Knowledgebrief Limited

KnowledgeBrief Limited Progress monitoring report

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Name of lead inspector: Joanna Walters, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 85 Great Portland Street London W1W 7LT Monitoring visit: KnowledgeBrief Limited, 3–4 March 2021

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Context and focus of visit

KnowledgeBrief Limited received a new provider monitoring visit in July 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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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not sufficiently tackled the weaknesses identified at the previous new provider monitoring visit. For example, leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight to ensure that all apprentices receive their statutory entitlement to training during normal work hours. As a result, too many apprentices complete the training in their own time. A few apprentices do not engage well with their programme because they struggle to complete their apprenticeship work alongside their commitments at work. Monitoring visit: KnowledgeBrief Limited, 3–4 March 2021 Leaders and managers do not ensure that apprentices are prepared well enough for their final assessments. Professional learning advisors (PLAs) are too slow to provide apprentices with opportunities such as mock assessments before their final assessments. Although PLAs provide apprentices with information about the structure of questions and some example questions in the days before their external

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Insufficient progress

assessments, this is insufficient to help apprentices to achieve the very best outcomes. This results in not enough apprentices being fully prepared for their final assessments.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for the design of each apprenticeship curriculum which they offer. Each programme contains appropriate content which enables apprentices to develop new knowledge that builds in complexity over the duration of the programme. For example, level 5 operations department manager apprentices learn about the function of a business before moving on to the theory of how to deliver an operational plan. However, leaders and managers do not ensure that the curriculum is implemented well enough, with the involvement of apprentices’ employers, so that apprentices can develop the skills and behaviours they need to excel at work.

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Insufficient progress

PLAs do not involve apprentices’ line managers in reviews and therefore do not capture evidence of the skills and behaviours which apprentices develop in the workplace. They are too reliant on apprentices’ self-reflection to assess their progress. Line managers are unable adequately to plan tasks at work that support apprentices’ development. There is no connection between what apprentices learn in lessons and at work. As a result, apprentices do not adequately know what they need to do to improve their performance at work.

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Insufficient progress

PLAs have good subject knowledge and plan appropriate activities in off-the-job training sessions for apprentices that enable them to develop new knowledge. PLAs make good use of small group work opportunities in sessions, which allow for apprentices to work together and share information and experiences. For example, level 3 customer service apprentices learn new strategies to try at work when problem-solving, such as root cause analysis, so they can identify appropriate solutions.

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Insufficient progress

Most PLAs provide apprentices with helpful feedback on their assignment submissions. A few PLAs include effective questions as part of their feedback in order to prompt apprentices to think more deeply about their work. PLAs have a strong focus to support apprentices to gain the knowledge they need for their qualifications. The majority of apprentices value the support which staff provide to them.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices receive safeguarding information at the start of their programme, but they do not receive any further training throughout their programme. The majority of apprentices cannot recall being taught about safeguarding, radicalisation or extremism and how it relates to them in the workplace. Apprentices spoken to do know which staff to go to if they need help. Monitoring visit: KnowledgeBrief Limited, 3–4 March 2021 Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Insufficient progress

 ensure that apprentices are well prepared for end-point assessments  ensure that apprentices’ off-the-job training is linked to their job roles so that PLAs and line managers can plan meaningful activities that enable apprentices to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours in the workplace  ensure that apprentices understand why the dangers of radicalisation and extremism are relevant to them and their work colleagues. Monitoring visit: KnowledgeBrief Limited, 3–4 March 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 and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council

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Insufficient progress

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

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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

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