Focus Training Limited

Focus Training Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Alison Cameron Brandwood HMI

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 5 Cannon Court Institute Street Bolton BL1 1PZ Greater Manchester Monitoring visit: Focus Training Limited, 24–25 July 2019

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Context and focus of visit

Focus Training Limited (Focus Training) was inspected in October 2018. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in addressing the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the visit, 149 learners were undertaking health and fitness courses, mainly at level 3 with a few at level 4. Around two thirds of learners study the level 3 diploma in fitness instructing and personal training.

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Reasonable progress

The quality of telephone support sessions has improved since the previous inspection. As a result, most learners now make at least the expected progress on their courses. Most tutors use questioning effectively to challenge the most able learners and to support those who struggle to understand and complete their work. Tutors have developed strategies to deliver challenging topics in manageable segments.

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Reasonable progress

Most telephone support tutors have made rapid improvement to their practice, because of the feedback and training they receive from managers. For example, tutors improve the quality of their questioning techniques and develop good technical knowledge.

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Reasonable progress

Most tutors provide learners with appropriate feedback during telephone support sessions. Tutors do not share their written records of support sessions with learners, with the result that a minority of learners are not able to develop an action plan of work to complete before the next session.

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Reasonable progress

During telephone support sessions, tutors do not routinely link theory to practice, and too often this inhibits learners’ progress. For example, a minority of learners find it difficult to understand how their knowledge of topics such as muscle types applies to their work. Monitoring visit: Focus Training Limited, 24–25 July 2019

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Reasonable progress

Leaders’ and managers’ actions have reduced the proportion of learners who leave their courses early. A greater proportion of learners remained on the level 3 diploma in fitness instructing course in 2018/19 compared to 2017/18. More male learners now complete their courses. Although the achievement of female learners continues to be better than that of male learners, the gap is reducing. Leaders’ analysis of why male learners left their courses early led them to introduce a range of improvements for all learners. For example, initial advice and guidance now highlights the demands of distance-learning study. Leaders have recently introduced face-to-face revision sessions to improve learners’ confidence and prepare them for their examinations. It is too soon to assess the impact of these initiatives on pass rates.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have only recently begun to develop and put in place the strategy for English and mathematics. As a result, not all tutors support learners well enough to develop their English and mathematical skills. Tutors do not consistently or routinely identify or correct spelling or grammatical errors in learners’ work. As a result, learners do not correct their work or improve their written skills. Managers do not ensure that tutors make effective use of initial assessment information to plan English and mathematical learning. Leaders plan to develop the key mathematical skills that learners need to become competent practitioners. The English strategy focuses on developing learners’ understanding and spelling of technical terminology. The impact of these new initiatives is not yet evident.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, managers have introduced a range of reports for leaders and governors. Governors, leaders and managers use the reports to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and target improvements. They have prioritised improving the quality of initial advice and guidance and of telephone support sessions, and review this regularly. As a result, initial advice and guidance and telephone support sessions have improved. Monitoring visit: Focus Training Limited, 24–25 July 2019 The reports that governors receive contain information which they use to challenge leaders and managers to improve the quality of teaching and learning, the curriculum and the progress learners make on their courses. For example, following a report on work sampling, governors challenged managers to make further improvements in the feedback that tutors give to learners.

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Reasonable progress

Learners receive sufficiently high-quality information about their course before they enrol. Leaders and managers have improved the initial advice and guidance learners receive. The preliminary changes that leaders made had a limited impact on retaining learners who were due to complete in 2018/19, so they made further improvements. Staff now collect more detailed information about learners’ academic backgrounds, along with their work and family commitments. The information is used to place learners on the most suitable course. Early indications are that a greater proportion of learners who are due to complete their course in 2019/20 understand the demands of their programme, and fewer learners have left early. Monitoring visit: Focus Training Limited, 24–25 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

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

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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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