Proactive in Partnership Training Limited

Proactive in Partnership Training Limited Progress monitoring report

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Name of lead inspector: Michael Worgs, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent Learning Provider

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Address: 3 Deeping St. James Road Northborough Peterborough PE6 9BT Monitoring visit: Proactive in Partnership Training Limited, 4–5 March 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Proactive in Partnership Training Limited received a new provider monitoring visit in October 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 have implemented an effective quality improvement plan to drive swift progress in improving the quality of provision. As a result, leaders and trainers are clear about what priorities they need to focus on in addition to the challenges they are facing as a result of the pandemic. However, leaders still need to continue to improve key elements of learning, such as employers providing appropriate opportunities in the workplace for apprentices to practise their skills. Monitoring visit: Proactive in Partnership Training Limited, 4–5 March 2021 Apprentices working towards the level 2 supply-chain warehouse operative qualification are making slow progress. Too often, employers and managers have placed workplace demands before the training of apprentices. Leaders have now recognised this and are taking steps to enable apprentices to catch up with lost learning. On the remaining apprenticeship programmes, leaders have effective

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Reasonable progress

oversight of the timely progress that apprentices are making in completing their learning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have strengthened their governance arrangements. Leaders meet with their governor frequently to discuss and plan the next steps in improving the quality of provision. The governor uses her good experience and knowledge of the sector to provide effective support and challenge to leaders. As a result, leaders have improved their action planning to ensure that many issues are resolved quickly.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have taken effective action to improve the quality of the functional skills curriculum. For example, they carefully assess all apprentices’ English and mathematics skills at the start of their programme to create individualised learning programmes. As a result, apprentices recognise the value of functional skills in their job roles and everyday lives. Apprentices accurately apply their knowledge of grammar and punctuation to write professional emails to colleagues and customers. A significant proportion of apprentices are now achieving their functional skills qualification.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers have appropriate teaching and training qualifications. They have extensive experience in the logistics and warehousing sectors. Apprentices benefit from the diverse industry experience of trainers who help apprentices to apply their learning to real-life projects. For example, apprentices demonstrate their understanding by presenting detailed business proposals to employers, containing information about financial planning, budgeting and forecasting information. These proposals help employers reduce operating costs and gain efficiency savings.

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Reasonable progress

Too few employers attend learning review meetings with trainers and apprentices. Consequently, employers often do not provide appropriate opportunities in the workplace for apprentices to practise their skills. Around a quarter of all apprentices have passed their planned qualification end-date.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have not ensured that trainers are sufficiently skilled enough to help those apprentices who speak English as an additional language, or who require extra help with their learning and studies. At the start of the programme, trainers do not record apprentices’ additional study or language-support requirements. Trainers do provide effective additional one-to-one sessions for apprentices that need extra help to complete their functional skills qualifications.

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Reasonable progress

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

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Reasonable progress

 enable those apprentices on the level 2 supply-chain warehouse operative qualification to swiftly catch up on lost learning and make good progress Monitoring visit: Proactive in Partnership Training Limited, 4–5 March 2021  accurately identify and put in place additional help for apprentices who speak English as an additional language, and for those apprentices who need additional help with their learning and studies  ensure that employers provide frequent opportunities in the workplace for apprentices to practise and improve their skills, enabling apprentices to complete their qualification on time. Monitoring visit: Proactive in Partnership Training Limited, 4–5 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

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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

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