The London Hairdressing Apprenticeship Academy Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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The London Hairdressing Apprenticeship Academy Limited Independent learning provider

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Overall effectiveness Good Effectiveness of leadership and management Good Adult learning programmes Good

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Apprenticeships Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings

 Most learners and apprentices make swift progress in their vocational studies, develop good technical and customer service skills and achieve their qualifications.  Leaders ensure that learners and apprentices improve their practical skills in high-quality training environments using exceptional resources that enable them to meet the standards required in the hair and beauty therapy industries.  Tutors, assessors and specialist educators effectively use their considerable industry experience to ensure that most learners and apprentices improve their knowledge and skills and make progress in their chosen careers.  Leaders and managers ensure that observations of teaching, learning and assessment are accurate and help staff improve their teaching and assessment practice.  In lessons, most tutors use effective questioning techniques to enable learners and apprentices to grasp relevant theory that underpins their practical skills development.

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Summary of key findings

 Leaders do not ensure that learners and apprentices have sufficient opportunities to improve their English and mathematics skills beyond the minimum requirements of their qualifications.  Too many reviews of apprentices’ progress do not involve employers sufficiently. As a result, some employers are unaware of what knowledge and skills they need to help their apprentices improve.  Too many learners and apprentices do not regularly attend their lessons or arrive on time, particularly on barbering courses and at the Camden Academy. 24–27 July 2018

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Information about the provider

 The London Hairdressing Apprenticeship Academy Limited (LHAA) is an independent learning provider providing adult learning and apprenticeships in hairdressing and beauty therapy across five academy centres located in London, Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex.  LHAA previously operated as a subcontractor for another provider before directly providing adult learning in 2016 and apprenticeships from 2017. At the time of the inspection, there were 375 learners enrolled with LHAA. Of these, 175 learners were studying either an apprenticeship framework programme or the new apprenticeships standards, with the remainder studying adult learning courses.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that staff provide opportunities for learners and apprentices to improve their English and mathematical skills beyond the minimum requirements of their qualifications.  Make sure that reviews of apprentices’ progress involve employers sufficiently so that they are fully aware of what knowledge and skills they need to help their apprentices improve.  Ensure that learners and apprentices attend regularly and on time. 24–27 July 2018

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders set high expectations for learners and apprentices. They manage the performance of staff well. Where staff’s performance does not meet expected standards, leaders provide timely and effective actions to help staff improve.  Leaders and managers ensure that observations of teaching, learning and assessment are accurate in identifying key strengths and weaknesses. The subsequent action planning is purposeful and helps staff improve their teaching and assessment practice.  Leaders provide a broad and appropriate range of continuing professional development for their staff. Induction for new staff prepares them well for their job roles. Staff take up relevant training opportunities to ensure that learners develop up-to-date vocational skills and treatments required by the industry, including training in advanced colour techniques.  Leaders ensure that learners and apprentices improve their practical skills in high-quality

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

training environments, using excellent resources, that enable them to meet the standards required in the hair and beauty therapy industries.  The self-assessment process is appropriately evaluative. Leaders ensure that their self- assessment report is informed by a range of sources, including learners and employers. Leaders effectively monitor the progress of their planned actions to rectify weaknesses and secure improvement. However, some quality-improvement actions have unrealistic timescales required to bring about rapid improvement. Leaders have not sufficiently improved the low attendance and poor punctuality levels of some learners and apprentices.  Staff make good use of the information they receive to monitor the quality of provision. Leaders effectively monitor learners’ progress. They ensure that staff at all levels receive regular reports and are held to account for learners’ progress and achievement across the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

provision.  Effective arrangements are in place to identify and support any learners and apprentices with additional learning needs. Managers have implemented an innovative approach that ensures that all learners and apprentices are assessed to identify potential ‘hidden’ needs. As a result, learners and apprentices who previously have not had successful experiences of education receive good support to develop the skills they need to progress in the hairdressing and beauty therapy sector.  Leaders have established good arrangements for providing learners with appropriate information, advice and guidance. As a consequence, most learners and apprentices have a good understanding about their career options.  Leaders do not ensure that learners and apprentices have sufficient opportunities to improve their English and mathematics skills beyond the minimum expectations of their qualifications.  Leaders have established strong links with employers, awarding bodies and other relevant

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

agencies. They use these links well to improve learners’ experiences. For example, they work well with leading industry organisations to ensure that teaching and resources reflect up-to-date industry practice. However, leaders do not ensure that all employers 24–27 July 2018 are sufficiently involved in the monitoring of learners’ progress.  Leaders ensure that staff develop learners’ understanding of equality and diversity. They make good use of planned events and celebrations to promote this.

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The governance of the provider

 Leaders and senior staff are appropriately self-critical and frequently challenge each other on the organisation’s performance. As a result, leaders rectify areas they identify as requiring improvement.  Leaders have very recently strengthened governance arrangements by establishing an education governance board. The new board includes experienced practitioners from the hairdressing and beauty therapy industry, employers and learners.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Clear processes and procedures for safeguarding are in place, and staff know how to use them. Staff manage safeguarding concerns effectively to full resolution. Inspectors identified that the chronology of recording incidents required refinement, but managers remedied this quickly and accurately during the inspection.  Leaders and managers carry out appropriate checks on staff and ensure that their records are accurate and up to date. They ensure that all staff receive appropriate safeguarding training. Staff ensure that learners have an adequate understanding of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism and how to keep themselves safe and also those they work with.  Staff take prompt and effective action to deal with any issues that arise. For example, inspectors identified that access arrangements in two training centres were not as well controlled as in the other locations. Leaders rectified this immediately by installing secure

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Safeguarding

keypads and improving the monitoring arrangements of access to these buildings.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Tutors have high expectations of their learners and apprentices. They provide helpful verbal feedback in practical lessons to improve the standard of learners’ and apprentices’ technical skills and professional behaviours. Most tutors use questioning skilfully to check and extend learners’ and apprentices’ understanding of the theory that underpins their application of vocational skills. As a result, most learners accurately explain the process and purpose of the treatments they perform.  Tutors effectively use peer and self-assessment in hairdressing and barbering to ensure that learners and apprentices recognise their progress and improve their critical analysis of cutting and styling techniques in order to meet required occupational standards. For example, in a hairdressing lesson, apprentices studying at intermediate level performed a one-length bob and blow dry on practice heads. At the end of the lesson, the whole group

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

gave each other incisive and sensitive feedback on the strengths and areas for 24–27 July 2018 improvement of each finished piece of work.  In lessons, tutors monitor learners’ and apprentices’ progress and take account of their self- evaluation to set them challenging targets to improve their vocational skills. Tutors ensure that learners and apprentices practise the technical skills they need to improve on clients in order to help them achieve their targets and make good progress. For example, learners requiring more experience in applying quasi colouring and styling are allocated clients requiring these services. Tutors assiduously monitor such tasks and provide effective questioning to enable learners and apprentices to consolidate their knowledge and skills.  The majority of tutors take into account learners’ and apprentices’ starting points to provide theory teaching that enables learners and apprentices to augment their learning

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

and make good progress.  Vocational tutors effectively promote with learners the value of English and mathematics skills in the hairdressing and beauty therapy industries. For example, tutors set learners work such as calculating the costs of purchasing barbering equipment, to bolster learners’ numerical skills. However, English and mathematics tutors do not enable learners and apprentices to improve their skills, and too many learners and apprentices fail to make the progress of which they are capable in these essential skills.  Tutors set demanding targets for most learners and apprentices, and effectively use review meetings to challenge them to reflect on the progress they make. As a result, learners and apprentices often take a high level of responsibility for their skills development and make good progress in their vocational studies. However, some apprentices are given generic targets that lack the required challenge to allow them to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

make rapid progress.  Some tutors’ feedback on written work is often too superficial and fails to enable learners and apprentices to understand how to improve their work. Tutors do not do enough to enable apprentices to hone their English writing skills and produce work that is error-free.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 Most learners and apprentices interact confidently with their peers, tutors and assessors. Staff coach them well and, as a result, they understand and display the attitudes they need to be successful in the hairdressing and beauty therapy industries.  Learners and apprentices are proud of their practical skills development and speak with confidence about the treatments they carry out. Most apprentices are enthusiastic about the work they do in their salons because they are given roles and tasks that enable them to develop their skills. They arrive prepared to learn, in professional dress and with the tools and equipment required for practical client work.  The majority of learners and apprentices have a good understanding of British values. They show tolerance and respect when working with people from diverse backgrounds, their peers and tutors.  Staff ensure that learners and apprentices know how to keep themselves safe. Learners

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

know which members of staff to talk with if they have concerns or worries about themselves or their peers.  Staff work effectively with learners and apprentices so that they understand future 24–27 July 2018 training and career opportunities and the variety of jobs available to hairdressers and beauty therapists. They provide a good level of information and guidance to learners and apprentices throughout their courses and programmes.  Standards of behaviour are good. Learners and apprentices receive appropriate steer and advice about their rights and responsibilities as a learner and as an employee. As a consequence, they work cooperatively with each other and with staff in lessons and in the workplace. They willingly share ideas and learning with each other in salons and in their studies.  Learners benefit from an appropriate range of enrichment activities that enhance their personal and social development and encourage them to consider wider opportunities in

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

pursuing their career aspirations in hairdressing and beauty therapy.  Too many learners and apprentices do not regularly attend their lessons or arrive on time. Attendance and punctuality are particularly poor on barbering courses and at the Camden Academy.

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Outcomes for learners Good

 Most learners and apprentices are making good progress in their vocational studies and achieve their qualifications. The majority complete their programmes and courses and progress to study at a higher level or secure employment or become self-employed.  Most learners and apprentices are well prepared for work in salons and achieve the professional occupational knowledge, standards and behaviours required by the hairdressing and beauty therapy industries.  There are no gaps in retention or achievement between the different groups of learners and apprentices. Those with experience of local authority care fare as well as their peers.  Too many apprentices fail to achieve their English and mathematics qualifications at the first attempt, and not enough is done to improve their English and mathematics skills. Too few learners are given the opportunity to study English and mathematics qualifications.

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Adult learning programmes Good

 At the time of inspection, 200 learners were enrolled on adult learning courses. Of these, most study hairdressing and beauty therapy at level 2 with the remainder studying at level 3.  Leaders work effectively with community groups and employers and have significantly increased the volume of adult learners taking up courses on the previous year. A rising proportion of learners are unemployed and referred by Jobcentre Plus. The curriculum offer is well designed to enable learners to build careers and find purposeful employment. However, not enough learners complete qualifications in mathematics and English.  Most tutors in practical lessons skilfully challenge learners to reflect, explain and justify the decisions they make before carrying out treatments. Most learners quickly learn how 24–27 July 2018 to anticipate and overcome any problems they might encounter as the task progresses. Consequently, they develop good skills for employment in the hairdressing and beauty

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Adult learning programmes Good

therapy sector.  Most learners make the progress of which they are capable. They make effective use of an online tracker tool to enable them to plan their learning and achieve their set targets. Most learners use online resources well to consolidate their theoretical understanding of key topics. Learners studying hairdressing courses use social media to share ideas, check important dates and communicate with their peers on course matters.  Not enough tutors challenge learners when they arrive late to lessons. These learners’ poor punctuality impedes the progress of those learners who attend on time.  Some tutors do not take into account learners’ starting points and ensure that their learners work independently in both their practical and theory work. As a result, learners overly rely on tutor support and do not make as much progress as they should.

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Apprenticeships Good

 A total of 149 apprentices study hair professional apprenticeship standards at intermediate level. A further 26 apprentices are enrolled on the advanced apprenticeship framework in hairdressing. The majority of apprentices are aged 16 to 18 years.  Tutors, assessors and specialist educators effectively use their considerable expertise to ensure that most apprentices develop a good understanding of the demands and expectations of the relevant industry and produce good standards of practical work. Employers view these staff as positive role models that enable their apprentices to flourish.  Apprentices develop good technical and customer service skills and appropriate behaviours for the workplace. They understand the importance of these skills and behaviours when working with clients. Intermediate apprentices learn to competently carry out treatments on clients such as foil highlighting, cutting and finishing. Most

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Apprenticeships Good

advanced apprentices become sufficiently self-assured and skilled to successfully carry out complex techniques such as colour correction services and avant-garde styling.  The majority of tutors and assessors ensure that their apprentices grasp relevant theory that underpins their practical skills development.  Staff are adept at identifying apprentices with additional needs and provide frequent interventions, where necessary, to ensure that these apprentices make good progress.  Too many reviews of apprentices’ progress do not involve employers sufficiently. As a result, some employers are not fully aware of what knowledge and skills they need to help their apprentices improve.  Tutors and assessors do not provide enough opportunities for apprentices to develop their written English skills. Tutors provide too little feedback on apprentices’ written work and, as a result, apprentices do not understand how to improve their work and continue to

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Apprenticeships Good

make errors in the structure of their writing and in their use of spelling and punctuation.  Some staff do not ensure that apprentices are set demanding targets that challenge them to excel. Too often, these staff set general targets that do not take into account 24–27 July 2018 apprentices’ prior learning and progress. As a consequence, some apprentices fail to make rapid progress. 24–27 July 2018

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year -

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships) 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

- - - 124 - 76 - - Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age Intermediate Advanced Higher

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 111 38 9 17 - - Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total - - - Number of learners aged 14 to -

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Number of learners for which the provider receives high- needs funding -

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors: None 24–27 July 2018

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director of audit, quality and compliance, 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.

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Inspection team

Ruth Harrison, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Wood Ofsted Inspector 24–27 July 2018 guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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 .

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

Employer View Employer View is a 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. To find out more go to www.employerview.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

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Inspection team

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