Any Driver Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Any Driver Limited Independent Learning Provider

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement Adult learning programmes Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings

This is a provider that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings

 Any Driver’s management team does not thoroughly evaluate the quality and standards of its training programmes. The team does not know well enough what is working well and what further improvements can be made.  The management team’s governance arrangements are ineffective.  The management team does not require its skilled assessor teams to develop learners’ skills beyond the minimum standards their qualifications require. As a result, too few learners achieve the high professional standards of which they are capable, including improving their English and mathematics skills.  The management team does not ensure that assessors continuously develop their teaching, learning and assessment skills.  The management team and assessors do not review in sufficient depth how well learners are learning or making progress compared to their starting points. Consequently, they cannot gauge whether learners are achieving their full

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Summary of key findings

potential.  The management team has not ensured that learners’ understanding of safeguarding, equality and diversity develops well enough during their programme.

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Summary of key findings

The provider has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings

 A very high proportion of all learners complete their programmes to the minimum standards required and achieve their qualifications in the time expected.  Learners gain the specialist technical skills, behaviours and attitudes which are the basis of their future career development.  Learners enjoy their learning. They are keen to achieve their qualifications and improve their chances of gaining employment.  Assessors are professionally very experienced and use this expertise well to provide learners with a good understanding of their career options and further skills development.  Assessors provide effective support which helps learners overcome personal or professional issues and complete their programmes.

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Information about the provider

 Any Driver Ltd is based in Abercynon, near Pontypridd in Wales and was established in 2007 by its sole director. All learners on its programmes are adults based in England who fund their studies using advanced learner loans.  The management team comprises the company director and a director of training. Until February 2018, the company offered a single level 3 programme in customer service. In March 2018, this was replaced with two level 3 certificate-level freight transportation and customer service programmes which learners follow concurrently. On completion, these learners are encouraged to gain large or heavy goods vehicle licences offered at no additional cost. Training for these licences is not in scope for inspection. In April 2018, the company began offering level 3 and level 4 certificate- and diploma-level beauty therapy programmes, principally in massage therapy, nail technology and make-up artistry. The

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Information about the provider

training programmes are provided by training partners located in the north and south west regions of England.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 The management team should develop and implement appropriate governance arrangements to provide them with effective third-party oversight, challenge and support.  The management team should implement rigorous arrangements for quality improvement for all aspects of the provision which include: – systematic performance monitoring and management – evaluative systems which identify what is working well and what can be further improved leading to effective, specific and timebound quality improvement action planning – routine, direct contact with learners on programmes to gauge their progress and views on the quality of provision, and – an effective programme of lesson observations which promotes and supports assessors’ continuous improvement in teaching, learning and assessment.  Ensure that assessors challenge and support each learner to achieve to the best of their ability and make good progress.  Ensure that learners’ understanding of safeguarding, equality and diversity is developed

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

further after induction with particular focus on how these aspects relate to the learners’ work environments.  Ensure that all learners develop their English and mathematics skills further during training.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Any Driver’s management team does not quality assure the provision thoroughly and does not know well enough what is working well and what can be improved. Any Driver’s training partners focus on adhering to the regulated standards for their industry sectors, and do not have systematic quality improvement arrangements of their own in place.  The management team’s self-assessment arrangements are ineffective because they are not evaluative or used as the basis for systematic quality improvement. The most recent self-assessment report is concise but relies too much on describing what managers and assessors do rather than how well they do it and the impact on learners. Managers do not involve assessors working for their training partners, or learners, in the self-assessment and quality improvement process.  A member of the management team has begun to observe the quality of teaching, training, learning and assessment on its programmes but too few observations have so

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

far taken place. The observations focus too much on what happens during a session and too little on the impact of teaching on learning. Although the manager identifies aspects for improvement these are not being followed up systematically to determine if improvement has taken place. A member of the management team holds twice-yearly meetings to ensure that assessors’ practice is consistent, but these meetings are not used to evaluate how well learners make progress.  The management team does not routinely canvass the views of learners in training to gather their views on what is working well and what is not. The team makes no contact with learners during training, nor does it directly monitor the progress learners are making. However, learners complete a brief end-of-course survey which provides some useful feedback on the quality of learners’ experience. However, managers do not analyse this feedback well enough to identify positive or negative trends.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Assessors in the training schools and the management team measure learners’ existing English and mathematics skills accurately and use this basic information to ensure that learners are placed on the right level of programme. However, the management team and assessors do not assess learners’ broader starting points including educational experience or prior professional knowledge. This means they cannot plan learning to meet each learner’s needs fully so they can achieve their full potential.  The management team is in very regular telephone contact with training partner staff to discuss operational matters. The team has a very good understanding of what is happening on each of its programmes on a day-to-day basis. This enables them to deal swiftly and effectively with any problems which arise. The management team acts promptly when assessors notify them about learners who are struggling to complete their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

qualifications and provides such learners with appropriate support and guidance. A very high proportion of learners complete their programmes within the expected timescales.  The management and training teams have a very good understanding of the transportation, customer service and beauty therapy sectors. The teams are strongly committed to providing effective vocational training to help learners gain meaningful and sustained employment in these sectors. The programmes offered meet individuals’ needs and are relevant to regional and national employment opportunities.

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The governance of the provider

 Governance arrangements are ineffective. The management team has not established an effective means of external or peer evaluation to provide support, oversight or challenge for the provision. The team relies too heavily on its own, operationally-focused judgements about what is working well and what should be improved.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Learners feel and are safe. Learners on beauty therapy programmes learn and demonstrate safe working practices which protect them and their clients from harm. Freight and customer service learners have a very good theoretical and practical understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe in and out of the workplace.  Any Driver’s designated safeguarding lead (DSL) has completed appropriate training including safer recruitment practice and has a good practical understanding of the role. The DSL and company director dealt decisively and appropriately with a safeguarding concern identified at a training partner earlier this year. Appropriate arrangements are in place for the safe recruitment of assessor and training staff.  The DSL is arranging further specialist training to develop productive working relationships with safeguarding agencies in the main regions where learners are trained.

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Safeguarding

All freight and customer service assessors have completed training in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Their Disclosure and Barring Service checks are renewed regularly in line with the transportation industry’s requirements. All beauty therapy assessors are regulated and have completed relevant safeguarding training. Assessors provide learners with a comprehensive induction which includes an introduction to safeguarding, fundamental British values and the ‘Prevent’ duty. However, assessors do not routinely explore and develop these aspects beyond induction so that learners understand how they relate to their work environments.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Assessors ensure that learners develop the fundamental skills, behaviours and attitudes which are the basis of their career development. Learners enjoy their learning, recognise and value their skills development and understand well how their learning can lead to future employment. Assessors plan training flexibly, taking account of learners’ personal circumstances and work commitments. As a result, the great majority of learners complete their programmes in the planned timescales.  Any Driver’s training partners provide learners with professional standard, realistic working and training environments.  Most learners on beauty therapy programmes develop specialist skills in aspects including facial and body electrical treatments, body massage, eyelash extensions, nail techniques and make-up services. Most beauty therapist learners understand the reasons for carrying out thorough consultations. Freight transportation learners learn how to manage logistical

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

operations and solve problems, prepare vehicles for driving and plan routes and timings for the collection and delivery of goods. On the customer service programme, learners develop an insight into online customer relationship management systems, better understand the importance of client care and how to manage sensitive data confidentially.  Assessors are professionally very experienced in their respective sectors. Assessors use their knowledge well to teach to industry standards and provide learners with useful careers advice. Assessors motivate learners to complete the tasks in their programme diligently. A minority of learners have had poor experiences of education in the past and gain a huge sense of achievement in completing a qualification, often for the first time.  Assessors plan practical learning sessions thoroughly. They use a wide range of interesting tasks well to develop learners’ theoretical and practical skills. Individual

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

coaching in beauty therapy is particularly effective.  Assessors assess learners’ progress during practical sessions well. They monitor learners’ progress closely in sessions and provide oral guidance which helps improve their skills. Learners act swiftly on the useful verbal feedback they receive from their assessors. However, their assessment of learners’ written work is not always thorough or timely enough. As a result, learners do not always know how they are progressing and what they need to do to improve.  Assessors provide learners with effective support, which learners value because they help them stay on their programmes. Assessors are friendly and accessible, readily accommodating learners’ personal issues. Learners contact assessors in between sessions and receive prompt responses. Assessors identify learners with additional learning needs at the start of their programme; appropriate support strategies are discussed and agreed

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

with the learner.  The great majority of learners develop their knowledge of the key technical terms and number skills required for their qualification. However, assessors do not challenge learners well enough, including those who are more able and professionally qualified, to develop higher-level English and mathematics skills.  Managers and assessors do not pay enough attention to identifying each learner’s prior educational attainment or professional experience. As a result, most learners work at the same pace, complete the same learning tasks and achieve at the same level, whatever their potential. Too many assessors place too much focus solely on learners’ completion of qualification units and too little on ensuring that all learners complete and achieve to the best of their ability.  Assessors introduce learners well to the range of Any Driver’s equality and diversity policies during their induction. However, they do not subsequently reinforce or explore

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

these aspects with learners. Consequently, too many learners have little understanding of equality and diversity in the context of their work environments.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 Learners improve their personal and employability skills well in order to be successful in work. Most learners’ self-esteem and confidence improve in the course of their programmes. They develop a better understanding of how to work productively with others. Learners learn how to use their initiative, manage their time and improve their communication with customers.  Learners take pride in their work. They are keen to complete their programmes and achieve their qualifications. Learners are well motivated. Most plan to progress to employment or further learning programmes. Learners are punctual at training sessions and attend regularly throughout the duration of their programmes. Learners arrive professionally presented and demonstrate the appropriate ways of behaving required for their sectors.  Assessors give learners useful impartial advice and guidance which help them make the right choices about their careers and what they need to do to be successful. Learners join

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

the learning programme that best meets their individual career aspirations. The vast majority of beauty therapy learners have a very clear focus on their next steps and how they will achieve their chosen job role. Once freight learners have completed their theory qualifications most plan to gain their large goods vehicle or heavy goods vehicle licence. They have a clear understanding of the potential work opportunities available to them.  Learners feel safe and are safe during training. They have a comprehensive knowledge of health and safety in the workplace and know how to deal with any risks and hazards that occur. Beauty therapy learners carry out risk assessments confidently in the training salons. Freight learners have a sound knowledge of how to control hazardous substances, safe driving techniques and loading regulations.  Learners are from diverse backgrounds and work cooperatively together during training,

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

demonstrating strong respect and tolerance for each other. In one training salon, learners gain a good understanding of the psychological and physiological needs of transgender clients. Their training has included a presentation by a serving police officer who has completed gender reassignment.  Learners do not all have access to work experience and what is available is too often brief. However, learners who do access work experience gain basic insights into what it is like to apply their theoretical skills in a workplace environment. For example, freight learners learn how to book clients’ driving lessons and manage driving instructors’ diaries. Most beauty therapist learners carry out treatments on live models in professional salons.  Learners learn the technical language used in their specific industry, although learners do not always understand these terms in sufficient depth. Most learners do not develop their

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

existing English and mathematics skills further during their learning.  Learners undertake a comprehensive induction at the start of their programmes. This introduces them to safeguarding, the ‘Prevent’ duty, fundamental British values and equality and diversity. However, assessors do not build on this induction subsequently to ensure that learners’ awareness of all these aspects is enhanced and prepares them well for the world of work. Most learners are aware of risks and threats in the world from their life experience, but not well enough aware of safeguarding in the workplace or personally. For example, assessors encourage learners to use social media to market their services but do not ensure that learners know how to keep themselves safe online.

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

 Although a very high proportion of all learners complete their qualifications, too many learners are not achieving their full potential or making the progress they should be. This includes learners who are more able and professionally qualified. All learners are being trained to complete the qualification to the minimum standard even when they are more than capable of achieving a higher level of skills. The great majority of learners do not further improve their English and mathematics skills during their programmes.  A very small minority of learners on the level 4 beauty therapy programme involving microblades have not had prior experience in the beauty therapy industry and on completion of their programme are not experienced enough to work unsupervised on clients, even though this is their career plan.  The management team and assessors do not currently and routinely track learners’ destinations to further education, training or employment. However, anecdotal evidence

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Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

which cannot be confirmed indicates that many beauty therapy learners are becoming self-employed, either on their own account or working in salons.  Since March 2018, seven freight transportation and customer service learners have completed their programmes and subsequently gained their class 2 large goods vehicle driving licences. However, it is too early to be certain how many freight and customer service learners are subsequently gaining driving licences or sustained employment in the transport sector.

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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 Principal/CEO Neil Evans, Managing Director

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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

Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age Intermediate Advanced Higher

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Number of learners for which the provider receives high- needs funding None

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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

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director of training, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and performance assessment. 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 and assessments. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

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Inspection team

Nick Crombie, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Christine Blowman Ofsted Inspector 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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