The JGA Group

Outcome

The JGA Group continues to be a good provider.

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Information about this provider

The JGA Group (JGA) is an independent learning provider founded in 1991. It provides apprenticeship training and adult learning in London and the south east of England. At the time of the inspection, there were 120 apprentices on level 2 and 3 apprenticeship standards in areas including sales, marketing, and events management. There were 116 adult learners on level 3 courses in early years education, health and social care and business. JGA works with one subcontractor, Innov8, who provides apprenticeship training in property maintenance to 26 apprentices.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Tutors ensure that apprentices and learners enjoy their programmes. Apprentices and learners particularly appreciate being taught by experts who help to bring their subjects to life and make them relevant to their own workplace. They like the informative resources provided online that they use to extend their knowledge.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices and learners value the high levels of support that they receive from staff. They feel that staff listen to, and act on, any concerns that they may have during their course.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Adult learners enjoy studying part-time in JGA’s centre in east London. Many combine their studies with full-time jobs in areas such as retail, food processing, education in pre-schools and as taxi drivers.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Tutors help apprentices and learners develop their knowledge and confidence to be more effective in their roles. They organise interesting projects for apprentices in event management, such as planning and running events for a range of clients.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices and learners enjoy a safe and secure environment. They have access to a wide range of safeguarding and well-being support from the provider. They feel safe and have good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe. 30–31 October 2019

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better?

Leaders and managers have thought carefully about the courses they offer to apprentices and adult learners. They now offer courses where there is a demand for individuals who want to develop careers in those areas, such as event management and sales. They have worked with industry experts to design a curriculum that provides apprentices with the skills that employers need.

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better?

Apprentices’ employers and industry specialists are involved in the teaching of courses. This helps to make the theory relevant to jobs that apprentices have. Adult learners have a degree of choice over which units they study in order to meet their ambitions and aspirations.

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better?

Staff have designed and sequenced the curriculum well, with lessons that build apprentices’ knowledge. The curriculum is ambitious and reflects well the needs of learners to gain further workplace skills. Tutors are effective in bringing to life learning. For example, they use their expertise in applying the seven steps of selling so that apprentices know how sales theory relates to practice in the workplace.

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better?

On business courses, where most students are from overseas, tutors skilfully use their experiences to teach lessons on how British Values relate to the work of human resources departments in the United Kingdom. Learners are able to use this knowledge to draw comparisons with their experiences of their own countries, and to analyse the positive impact that British Values can have on recruitment campaigns.

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better?

Staff provide good careers guidance to apprentices and adult learners. Learners who are ambitious to develop their careers, such as childminders who want to work in or set up their own nursery, know what steps to take to achieve their goals. Staff are successful in preparing apprentices and learners for future study or employment. For example, tutors teach learners how to create business plans to help them set up their own events businesses.

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better?

Board members have a realistic overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They are candid about the areas for improvement. For example, they challenge leaders and managers to improve the rigour and approach to communications within the organisation and in establishing a set of performance indicators. As a result, board members support leaders and managers to make improvements to the way the organisation operates.

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better?

Leaders and managers carry out frequent observations on staffs’ teaching. They do not use these effectively enough to set actions for tutors to further improve their teaching. Leaders and managers do not have a good enough understanding of the quality of classroom practice of subcontracted staff. As a result, they are not able to make improvements on the quality of education.

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better?

In a small minority of cases, tutors do not use information from assessments well 30–31 October 2019

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enough to identify deficits in apprentices’ and learners’ knowledge. As a result, tutors do not always support apprentices and learners to develop knowledge that is not secure.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers pay good attention to safeguarding. They have appropriate policies and procedures in place to deal with safeguarding referrals and issues. The designated safeguarding leads have developed appropriate links with local authorities, safeguarding boards and Prevent coordinators in the geographical areas in which they deliver training.

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Safeguarding

All staff, apprentices and learners complete appropriate training in safeguarding. This includes understanding the dangers associated with radicalisation and extremism, and how to stay safe online. Apprentices and learners have access to specialist support for those experiencing mental health issues. Apprentices and learners know how to report any concerns they have.

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Safeguarding

Manager do not keep sufficiently up-to-date records of when staff have completed mandatory safeguarding training.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders and managers need to gain a more accurate overview of the quality of teaching, particularly that of subcontractors. They should use this information to support tutors to improve further their craft of teaching.  Leaders and managers should support tutors to improve their use of assessment in order to identify where apprentices and learners have not developed their knowledge to the required depths.  Leaders and managers should ensure that they have up-to-date information on which staff have completed the necessary mandatory training in safeguarding and on Prevent. 30–31 October 2019

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Provider details

Address Innov8 Vocational Training Centre Clifton Gardens Uxbridge UB10 0EZ

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 30–31 October 2019

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Provider details

Main subcontractors Innov8 Training and Development Limited 30–31 October 2019

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Information about this inspection

The inspection was the first short inspection carried out since The JGA Group was judged to be good in December 2015.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the Director of Quality, as nominee. We took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. We collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including observing learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Steve Lambert, lead inspector Saul Pope Dave Baber Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Hannah-Saskia Niderost Ofsted Inspector 30–31 October 2019

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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.

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