Creative Sport & Leisure Ltd

Creative Sport & Leisure Ltd Progress monitoring report

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Name of lead inspector: Penny Fawcus, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Vantage House 6–7 Claydon’s Lane Rayleigh Essex SS6 7UP Monitoring visit: Creative Sport & Leisure Ltd, 24–25 February 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Creative Sport & Leisure Ltd received a new provider monitoring visit in December 2018. At that time, inspectors made progress judgements under three themes.

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit focused on the extent to which leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to provide education and training in the current circumstances. It was undertaken as outlined in the operational note on visits carried out from January 2021 and with reference to the further education and skills handbook.

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Context and focus of visit

These visits are to help learners, parents, employers and government understand how providers are meeting the needs of learners in this period, including those with high needs and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Context and focus of visit

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, inspectors carried out this monitoring activity remotely. As a result, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would be the case during an on-site inspection. Therefore, this report provides a more limited level of assurance.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgement below. Inspectors did not evaluate leaders’ response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer of 2020, when the provider was not open to all learners and there were no national expectations regarding remote education.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and governors have made reasonable progress in actioning the weaknesses identified at the previous monitoring visit. They are proactive in developing new apprenticeship programmes for the sports and fitness sector to raise professional standards and apprentices’ career progression. Governors have extensive knowledge, experience and connections in this industry. They use these well to provide effective support and challenge for leaders.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders accurately identify their strengths and weaknesses to drive further improvements. For example, they reflected on the low retention, resulting in low achievement, for qualifications such as level 3 team leader supervisor and level 2 customer practitioner. They concluded that not all employers invest in developing their apprentices. Leaders reviewed the employers they work with and introduced a Monitoring visit: Creative Sport & Leisure Ltd, 24–25 February 2021 new induction process. They now require employers to co-invest in the curriculum planning and support for apprentices. However, it is too early to see the impact of these actions on achievement.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous monitoring visit, leaders have enhanced their oversight of quality monitoring. They meet with managers frequently to review the progress of each apprentice. They agree interventions to keep apprentices on track to achieve within their planned timescales. They use quality assurance findings effectively to inform staff development and training.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and tutors work effectively with employers to develop a tailored curriculum that fits the employer’s corporate brand and values. They plan together to ensure that apprentices develop the skills they need to be able to carry out work tasks. For example, tutors prioritise development of gym instructor skills for fitness apprentices from the start of their programme. This enables employers to deploy them effectively in the workplace, thus quickly adding value to the business.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors work with employers to support vulnerable learners. They help apprentices to develop individual strategies to support their continued progress. For example, they work with employers to organise formal assessments for apprentices with specific learning difficulties. Tutors support these apprentices to use electronic reading pens and dictation tools. As a result, they are making better progress towards completing the course.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors plan remote online learning that is challenging, relevant and applied to the workplace. At the time of the visit, all teaching was being carried out remotely. Tutors have taken part in training that has developed their digital skills and confidence. In functional skills lessons, apprentices can relate new mathematics knowledge to real-life scenarios. Tutors provide developmental feedback on English skills, such as spelling, punctuation and grammar. As a result, apprentices take pride in their work and produce written assessments that meet or exceed expectations.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors check apprentices’ understanding of prior learning effectively and challenge them to apply deeper thinking skills to their existing knowledge. Apprentices demonstrate confidence and participate well. Level 5 operational management apprentices are confident in articulating the key components for delivering a presentation. They use mind map techniques well and explain how this applies to their work and how it will benefit the team and the organisation.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors execute reviews very well with high-level engagement from apprentices. Leaders worked alongside tutors to develop bronze, silver and gold performance criteria for apprentices. Tutors use these criteria effectively to prepare apprentices to achieve high grades in their end point assessment. They monitor apprentices’ progress very closely to ensure that they have a good understanding of the requirements. Prior to each review, apprentices complete a self-assessment of their new skills development. They value their reviews and can formulate plans to improve and set themselves challenging targets. For example, on the community sport health officer programme, tutors use well-executed formative activities that relate to the Monitoring visit: Creative Sport & Leisure Ltd, 24–25 February 2021 apprentices’ specific roles in the workplace. Consequently, apprentices are making rapid progress in their learning and aspire to achieve high grades.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices on level 2 programmes cannot articulate the new knowledge, skills and behaviours they have gained. They do not understand how to apply their learning to the workplace. However, most apprentices enjoy their learning. They benefit from access to online resources on the newly developed online learning platform. For example, level 3 leisure duty apprentices are accessing resources on the function of the leisure environment. They understand the relationship between the product, the service and the customer.

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Reasonable progress

Not all apprentices benefit from impartial careers advice and guidance. Most level 2 apprentices have not received any careers guidance or planned their next steps. They are unsure of courses, external agencies or employers they need to access to plan careers, such as physical education teacher or working in multi-sport pathways. However, most level 3 apprentices are aware of what they need to do to achieve their career aspirations. They discuss their career plan with their tutors and employers as part of their progress review.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Reasonable progress

 ensure that level 2 apprentices benefit from impartial careers advice and guidance to support their understanding of how to plan and achieve their career goals  continue close monitoring and tracking of all apprentices’ progress to ensure that they achieve within planned timescales  ensure that apprentices on level 2 programmes can articulate the new knowledge, skills and behaviours they have gained and understand how these are applied in the workplace. Monitoring visit: Creative Sport & Leisure Ltd, 24–25 February 2021 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

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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