Limm Skills Academy Limited

Limm Skills Academy Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Gayle Saundry, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Suite 21, 11 - 12 Church lane Church Lane Chambers Leytonstone London E11 1HG Monitoring visit: Limm Skills 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

Limm Skills Academy Limited was founded in 2012 as a provider of work-based learning covering a range of subjects, including health and social care, childcare and business administration. Since 2019, Limm Skills Academy Limited have provided apprenticeship training in lead adult care worker level 3, business administrator level 3 and leader in adult care level 5 standards. At the time of the monitoring visit, the provider had 10 apprentices in training, the majority of whom were working towards the lead adult care worker level 3 standard.

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Context and focus of visit

As a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, at the time of the monitoring visits, Limm Skills Academy Limited were providing all training and support to apprentices online. The impact of COVID-19 has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgements below.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not consistently produce commitment statements that demonstrate a shared understanding between apprentices, assessors and employers of how the apprenticeship will be taught. The majority of commitment statements are not signed by apprentices. As a result, leaders have not taken appropriate actions to meet the requirements of the apprenticeship.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not collect appropriate evidence in order to assure the quality of their assessors’ work. Leaders rely heavily on the information provided by assessors and employers about apprentices’ progress, and this information is not always accurate. As a result, leaders are not aware of the strengths and areas of weakness within their apprenticeship, nor do they have in place appropriate plans to make improvements. Monitoring visit: Limm Skills Academy Limited 24–25 March 2021 Leaders do not keep accurate records of the training that each apprentice receives and do not know whether their apprentices complete training in their own time or during work hours. They do not accurately track the attendance of apprentices at training sessions. Leaders have no records of any training completed by apprentices outside of taught sessions. They do not keep accurate records of those apprentices who are in learning and those who have left.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders gather an appropriate range of information about apprentices’ prior knowledge and experience at the start of the course, including skills scans, training records and functional skills assessments. However, they do not use this information to inform the training that each apprentice receives.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and tutors do not ensure that apprentices’ work is collated and recorded appropriately. Portfolios of apprentices’ work seen by inspectors were incomplete with considerable omissions. Tutors do not adequately verify that apprentices’ work is their own and much is identical in different portfolios.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have a good understanding of the care sector and the needs of employers within that sector. They have selected appropriate qualifications for their apprentices to meet those needs.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have developed curriculum plans which are appropriately sequenced to develop new knowledge over time. However, assessors do not teach apprentices effectively. As a result, apprentices have a limited understanding of what they have been taught. Apprentices are not able to clearly explain the new knowledge they have gained through taught sessions or the content of the most recent work they have submitted.

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Insufficient progress

Assessors do not provide apprentices with useful feedback on what they are doing well or what they need to do to improve. Assessors do not give feedback that is specific to, or helpful for, each individual based on the work that they have done. Apprentices cannot recall any details of the feedback they have received.

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Insufficient progress

Assessors do not conduct effective reviews with apprentices. During reviews, mentors do not discuss with apprentices the knowledge, skills or behaviours they have developed through their training or at work. During reviews, employers do not provide apprentices with any meaningful feedback on how they are performing at work. Assessors do not take into account apprentices’ past experience, qualifications or current performance when setting them targets. Monitoring visit: Limm Skills Academy Limited 24–25 March 2021 Leaders do not have an accurate oversight of the progress apprentices make on their course and who may be falling behind. Tutors of mathematics are unable to identify specific areas in which apprentices have learned new knowledge.

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Insufficient progress

Through their roles in a variety of care settings, apprentices learn the behaviours necessary for their jobs. For example, they use appropriate strategies to communicate with residents with hearing difficulties or who have a limited understanding of English.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have gained a reasonable understanding of the development needs of their assessors by observing them teach. For instance, they have identified that assessors need to improve their use of strategies to check what apprentices have learned in lessons.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders responsible for safeguarding have a limited understanding of their responsibilities. Leaders have put in place a safeguarding policy. However, they do not consider the safeguarding risks posed to apprentices in the care sector or the risks that may arise through online rather than face-to-face teaching.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have not effectively communicated to apprentices who they should contact if they have a safeguarding concern. Leaders do not maintain an appropriate log of safeguarding and welfare concerns or of any actions taken by leaders to support apprentices.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not keep adequate records relating to staff appointments, including references for tutors and assessors. As such, leaders do not follow their own safer recruitment policy.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders are aware of some of the risks which their apprentices may face in their local communities, for example female genital mutilation. They take appropriate steps to educate their apprentices about such issues. Monitoring visit: Limm Skills 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 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

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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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