Park Education & Training Limited

Park Education & Training Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Bob Busby, Ofsted Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 86 Bidston Avenue, Birkenhead CH41 0BS Monitoring visit: Park Education & Training Limited, 26–27 February 2020

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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 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 ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Park Education & Training Limited (‘Park’) is a small specialised independent learning provider based in Birkenhead. Park gained a contract to deliver levy-funded apprenticeships in May 2018 and started delivery in October 2018. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 46 apprentices directly funded through the employer levy. Apprentices follow apprenticeship frameworks in management at level 3 and level 5, engineering and maintenance installation at level 2 and level 3, team leading at level 2, business improvement techniques at level 2 and cleaning and environmental support services at level 2. Park also delivers standards-based apprenticeships in team leading at level 3 and food and drink processing at level 2. Park does not subcontract any of its delivery.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders have developed a good range of apprenticeships that meet the needs of the employers and their employees. They work closely with employers to ensure that the apprenticeship includes a comprehensive curriculum that develops apprentices’ skills and knowledge and fills the identified skills gaps. As a result, apprentices receive relevant and individualised training to meet employers’ requirements and their own development needs. Consequently, apprentices quickly become valuable team members and have opportunities to progress within their companies.

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Reasonable progress

The programmes meet the requirements of apprenticeships. Staff manage the apprenticeship programmes well. This enables almost all the apprentices to develop the new skills, knowledge and behaviours that they need to be successful in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Almost all the training takes place in the workplace. Apprentices appreciate the opportunity to learn on the job. Thorough arrangements exist within the workplace Monitoring visit: Park Education & Training Limited, 26–27 February 2020 to ensure that apprentices receive effective coaching. Apprentices record accurately in handbooks how this contributes to their off-the-job training entitlement. However, staff do not systematically monitor that all apprentices are on target to achieve their off-the-job training entitlement within the duration of the apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers promote a strong culture of learning. Apprentices enjoy learning and value the opportunity that they have to acquire formal qualifications. Assessors support apprentices well to develop their language skills and their written English. Many apprentices have other nationalities and they benefit from these skills both in the workplace and in their everyday lives. Apprentices told inspectors how they were able to communicate more effectively with their team members and, therefore, improve productivity. On completion of their functional skills qualifications, many apprentices continue learning English at a higher level.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and tutors have not gained enough knowledge about the arrangements for end-point assessment for the very few apprentices on standards-based programmes. As a result, these apprentices are not prepared thoroughly for their end-point assessment.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors use their detailed knowledge and experience effectively to coach and guide apprentices. This enables apprentices to develop the technical knowledge, work-related skills and employability skills required by their industry. For example, apprentices on an engineering apprenticeship know how to carry out diagnostics on electric motors and install motors. Apprentices on team leadership and management frameworks develop good and effective communication skills. These enhance their opportunities for sustained employment and progression.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors provide good assistance to apprentices to construct well-structured and meaningful portfolios. These capture accurately the skills and knowledge apprentices attain during their programmes. Apprentices include detailed examples of how they apply their learning in the workplace to evidence their sustained progress.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors identify accurately when apprentices fall behind. They act quickly to provide support. Assessors worked closely with apprentices and their employer when redundancy threatened apprentices’ progress in one workplace. They provided additional support and more frequent visits to ensure that many of the apprentices could achieve at least part of their programme.

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Reasonable progress

The quality of tutors’ feedback is mostly good. In many cases, it helps apprentices to improve and to build knowledge. For a few apprentices on level 2 programmes, feedback is too superficial. As a result, a small minority of apprentices are unclear about what they need to do to improve. Monitoring visit: Park Education & Training Limited, 26–27 February 2020 Assessors track and record the progress apprentices make, but they focus too much on unit completion and not sufficiently on the attainment of new skills. As a result, assessors do not always identify gaps in learning and do not plan learning to fill those gaps. Leaders and managers rightly recognise that they need to identify apprentices’ starting points more accurately. More recently, staff have identified deficiencies in apprentices’ mathematics and English skills, through the introduction of a more diagnostic approach.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers place a high priority on the safeguarding of apprentices. All staff have recently updated their safeguarding training. Managers have updated safeguarding policies to ensure that staff and apprentices understand them.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have ensured that the two designated safeguarding leads hold appropriate safeguarding qualifications and make good use of networks to stay up to date with local and wider safeguarding issues. They ensure they follow safe recruitment policies when they recruit new staff. All staff receive appropriate checks.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices demonstrate that they are able to keep themselves safe in the workplace. They understand the measures in place to protect them and have confidence in reporting any concerns. The provider takes reasonable action to meet the requirements of the ‘Prevent’ duty. However, assessors do not consistently reinforce this and, as a result, apprentices have little understanding of local risks. Monitoring visit: Park Education & Training Limited, 26–27 February 2020 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

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Reasonable progress

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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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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