Michael John Training Manchester

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Lesley McCormack Michaeljohn Training Manchester Atlantic House 77 Oldham Street Manchester M4 1LW

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Short inspection of Michaeljohn Training Manchester

Following the short inspection on 14 September 2016 and 15 September 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The inspection was the first short inspection carried out since the provider was judged to be good in September 2011.

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Short inspection of Michaeljohn Training Manchester

You and your management team set high expectations for your apprentices, learners and staff. Your staff share your ambitious strategy to provide high-quality provision, which meets local needs and is responsive to national priorities. Leaders have created a culture of respect and tolerance with a strong focus on inclusive learning. Michaeljohn Training makes a significant contribution to providing good- quality hairdressing training for apprentices throughout the Greater Manchester area.

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Short inspection of Michaeljohn Training Manchester

You and your management team have maintained the good quality of education and training since the previous inspection. Senior managers monitor and evaluate the quality of provision well with a strong focus on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, linked to good staff development. Consequently, a high proportion of your apprentices and learners achieve their qualifications. You and your management team have been successful at improving most of the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Michaeljohn Training Manchester

You have implemented the introduction of traineeships particularly effectively. Traineeships provide learners with purposeful work experience, which links to their longer-term employment aspirations. Your staff are particularly skilled at helping learners develop their personal skills to progress successfully to an apprenticeship or employment. You place learners with employers who support them well.

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Short inspection of Michaeljohn Training Manchester

At the last inspection, partnership links were strong; you have further developed these links locally, regionally and nationally. Through your national links, you are contributing to the future development of education and training within both the hairdressing industry and further education. Your partnership links with employers locally and regionally are enabling you to develop your training to meet the skills that they require and are improving the employment prospects for your apprentices and learners.

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Short inspection of Michaeljohn Training Manchester

A high proportion of apprentices complete their programmes successfully within the planned time. Your data indicates that overall apprenticeship achievement rates during 2015/16 have declined slightly from 2014/15; nonetheless, they remain higher than the rates nationally. However, intermediate apprentices aged 16 to 18 do not achieve as well as other groups of apprentices; their achievement rates are around the national rate. You and your management team have been successful in ensuring that a high proportion of learners on a traineeship are successful at progressing into apprenticeships or employment.

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Short inspection of Michaeljohn Training Manchester

Senior managers have ensured that their arrangements to safeguard all learners, especially the most vulnerable, are robust and effective. All staff have received enhanced checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service and managers record these in an up-to-date single central register. Managers have established extremely good links with a broad range of external organisations, such as those dealing with mental health issues, drugs and alcohol misuse and homelessness, and tutors make appropriate referrals when the need arises. Assessors have a very good knowledge of safeguarding procedures. Staff training is very good and staff are qualified at the appropriate levels. Learners have a good understanding of safeguarding and know to whom they should report safeguarding issues if they arise. Staff and learners receive training on the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. However, senior managers are aware that further work is required to strengthen learners’ and

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Short inspection of Michaeljohn Training Manchester

employers’ broader knowledge and understanding of extremism and radicalisation.

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Inspection findings

 The senior management team is highly enthusiastic, energetic and very professional. Senior managers have an excellent knowledge and understanding of local and national priorities and they have been particularly proactive in influencing the design and development of new hairdressing apprenticeships. Senior managers and staff work closely with local and regional employers, partners and learners to ensure that learning programmes are flexible and tailored to meet employers’ business priorities and learners’ expectations.

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Inspection findings

 New, improved quality assurance and quality improvement systems are in place; these are effective at identifying areas for improvement and monitoring the effectiveness of actions put in place to rectify identified issues. Senior managers have strengthened the observation of practical hairdressing and theory lessons. The process includes observing all the key aspects of the learners’ journey including induction, teaching, learning, assessment and progress reviews. Observers identify in detail the strengths and areas for improvement and these form the basis of detailed action plans for tutors. However, observers do not focus sufficiently on the impact of teaching on learners’ progress. Staff training is good and is linked to areas identified for development. Managers and tutors identify good practice and share it regularly and very effectively with colleagues.

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Inspection findings

 Senior managers and tutors make good use of data on apprentices’ progress to manage, monitor and improve the progress that apprentices make. Targets set for staff for apprentices’ progress have been raised since the last inspection, resulting in more apprentices completing their qualification on time. Senior managers monitor staff performance very closely and underperformance is rapidly identified and acted upon. Very good use is made by senior managers of data during the inclusive and thorough self-assessment process. The process uses a wide range of evidence, including feedback from learners, employers and partners. The resulting action plan has realistic objectives, which are monitored regularly to measure progress.

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Inspection findings

 Senior managers effectively monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the apprenticeship programmes. For example, senior managers contact apprentices after they have completed their programme to assess the extent to which they were prepared for working and progressing in the hairdressing industry; this information is then used effectively to inform the evaluation of apprenticeship programmes.

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Inspection findings

 All aspects of the traineeship programme have been successfully implemented. Learners benefit significantly from purposeful, well-organised work experience which links to their longer-term job aspirations. Tutors plan lessons well and use a variety of activities and resources that are particularly good at helping learners develop their personal and employability skills in preparation for progression into apprenticeships or employment. Consequently, the majority of learners progress into apprenticeships or employment. Learners improve their confidence and self- esteem and talk confidently about their work. Learners develop good hairdressing and customer service skills which improve their employment prospects.

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Inspection findings

 Tutors use their good commercial experience well to develop their apprentices’ hairdressing skills to a high standard. A high level of individual support provided by tutors results in learners and apprentices making good progress in developing their hairdressing skills. Tutors effectively help apprentices improve their skills in English and mathematics, linking this to practical applications within their hairdressing work. Consequently, the majority of apprentices successfully pass their functional skills test on the first attempt.

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Inspection findings

 Progress reviews for apprentices are good. Tutors provide clear and helpful feedback so that learners and apprentices know what they need to do to improve. Tutors negotiate appropriate aspirational targets with their apprentices. In consultation with employers, tutors ensure that workplace activities are available for apprentices to develop the right personal and hairdressing skills to achieve their targets. Consequently, apprentices make good progress.

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Next steps for the provider

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  the reasons why intermediate apprentices aged 16 to 18 do not achieve as well as other apprentices continue to be explored and monitored and they fully evaluate the existing strategies to ensure achievement rates improve  staff who observe training sessions and lessons, as part of your quality improvement process, focus on identifying aspects of training and teaching that require improvement to ensure all learners make rapid progress  staff development is focused on improving teaching and training practices to ensure improvements to the achievement rates of 16- to 18-year-old intermediate apprentices  senior managers and tutors ensure that learners, apprentices and employers develop a better understanding of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.

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Next steps for the provider

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

During the short inspection, we were assisted by you, the managing director who acted as the nominee. We met you, directors, your management team, tutors, employers, partners, apprentices and learners. We observed teaching, learning and assessment both at your training school and at employers’ premises. We discussed with apprentices and learners their views on their experience at Michaeljohn Training, reviewed the quality of their work, learners’ progress and the skills they had mastered. We reviewed key documents, including those relating to self- assessment, performance management and safeguarding. We considered the views of apprentices and learners by reviewing the comments received on Ofsted’s online questionnaires.

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