Richmond Training Academy Limited

Richmond Training Academy Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector:

Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection dates: 24-25 March 2021

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Name of lead inspector:

Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Unit 9 Rossmore Business Village Ellesmere Port CH65 3EY Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 24-25 March 2021

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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 ESFA 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

Richmond Training Academy Limited (Richmond Training) is a training provider that is based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Richmond Training received its own directly funded contract in April 2020. It began training apprentices in October 2020. Prior to this, it provided apprenticeship training on behalf of other organisations. Richmond Training specialises in apprenticeships in adult care. It currently has 16 standards- based apprentices, 15 apprentices are on the adult care worker apprenticeship at level 2, and one is on the leader in adult care apprenticeship at level 5.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgements below.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have developed a curriculum that supports apprentices to gain incrementally the substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours they need for their jobs. Employers are complimentary about the benefits that having an apprentice makes to the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Managers collaborate effectively with apprentices and their employers to make sure that the apprenticeships meet the skills and training needs of the apprentice and their employers. Leaders know the specific local and regional skills needs and adapt the training programme to reflect this. Apprentices and employers participate in the selection of optional training, for example dementia care, bariatric care or work with adults with learning disabilities, to meet the needs of the clients with whom apprentices work.

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Reasonable progress

Managers monitor closely the progress that apprentices make. They use the outcomes from the skills coaches’ monthly performance meetings to review Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 24-25 March 2021 apprentices’ progress, to inform the next steps in training and to evaluate the quality of education and training. Apprentices who fall behind receive extra support from skills coaches to help them to catch up.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers know the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. However, the quality improvement arrangements do not focus sufficiently on the key priorities for improvement.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers do not plan or coordinate apprentices’ on- and off-the-job training well enough. Employers do not know what apprentices complete in their off- the-job training, which means that apprentices do not always apply this learning in the workplace quickly after they have learned it.

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Reasonable progress

The provider does not yet have any governance arrangements in place. Leaders and managers have plans in place for a governing body, which includes local employers, but these are yet to be implemented.

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Reasonable progress

Skills coaches teach apprentices topics so that apprentices develop increasingly complex knowledge and skills over time. For example, at the start of their training, apprentices learn about the duty of candour before they learn about safeguarding. They develop this knowledge further throughout their training such as when they consider the rights of clients to make choices compared to the rights of apprentices to protect their clients.

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Reasonable progress

Skills coaches provide effective teaching for apprentices to improve their English and mathematics. They use assessments of apprentices’ English and mathematics skills done at the start of training, to identify gaps in knowledge and put additional training in place. For example, apprentices who struggle with mathematical concepts, such as percentages or ratios, complete activities to help them understand them. Apprentices then practise and apply these skills in their job role. Consequently, apprentices improve their knowledge and skills, can apply them in the workplace and are better prepared for their functional skills examinations.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices receive effective information, advice and guidance from skills coaches before starting their apprenticeship. Thorough induction training includes the completion of the introduction to care certificate and job shadowing in the workplace. As a result, apprentices say they are more knowledgeable and have realistic expectations about working in domiciliary care very early on in their training.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices receive and act on the helpful and accurate feedback from skills coaches, which helps them to improve their knowledge and the quality of their work. Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 24-25 March 2021 For example, skills coaches identify apprentices’ misconceptions and work with them to change these.

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Reasonable progress

Skills coaches are not sufficiently ambitious for all apprentices. They do not routinely use information about apprentices’ starting points or the results of apprentices’ self- assessments of knowledge, skills and behaviours to plan apprentices’ training. As a result, a few apprentices are not challenged well enough in their learning.

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Reasonable progress

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) have received appropriate training and draw on their experience of safeguarding in previous roles to conduct their roles efficiently. The DSL and DSO have not had to investigate any safeguarding incidents. Safeguarding reporting systems are yet to be tested.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers place high priority on the safeguarding of all apprentices, and particularly those who are under 18 years of age. The apprentices that are under 18 are always supervised and do not provide personal care for their clients.

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Reasonable progress

Safeguarding, including the ‘Prevent’ duty, are mandatory components of apprentices’ training. Apprentices explain how they keep themselves and their clients safe. For example, they provide their clients with information about how unscrupulous people may try to extort money from them. However, apprentices do not have a good enough understanding of how radicalisation and extremism apply to their personal lives. Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 24-25 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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Reasonable progress

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

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

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