Peak Performance Partnership Limited

Peak Performance Partnership Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Cath Jackson, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: The Quadrus Centre Woodstock Way Boldon Business Park Boldon Colliery Tyne and Wear NE35 9PF Monitoring visit: Peak Performance Partnership Limited, 17–18 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

Peak Performance Partnership Limited was formed in May 2013 and began to provide levy-funded apprenticeships in 2020. Currently, the company has 14 apprentices on standards-based programmes. Of these, 11 are on the team leader/supervisor apprenticeship at level 3, with the remainder on the operations/departmental manager apprenticeship at level 5 and the lean management operative apprenticeship at level 2. All apprentices are 19 years of age and over.

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Context and focus of visit

Apprentices have continued working for their employers throughout the period of COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions. Leaders and managers at Peak Performance Partnership Limited have been placed on furlough during the pandemic.

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Context and focus of visit

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

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of the progress that apprentices are making in their acquisition of knowledge and skills. Managers have not ensured that tutors adequately record and report on the progress that their apprentices are making. As a result, they have been too slow to identify and intervene when apprentices have fallen behind.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have not ensured that tutors are fully skilled to carry out their roles. They do not provide training opportunities for tutors. They have not ensured that tutors have gained the knowledge and skills that are required for teaching on standards-based apprenticeships or for teaching online. As a result, online teaching does not engage apprentices well enough, and activities do not promote apprentices’ development of substantial new knowledge, skills, and behaviours. Monitoring visit: Peak Performance Partnership Limited, 17–18 March 2021 Leaders do not ensure that apprentices routinely receive sufficient time away from their work activities to complete their off-the-job training. All employers and apprentices have signed appropriate commitment statements. However, employers acknowledge that, at peak times, they find it difficult to ensure that apprentices receive their entitlement to off- the-job training. A large proportion of apprentices have fallen behind with the off-the-job

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Insufficient progress

training hours required to satisfy the requirements of their apprenticeship.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have taken steps to ensure that employers provide support for apprentices in their workplace. Employers provide workplace mentors who supervise apprentices. Apprentices value the support that this offers.

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Insufficient progress

Employers consider that apprenticeships offer value to their organisations and that assessors are flexible in meeting their business needs. For example, assessors on the level 3 team leader/supervisor apprenticeship rearranged and prioritised sessions on dealing with conflict and challenging behaviours in the workplace in response to the emerging needs of employers and apprentices.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors do not adequately assess or measure apprentices’ progress in terms of their development of new knowledge, skills, and behaviours. Apprentices complete an assessment of their existing skills when they join their programmes, but tutors do not use the information from this assessment to measure apprentices’ progress over time. Tutors record apprentices’ progress towards completing the elements of their apprenticeship qualification, but they do not assure themselves of the quality of apprentices’ work.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors do not provide apprentices with helpful and constructive feedback on their written work. They use mock tests towards the end of apprentices’ programmes, but they do not carry out sufficient assessment during the apprenticeship. As a result, too often apprentices do not understand how to improve their work. This leaves them poorly prepared for the requirements of their final assessments.

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Insufficient progress

Too many apprentices do not receive or use time at work to complete the off-the-job training to which they are entitled. Tutors and managers have not ensured that apprentices understand their entitlement to, or the purpose of, off-the-job training. As a result, too many apprentices use off-the-job time for activities that do not link to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours of their apprenticeship, such as routine administration.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors are appropriately qualified for their roles. Most tutors are self-employed and work for the provider for one day a week, delivering training to apprentices. Tutors use appropriate published resources that support apprentices to move through their apprenticeship in a logical order. However, tutors lack the skills to teach well, including using online methods. For example, turning cameras off during online taught sessions for Monitoring visit: Peak Performance Partnership Limited, 17–18 March 2021 level 3 team leader/supervisor apprenticeships limited tutors’ ability to check that apprentices were fully participating.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices understand how to keep themselves and others safe. Apprentices receive a workbook at the start of their programme that provides a comprehensive range of links and sources of support for a wide range of safeguarding concerns. Tutors reinforce safeguarding information with apprentices during reviews. Apprentices have workplace mentors who they know they can speak to if they have any concerns at work.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding officer has completed appropriate safeguarding training. Leaders and managers carry out appropriate checks on teaching staff.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place a range of standard policies and procedures which they share with staff and apprentices, including health and safety, lone working and preventing extremism and radicalisation. Apprentices learn about the ‘Prevent’ duty during their induction, but they have limited understanding about the impact of this on their everyday lives or in their local areas. Monitoring visit: Peak Performance Partnership Limited, 17–18 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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