Complete Skills Solutions Limited

Innovative Alliance Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Elaine Price, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

The Gate House Kitling Road Prescot Merseyside L34 9HN Monitoring visit: Innovative Alliance Limited, 12 to 13 June 2019

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Context and focus of visit

From March 2019, Ofsted undertook to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning provision which began to be funded from August 2017 or after by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. 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 ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly funded to deliver adult learning 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

Innovative Alliance Limited (IA) was established in 2014 with the primary objective of raising aspirations and tackling unemployment in the north west of England. IA was awarded a direct contract to deliver adult learning in August 2017. The company became part of the Progress to Excellence Group in October 2018. IA delivers short courses for employment, personal development and information technology (IT) at entry level 3 and level 1. IA also delivers vocational programmes at level 2. Currently, 20 learners are enrolled on entry level 3, 16 on level 1 and 13 learners on a level 2 barbering certificate.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have designed a range of short, focused learning programmes to help adult learners, many of whom have been away from the workplace for significant periods of time, develop the skills and confidence to seek and gain employment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers work with a range of partners, including Jobcentre Plus, work and health programme providers, charities and voluntary organisations, to provide programmes for learners who are farthest from the job market and face significant barriers to employment. Programmes focus on learners’ personal development. Partners value the attitudes and behaviours that learners develop, which significantly increase their confidence and motivation to become more active in seeking employment opportunities.

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Reasonable progress

Partnerships with employers are highly effective. Leaders and managers work closely with employers to design and deliver specifically focused programmes to prepare learners for employment. The skills and behaviours that learners gain on sector- based work academy programmes help employers fill skills gaps in sectors such as highway maintenance and construction. Employers speak highly of how well- Monitoring visit: Innovative Alliance Limited, 12 to 13 June 2019 prepared learners are for the recruitment process and for the workplace. The proportion of learners who gain employment is high.

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Reasonable progress

Quality assurance processes are effective. Managers carry out observations of teaching, learning and assessment, scrutinise learners’ work and seek the views of learners and partners to improve learning programmes. They use the information they gather to inform frequent training sessions for staff, for example on how to help learners improve their spelling, punctuation and grammar when marking written work.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have a broad oversight of the destinations of learners. However, they do not collect sufficiently detailed information on the destinations of all learners to be able to analyse how effective each learning programme is in helping learners gain sustained employment or progress to further training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently put in place governance arrangements. The newly formed board of governors has a good range of skills and experiences to support leaders and managers. However, it is too soon to measure their effectiveness in challenging leaders and managers to improve the quality of education that adult learners receive.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers use their expertise skilfully to plan and deliver sessions that help learners develop skills to gain employment. For example, learners develop their IT skills. They word process formal letters, send emails with attachments and research and apply for job vacancies online. Learners on the barbering course develop good vocational practical skills, such as blending and graduation, when cutting hair.

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Reasonable progress

Support for learners is highly effective. Trainers identify learners’ starting points accurately. They set targets and provide individual support that is valued by learners. Learners enjoy their sessions and attendance is high. However, trainers focus too much on recording the progress learners make in the achievement of qualification units and not on the skills, knowledge and behaviours they gain.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers encourage learners to develop their communication skills through constructive and well-planned discussions on sensitive issues such as age discrimination and job selection. They use a range of activities to help learners develop their English and mathematics skills. For example, starter activities help learners develop skills to work out volumes and use multiplication. Trainers use a ‘spell board’ in sessions to help learners remember how to spell difficult or commonly misspelled words. Monitoring visit: Innovative Alliance Limited, 12 to 13 June 2019 Managers and trainers have developed high-quality resources. Learners complete work books to a good standard and take pride in the work they produce. Most trainers provide learners with useful and encouraging oral and written feedback. However, a few trainers do not challenge all learners when using questioning to check learning.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers provide learners with good advice and guidance for their next steps. They support learners to produce a curriculum vitae and to use their previous experiences to identify transferable skills and qualities when applying for jobs. Trainers use a range of activities that help learners prepare for job interviews. Learners practise their questioning and response techniques and participate in mock interviews. As a result, learners increase their self-confidence and motivation to seek employment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders, managers and staff place a high priority on safeguarding and the welfare of learners. There are comprehensive policies and procedures in place, which are approved by governors. Staff know how to and do report any concerns they have for the safety and/or welfare of learners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have appointed two designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) who are appropriately trained to carry out their role effectively. They carefully record and monitor all safeguarding and welfare concerns raised. The DSLs use their links with external organisations and agencies to make referrals so that learners are kept safe. They liaise closely with learners’ personal advisers/key workers where concerns are raised for their welfare.

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Reasonable progress

All staff are frequently trained in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Trainers use their knowledge to ensure that learners know how to keep themselves safe. Learners feel safe and are safe. They know how to raise any concerns they have. However, a minority of learners do not have a clear understanding of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. Monitoring visit: Innovative Alliance Limited, 12 to 13 June 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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Reasonable 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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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 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

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Reasonable progress

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

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Reasonable progress

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

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