The Academy Hub Ltd

The Academy Hub Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Victor Reid, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Bank Gallery High Street Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 1LY Monitoring visit: The Academy Hub Limited, 30–31 May 2019

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Context and focus of visit

From October 2018, Ofsted undertook to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision which began to be funded from April 2017 or after by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and/or the apprenticeship levy. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’, especially the sections entitled ‘Providers newly directly funded to deliver apprenticeship training provision’ and ‘Monitoring visits’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

The Academy Hub Limited was established in 2014, offering a range of commercial training and consultancy services to the sales and recruitment sectors. In March 2017, the company was admitted to the register of apprenticeship training providers. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 57 apprentices funded through the levy across a wide geographical area. All apprentices are aged 19 and over. The vast majority are on standards-based apprenticeships at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5 in a range of vocational pathways. These include recruitment, customer service, team leading, and operational management. Five apprentices are studying towards a level 3 apprenticeship framework in sales.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have not fully understood the requirements of an apprenticeship programme, nor do they understand how to implement and deliver apprenticeship courses successfully. A significant minority of apprentices do not receive their minimum entitlement to off-the-job training. Employers routinely require their apprentices to undertake structured learning in their own time. Levy-funded programmes do not meet the principles of an apprenticeship.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that apprentices benefit from adequate standards in teaching, learning and assessment. The arrangements for evaluating the quality of teaching, learning and assessment are ineffective. Managers do not routinely observe sessions and are therefore unaware that most apprentices’ experience of learning is of poor quality and fails to meet their needs. A significant majority of apprentices make slow progress and are highly unlikely to achieve their qualifications within planned timescales. Monitoring visit: The Academy Hub Limited, 30–31 May 2019 The management of staff performance is weak. Although most trainers are appropriately experienced for the course on which they teach, managers do not monitor their performance closely enough. Leaders do not set improvement targets or provide suitable professional development for trainers to help them raise the standard of their teaching to meet the needs of apprentices.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders’ analysis and use of management information to monitor the operational performance of the apprentices’ programme are poor. The data reports managers present to leaders are often contradictory or inaccurate. Leaders therefore lack timely and accurate data on all aspects of apprentices’ programmes. This hinders their efforts to identify issues and take effective action to make improvements.

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Insufficient progress

Quality assurance arrangements are incomplete and insufficiently robust. Leaders and managers have not taken effective or swift action to improve the provision. They have not appropriately investigated or swiftly tackled the key causes of unacceptably high non-completion rates for apprentices. Leaders have not targeted sufficiently their quality improvement plans on those areas where improvements are most needed. Leaders do not routinely update the improvement plan and are unable to demonstrate the impact of any actions that they have taken.

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Insufficient progress

The self-assessment report is neither analytical nor self-critical in its approach to evaluating the provision. Leaders have an inaccurate picture of the progress that apprentices make. This stops them judging how well the organisation is performing. Most judgements in the self-assessment report are over-generous and do not reflect the poor-quality learning experienced by many apprentices. The report does not identify most of the weaknesses found by inspectors.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and senior managers define the strategic aims of the organisation effectively and link these well to regional and national skills priorities.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers give insufficient consideration to apprentices’ prior knowledge, experience and existing qualifications during the recruitment process. As a result, the large majority of apprentices do not develop substantial new skills or acquire new knowledge during their course.

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Insufficient progress

Initial advice and guidance for most apprentices are poor. Consequently, learners find that their programmes are either too challenging or not challenging enough. For example, some apprentices with relevant degrees are placed on level 2 apprenticeships, and others who have already achieved lower-level qualifications do not have this taken into account as they move into higher-level apprenticeships. Monitoring visit: The Academy Hub Limited, 30–31 May 2019 Most apprentices are not making the progress required to achieve in line with their planned course completion date. Many apprentices are well behind where they should be for the length of time they have been on their programme. In some cases, this is due to a high turnover of training staff and long periods without any structured training taking place. Few employers are routinely involved in planning their apprentices’ training.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have been too slow to implement the English and mathematics requirements of the apprenticeship programme. Though almost all apprentices have completed initial assessments in these key subjects, they have not benefited from regular opportunities to develop or extend their skills. Apprentices who are required to undertake functional skills qualifications do not receive sufficient, timely support to enable them to gain these essential skills.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders’ internal tracking of apprentices’ progress is insufficiently evaluative or accurate. As a result, managers are unaware of the significant number of apprentices who require additional interventions and support to enable them to catch up. Most apprentices are not sufficiently prepared for endpoint assessment. The large majority of apprentices do not have a secure or well-developed understanding of the requirements to achieve high grades in their assessed work.

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Insufficient progress

Trainers do not routinely provide apprentices with sharply focused and detailed feedback regarding the development of their vocational skills, knowledge and behaviours throughout their programme. Most apprentices are set task-based targets that do not support them to make good progress.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices benefit from the support that the newly appointed trainers are offering them, and their most recent experience on the programme has significantly improved. Apprentices demonstrate a secure understanding of equality and diversity and British values. They successfully apply this to the workplace and in their personal lives.

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Insufficient progress

Arrangements for safeguarding learners are ineffective. Leaders do not meet the statutory requirements for safeguarding apprentices. Leaders were unable to demonstrate that the designated safeguarding officer (DSO) was suitably trained for this key role. The DSO did additional safeguarding training during the monitoring visit, but this was not at a level commensurate with their specific role.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not systematically undertake workplace health and safety vetting assessments to assure themselves of the effectiveness of employers’ arrangements designed to keep apprentices safe. Monitoring visit: The Academy Hub Limited, 30–31 May 2019 For example, leaders were not able to provide inspectors with copies of workplace health and safety vetting records for selected employers during the monitoring visit. This is a significant management failing.

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Insufficient progress

Managers and trainers do not make enough use of reviews to reinforce apprentices’ understanding of safeguarding, or to encourage apprentices to recognise potential safeguarding issues themselves. Although the programme handbooks provide apprentices with a range of helpful and pertinent information, they make no reference to the company’s safeguarding policy. Most apprentices are unaware of who the DSO is, or how they can raise a safeguarding or welfare concern if they feel unsafe.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not provide apprentices with suitable internet safety training to help them keep themselves safe online. Health and safety and safeguarding policies are broadly fit for purpose, but leaders have not established an e-safety policy.

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Insufficient progress

Links with local safeguarding agencies and partners are poor. For example, leaders are unaware of the local vulnerabilities in the different geographical areas in which apprentices are based and how these should be reflected in a range of operational procedures. The company’s ‘Prevent’ duty policy is informative but contains no action plan outlining how leaders intend to assure and develop their response to keeping apprentices safe from the dangers associated with radicalisation and extremism.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders apply safe recruitment procedures for all staff involved with the apprenticeship. Managers ensure that they undertake Disclosure and Barring Service checks to ensure trainers’ suitability to work unsupervised with young people and vulnerable adults. Managers ensure that trainers have completed appropriate training in both safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Monitoring visit: The Academy Hub Limited, 30–31 May 2019 the 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 . 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

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Insufficient progress

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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Insufficient progress

regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, 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

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Insufficient progress

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

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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