Anglia Professional Training Limited

Aspire to Learn Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Sambit Sen Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

68 George Lane South Woodford London E18 1LW Monitoring visit: Aspire to Learn Limited, 17–18 July 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 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

Aspire to Learn Limited is a private training provider which operates mainly in London and Essex. It started providing directly funded apprenticeships in December 2017. Currently, there are 150 apprentices. They are mostly on standards apprenticeships, with a few on framework apprenticeships. These include adult care level 2, lead adult care level 3, early years educator level 3, leadership for health and social care and children and young people’s services level 5, business and administration level 3, customer service practitioner level 2, housing/property management level 3, rail engineering operative level 2, supporting teaching and learning in schools level 3, team leader/manager level 3 and operations/departmental manager level 5.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have a clear and challenging vision, mission and strategy which work effectively to meet local businesses’ training needs. Leaders and managers work effectively with most employers. They involve them in curriculum design and delivery to meet their business and industry needs.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have good industry knowledge and experience. This helps them to design and deliver bespoke training programmes. As a result, apprentices receive good individualised training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers recruit apprentices with integrity. Most apprentices gain significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours during their apprenticeship programme.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers meet most of the principles of an apprenticeship. For example, apprentices benefit from good-quality off-the-job training delivered by the provider and employers. Monitoring visit: Aspire to Learn Limited, 17–18 July 2019 Apprentices and employers have basic knowledge of end-point assessment. This is communicated to them at induction and throughout the training programme. However, apprentices are unable to recall all aspects of it, especially how to achieve higher grades.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers recruit experienced staff who have good subject knowledge. This helps apprentices to develop good knowledge, skills and behaviours for their roles. However, due to staff turnover, a small minority of apprentices are not on track to complete their apprenticeship in time. Senior managers are taking appropriate steps to rectify this.

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Reasonable progress

A new senior management team is in place. Managers have implemented a new process for the tracking and monitoring of apprentices but it is too early to judge its impact. Currently, managers do not keep a small minority of employers fully informed about apprentices’ progress.

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Reasonable progress

Currently, the provider has no structured external governance. However, leaders have recruited external consultants who challenge and support them. For example, they have appointed external audit and freelance consultants to support them to scrutinise their training provision.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices develop the new knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to perform effectively in their employment. For example, care apprentices learn how to administer medication and recognise signs of abuse, such as coercive control. Most apprentices receive good additional training to complement and enhance their sector knowledge, skills and behaviours. For example, railway engineering apprentices receive training on how to form complex junctions, in addition to the requirements of the standards.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices benefit from regular contact with their assessors. Assessors check apprentices’ knowledge, skills and understanding regularly by setting challenging tasks. These are reviewed frequently in the workplace, by telephone and online.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices contribute to their business and have a direct impact on productivity within their teams. For example, team-leading apprentices develop the skills and knowledge required to lead teams and alleviate stress levels by managing staff workloads effectively.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices develop good English and mathematics skills. For example, rail engineering apprentices develop advanced mathematics skills to calculate quantities of materials used to replace sections of track. Monitoring visit: Aspire to Learn Limited, 17–18 July 2019 Initial advice and guidance are good. For example, rail engineering apprentices receive a thorough appraisal of the conditions they can expect when working night shifts.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors do not always use initial assessment effectively to identify learners’ starting points from which to plan their training. As a result, a minority of apprentices do not receive high-quality individualised training that enables them to make rapid progress.

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Reasonable progress

Although most apprentices complete significant off-the-job training, tutors do not sufficiently track and validate this information. Assessors do not set challenging and developmental targets during progress reviews for a minority of apprentices. As a result, they make slow progress.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding officer is fully qualified. Appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and updated regularly.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices have detailed knowledge of safeguarding, including how to keep themselves safe. They have good contextual understanding of their own sectors. For example, care apprentices can describe the components of how to spot signs of neglect and the difference between bruising sustained by appropriate restraint and care and that sustained through various forms of abuse.

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Reasonable progress

All staff are fully trained on safeguarding. However, leaders and managers need to do more to ensure that apprentices understand better the dangers associated with radicalisation and extremism.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers implement safe recruitment practices when appointing new staff. These include reference checks, the right to work in the United Kingdom checks and Disclosure and Barring Service checks before new staff start their employment. Monitoring visit: Aspire to Learn Limited, 17–18 July 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 www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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Reasonable 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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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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Reasonable progress

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

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