helping learners to improve their wider knowledge, skills and understanding providing all learners with effective support and encouragement to improve their skills, confidence and achievement in English and mathematics.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders and managers are highly ambitious for the success of all learners. They have a very good understanding of the textile industry and have successfully established a strong reputation in the UK and overseas for their research and development interests.  Senior leaders ensure that the courses they offer meet the training and development needs of the textile workforce very well. The management board, which is made up directly of employers, provides strong and effective governance.  Leaders and managers have a very good awareness of the strengths of the organisation and are swift in their actions to ensure that it continues to improve. For example, they have successfully reversed a declining trend in the proportion of learners who leave before completing their apprenticeships. A higher number of apprentices now gain their qualifications within the expected time. All current apprentices are making good progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Senior leaders ensure that their management of staff performance is effective, and that it has a positive impact on learners’ progress and achievement. Managers ensure that staff receive good and effective training and development that link well to key areas for improvement. For example, all assessors have received individual coaching that has increased their confidence in helping learners to improve their skills in English and mathematics.  Managers have implemented an effective strategy for improving teaching, learning and assessment, which has improved learners’ progress and achievement. Leaders have successfully restructured the management and staff team, appointed a new manager and reinforced a strong culture focused on excellence and the prioritisation of learners’ progress and achievement. This ensures that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment remains consistently high.  Leaders and managers have used rigorous self-assessment effectively to identify ways to improve the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

provision. The self-assessment process successfully includes the views of staff, learners and employers, which leads to accurate judgements on performance and standards. The self-assessment report links very well with the improvement strategy and provides effective quality assurance arrangements for the whole provision, including subcontractors.  Senior leaders and board members understand the regional, national and international textile manufacturing labour market very well. They use this information very effectively to provide learners with valuable routes into apprenticeships, employment and further education. HTTL has a strong focus on working with local businesses and ensures that the provision is matched well to skills shortages, such as the need for dyers, colourists and forklift-truck operators.  Managers successfully promote the fair treatment of everyone and ensure that the rights, beliefs and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

lifestyles of all individuals and diverse groups are respected. Senior leaders and managers ensure that all staff promote inclusion, tolerance and understanding well. Learners and staff demonstrate respect for each other.  Managers have thorough arrangements for monitoring the effectiveness of the subcontractors. They monitor closely the performance of each subcontractor and ensure that any concerns are remedied quickly.  Managers’ strategies for ensuring that all learners succeed are not yet fully effective because assessors do not ensure that all learners receive appropriate individual targets which extend their skills and achievements. Managers have a clear ambition to achieve high-quality support and provision. However, staff do not challenge a few learners sufficiently to extend their existing skills, including in English and mathematics.  The governance of the provider The board sets high expectations, provides strong governance and has a clear vision for improvement,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

which successfully ensures that quality and standards remain high. The board takes decisive action whenever change or improvement are required. The board receives detailed monthly operational reports outlining HTTL’s performance and learners’ outcomes. it makes good use of data to hold managers and staff to account, and to make informed decisions.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective HTTL meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding. Comprehensive policies and procedures are effective and ensure that all learners remain safe. All staff have appropriate checks and records of training are well maintained. Managers and staff have completed appropriate safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty training, and have a good understanding of how to safeguard all learners. Learners feel safe and know whom they should contact if they have any concerns. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe on the internet.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 All staff are highly motivated and enthusiastic. They have good industry experience and qualifications which they use effectively to ensure that all learners are successful. HTTL has good resources for off-the- job training which staff use effectively, including a fully equipped colouring laboratory and a technical workshop with industrial-scale machines, such as looms for the production of cloth.  Assessors work effectively with employers to provide good standards of teaching, coaching and assessment, and this ensures that learners quickly develop good technical knowledge and work skills. Assessors ensure that all learners make good progress from their individual starting points and are prepared well to carry out their work roles effectively and efficiently. All level 3 apprentices attend effective off-the-job training in group sessions at the training centre. Staff provide level 2 apprentices

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

with good individual sessions on employers’ premises in a suitable place away from work areas.  Assessors provide very effective support for learners in the workplace. Assessors visit learners in the workplace regularly and frequently, providing good help and guidance through well-structured coaching and assessment activities. HTTL staff are highly regarded by learners and employers for their knowledge and experience, and for their ability to pass these on to learners during the training processes.  Staff ensure that all learners have a good understanding of equality of opportunity by frequently discussing topics such as poverty, politics and migration. Staff successfully encourage learners to respect each other and to be curious and interested in understanding the breadth of different faiths, cultures and points of view.  Assessors ensure that all learners understand the importance of observing safe ways of working. Learners

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

say they feel safe at work and at the training centre. During workplace visits, assessors check that learners are happy and settled, and that learners know what to do if they are bullied or treated unfairly. Assessors promote British values adequately in their discussions with learners, and have a good understanding of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism.  Assessors ensure that their assessment practice is fair, regular and very thorough. Internal quality systems provide rigorous checks on assessors’ work and assessment decisions to verify the qualification awards, often beyond the requirements of the awarding organisation. Assessors provide learners with good feedback on what they need to do to improve.  Staff provide effective initial assessment of learners’ needs and abilities and identify whether any additional support is required to help learners complete their training programmes. Where support is

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

provided it is effective and ensures that learners are successful.  Assessors review learners’ progress frequently and effectively. Progress reviews are well organised and usually involve employers in planning and reviewing learners’ targets and achievement thoroughly. This ensures that learners understand how well they are doing and helps them to keep track of their progress. However, a few learners do not have sufficiently challenging individual learning targets, and staff do not always do enough to ensure that learners develop their understanding well enough.  Assessors generally develop learners’ mathematics and English skills effectively, especially during technical certificate training sessions. However, assessors do not do enough to ensure that learners who already have the minimum mathematics and English qualifications achieve higher-level qualifications, which will help them advance their careers and further training.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare is good

 Learners develop a good range of skills as a result of supportive workplaces and also working alongside experienced professionals. For example, learners confidently achieve complex colour matching of fabrics to meet customers’ orders and skilfully photograph cloth for fashion design posters.  Learners develop good information technology skills as a result of working with computer-based equipment, such as colour matching technology in dye laboratories and materials destruction testing.  Learners develop high levels of confidence in their abilities and are able to make good contributions to employers’ businesses, such as taking on additional responsibilities in the workplace, completing more complex tasks and working to high standards with a minimum of supervision. Learners have high standards of behaviour in the workplace, particularly level 3 learners who work very effectively with only a minimum of direction.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare is good

 Learners have a good understanding of their rights and responsibilities. They work effectively with employers, other work colleagues and their assessors. Learners’ attendance rates at work are high and they are punctual.  Learners feel safe and understand how to report issues or potential concerns. Employers place high priority on maintaining high standards of health and safety in potentially hazardous working environments. Learners have an adequate understanding of British values and the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.  Most learners receive a good level of challenge which ensures that they make good progress. However, in a few cases, staff do not encourage learners well enough to do their best and achieve more. For example, a few level 3 portfolios are not structured well enough because assessors have not asked learners to organise their evidence effectively and learners’ written answers to questions lack sufficient detail to

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare is good

demonstrate full understanding.  The majority of learners develop good mathematics and English skills, which they use well in their work roles. However, learners do not always receive sufficient encouragement to improve their existing qualification grades, or to continue to develop weaker areas based on initial and ongoing assessment.

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Outcomes for learners are good

 Learners on all programmes achieve well and develop good vocational skills. Learners on textile, engineering and business administration courses make exceptionally good progress and their rates of achievement are high. When achievement rates decline, as they did following the last inspection, managers respond effectively to ensure that changes are made to restore the high levels of achievement across the provision.  Employers value the good quality of learners’ vocational skills, recognise their good work and welcome learners’ increased contribution in the workplace. Marketing apprentices produce high-quality graphic art and designs for product information and sales brochures.  Learners are proud of their achievements, enjoy learning and produce work of a good standard. A good proportion of learners move on to higher levels of study, gain promotion and take on increased responsibility within their job roles.

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Outcomes for learners are good

 Almost all learners gain additional qualifications in health and safety, which improves their job prospects and is valued by employers. There are no differences in the rates of progress made by current learners because the success of all groups of learners is monitored closely and gaps in achievement are addressed quickly and effectively.

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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full contract year

Principal/CEO William Macbeth OBE Website address www.textilehouse.co.uk

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Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 17 4 14 9 N/A N/A Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total N/A N/A N/A Number of learners aged 14-16 N/A

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Intermediate Advanced Higher

Funding received from Skills Funding Agency (SFA)

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main subcontractors:

 CMS Vocational Training  Developing Performance Partnership Ltd

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Inspection team

Daniel Grant, Lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Stephen Masterson Ofsted Inspector John Grimmer Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

The above team was assisted by the quality manager, 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

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, further education and skills, adult and 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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

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

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Inspection team

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.

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Inspection team

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

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