Glass and Fenestration Training Solutions Ltd

Glass and Fenestration Training Solutions Ltd Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Andrea Shepherd, Her Majesty's Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

593 Thornton Road Bradford BD13 3NW Monitoring visit: Glass and Fenestration Training Solutions Ltd, 11–12 August 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 the Education and Skills Funding Agency 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

Glass and Fenestration Training Solutions Ltd is an independent learning provider based in Bradford. It was established in 2010, and in 2020 began delivering apprenticeships on behalf of levy-paying employers. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 30 apprentices on standards-based programmes in the north of England and the East Midlands. Half of the apprentices are studying the level 3 team leader/supervisor standard. Nine apprentices are studying adult care standards at levels 2, 3 or 5. Fewer than five apprentices are studying each of the level 5 operations/departmental standard and the level 2 fenestration installer standard.

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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 communicate well with employers to ensure that apprentices receive the support they need in the workplace. Employers understand the need to provide a suitable workplace mentor and give apprentices time to complete off-the-job training. This enables apprentices to develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours that are relevant to their job role. For example, apprentices studying care demonstrate their skills in the safe handling of medicines.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit apprentices with integrity. They carry out suitable checks of what apprentices already know in advance of the enrolment process. This means that leaders are sure that apprentices are suitable for the programmes that they join.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have sufficient oversight of progress that apprentices make. They successfully implement tracking systems and talk regularly to tutors in order to monitor the activities that apprentices complete. As a result, leaders accurately Monitoring visit: Glass and Fenestration Training Solutions Ltd, 11–12 August 2021 identify where support is needed and ensure that tutors provide appropriate support to apprentices who fall behind. For example, fenestration installer apprentices benefit from additional teaching after periods of absence due to COVID-19 self-isolation.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders make suitable arrangements for the end-point assessment of all apprentices. They liaise effectively with awarding organisations and check assessment plans carefully. They make good use of this information to support tutors and apprentices to understand what apprentices need to do in order to complete their apprenticeship successfully.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit tutors with significant experience in the relevant industry. All tutors have assessing qualifications and have completed training in teaching. However, leaders rightly recognise the need to ensure that tutors teaching the very small number of apprentices on higher-level programmes have appropriate subject-specific qualifications.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently recruited governors with the relevant skills and experience to provide external challenge. It is too early to evaluate the impact of the new arrangements as the governors have not yet started their roles.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work well with employers to design programmes that enable apprentices to develop relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours. Leaders ask employers what they need apprentices to learn about and use the information well to select appropriate units. For example, team-leading apprentices learn about lean manufacturing processes that prepare them to lead a team in a busy food manufacturing facility.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors deliver a well-planned training programme that helps apprentices to remember more and apply their knowledge and skills well. Leaders plan an effective curriculum that includes research tasks, work shadowing and opportunities to recap on previous learning. For example, team leader apprentices investigate different leadership styles and use their increased understanding effectively when asking staff to complete extra work to cover for colleagues who are absent.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide apprentices with helpful feedback on what they do well and what they could do better. As a result, apprentices make improvements and produce work of a high standard. For example, care apprentices produce assignments that show a strong understanding of the role of the adult care worker in providing person-centred care to service users.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders support tutors to undertake a wide range of relevant training to improve their teaching. Tutors benefit from guidance on how to provide effective feedback Monitoring visit: Glass and Fenestration Training Solutions Ltd, 11–12 August 2021 and plan their curriculum, as well as opportunities to update their industrial knowledge. For example, fenestration tutors recently visited an employer to observe new techniques for strengthening glass.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors support apprentices well to develop their skills in English and mathematics. For example, they provide helpful advice on how apprentices can improve their written skills, which helps apprentices to improve the standard of their work. However, for the few apprentices who need to achieve functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics, leaders have not been quick enough to make the necessary arrangements for these apprentices to take their examinations.

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Reasonable progress

All staff complete suitable training in safeguarding and the 'Prevent' duty. Leaders take appropriate steps to keep themselves up to date with current issues relating to the safety of apprentices. They make good use of the information that they receive to inform policies and training for apprentices. For example, leaders produce a comprehensive apprentice workbook that contains activities on a range of relevant topics such as 'sexting', safe travel, radicalisation and healthy eating. Leaders rightly acknowledge that they could do more to contextualise information about the risks that apprentices face to make them more specific to the apprentices' location and employment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders implement effective reporting systems that include a variety of ways for apprentices to access support and raise any concerns that they may have. For example, leaders have recently launched a 'Safezone' app which contains useful links to support and additional ways of asking for help. Apprentices know how they can report concerns about themselves or others. Monitoring visit: Glass and Fenestration Training Solutions Ltd, 11–12 August 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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