Thrive Skills Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Enabling Development Opportunities Ltd

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Adult learning programmes Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Information about this provider

Enabling Development Opportunities Limited is an independent training provider established in 2007. The provider began its own direct-funding contract in 2015. It has recently relocated from an office in Hednesford, Staffordshire and is now based in Walsall in the West Midlands. At the time of the inspection, 88 learners were enrolled. All learners were on level 3 diploma courses, all funded through advanced learner loans. Exactly 38 learners were enrolled on the level 3 diploma in nail technology, 14 learners were enrolled on the level 3 diploma in nail services, with 19 learners enrolled on the level 3 diploma in health and social care. A further eight learners were enrolled on the level 3 diploma in foot heath and care practitioner, with a few learners enrolled on the level 3 diploma in bridal hair and make-up, and level 3 diploma in beauty therapy. All learners were aged 19 and above. The provider does not work with any subcontractors.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Leaders and teachers do not provide learners with enough opportunities to experience the full range of settings within the care and beauty sectors. Their learning is limited to what settings they have immediate access to or are employed within.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Leaders and teachers do not support learners well enough to develop their skills and behaviours. Learners benefit from some useful knowledge, such as how to conduct an appropriate client consultation within the nail sector. However, too few learners have the opportunity to apply their learning to develop their skills and behaviours as well as they could.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners feel safe and know how to report any concerns about their well-being. However, too many learners do not understand the localised risks and what this means when their home is also their place of work.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners receive good support from staff, including for their welfare or safety. They find teachers helpful and approachable. If they have a problem, staff respond quickly to help. Learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) also receive good support.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners enjoy their course. They find the environment a pleasant and welcoming place. Learners feel respected and valued by their teachers. Learners enjoy the flexibility of their course and the support they receive from their tutors to catch up. However, in too many cases, learners are left to watch independently recorded sessions and complete assignments. Teachers do not check learners’ understanding well enough or challenge misconceptions.

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better?

Leaders and managers have not responded quickly enough to deal thoroughly with weaknesses found at the previous inspection, and so the quality of the provision has not improved.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have significantly reduced their curriculum offer, reduced the number of delivery centres and stopped providing apprenticeships. Leaders have focused the business on the provision of vocational training that meets the local and government priority for adults seeking to gain employment or develop careers in personal care, and in close-contact sectors such as beauty and make-up, funded through learner loans. Managers have successfully increased the proportion of learners who stay on in learning and achieve their qualifications. However, leaders do not ensure that learners get access to a broad and rich curriculum. The curriculum focuses too narrowly on completion of a qualification. 19 to 22 October 2021 Senior leaders and teachers do not provide learners with enough opportunities to explore the full range of settings in which learners could work. For example, in nail

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better?

courses, learners do not always get experience of working on different nail types. In care, learners do not always get the chance to explore the full range of care settings. As a result, learners are not sufficiently well prepared for their next steps. They do not have enough opportunities to apply their new knowledge in a practical setting to develop their skills and behaviours.

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better?

Teachers do not make sure that learners understand well enough the new concepts they have been taught. Teachers track learners’ progress towards the achievement of assessment criteria and units, which are too narrow. They do not track well enough learners’ progress in the acquisition of knowledge, skills and behaviours. Teachers do not routinely support learners to improve the standard of their work so that they make the progress of which they are capable.

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better?

Teachers do not clearly identify what learners know and can do when they start their course. Teachers do not identify learners’ behaviours and their awareness of how these link to the workplace. As a result, learners are not supported to develop the behaviours they need to make progress or move into the workplace. Teachers do not have a clear enough understanding of what learners need to know so that they can plan learning more effectively.

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better?

Tutors do not routinely track learners’ progress in the development of their English and mathematics. The focus is too narrowly on whether learners have completed online learning modules, rather than on checking what learners now know and can do.

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better?

Leaders and managers have identified some additional topics that learners benefit from on their course. For example, learners on nail courses are supported to understand how to set up their own business and how to deal with tax when self- employed. However, there is not enough opportunity for learners to revisit and recall their learning. As a result, many learners cannot remember some of the key information that they have been taught.

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better?

In the majority of cases, the standard of learners’ work is not of sufficiently high quality. For example, in care, learners often show only a superficial understanding of safeguarding and how this applies to the care sector. Learners’ knowledge is very narrowly focused on the area in which they work.

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better?

In the majority of cases, learners display positive attitudes to their learning. They enjoy their learning and appreciate how their learning fits around existing commitments. However, teachers do not routinely ensure that learners adhere to the outlined expectations for online learning. For example, learners do not wear professional clothing to reflect the sectors in which they are studying.

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better?

Leaders prioritise learners’ mental health and well-being. They provide learners with relevant online learning resources, such as a short course that raises learners’ awareness of domestic abuse, and signposting to mental health services. Where a 19 to 22 October 2021 need is identified, tutors provide helpful support for learners suffering with anxiety, such as one-to-one sessions that help learners stay on track with their learning.

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better?

Leaders provide learners with useful information about careers. For example, learners on nail courses are provided with information about starting up their own business. However, senior leaders do not ensure that all learners receive information about the full range of careers available to them. For example, learners do not understand well enough the full range of settings in which they can work within the care sector.

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better?

Senior leaders and teachers have identified useful key content that learners need to know. This is ordered in a logical way so that learners are taught what they most urgently need to know first. For example, in nail services, learners are taught about health and safety and the client consultation process before moving on to nail services such as the application of nail art. Teachers are well qualified and knowledgeable about the subjects that they teach. They use this knowledge and experience well to communicate new knowledge to learners.

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better?

Leaders have taken steps to improve their quality assurance processes. For example, they have a new process in place for observations of teaching and learning. However, this is not yet bringing about the required improvements. Observations focus on what the teacher does, rather than on their impact on learners’ progress towards acquiring knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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better?

Leaders ensure that teachers benefit from access to a range of professional development opportunities. For example, staff have recently completed training in Asian bridal hair and make-up in response to learners’ demand. Leaders consider carefully the well-being of their staff. Staff feel proud to work for the provider.

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better?

Members of the board are ambitious to develop and improve the quality of the provision. Following the previous inspection, the governing body has recently been refreshed with the appointment of an independent governor to provide external scrutiny, insight and challenge to the owners of the business. However, senior leaders need to ensure that governors have access to a wider range of information, so that governors can challenge leaders more effectively to improve the quality of education.

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better?

Leaders’ interpretation and analysis of learner destination information are insufficiently rigorous to inform the improvement of the quality of education learners receive. Managers and curriculum leaders do not have a secure understanding of the destinations of too many learners or of the economic impact that training has had on their lives. Although leaders have introduced a number of new initiatives to improve learner response rates and the range of information gathered, it is too early to judge the full impact of recent revisions to how leaders collect and interpret learner survey results. 19 to 22 October 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Teachers make sure that learners have a good understanding of safe working practices. For example, learners on nail courses are able to set up a safe working station. Learners understand clearly the need for good hygiene, which they apply to their work.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have in place key staff with responsibilities for safeguarding. Staff benefit from ongoing training related to safeguarding, such as how best to support learners with mental health needs. Safeguarding is a standing item on the agenda of management team meetings.

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Safeguarding

Staff deal promptly with safeguarding referrals. The safeguarding team works well with external agencies to ensure that learners receive the support they need. Leaders ensure that all staff who may have contact with learners receive appropriate recruitment checks.

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Safeguarding

Leaders do not work closely enough with local partners and key agencies to ensure that they have a detailed understanding of local threats that may affect learners.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders must ensure that learners get access to a broad and rich curriculum. The curriculum is too narrowly focused on the completion of a qualification. Teachers need to track more effectively learners’ progress against the knowledge, skills and behaviours that learners need to acquire, rather than against the completion of units and assessment criteria.  Leaders must ensure that learners on nail, and on health and social care programmes have access to a wide range of practical experiences. Leaders and teachers need to plan this into courses, so that all learners have a wider exposure to the sectors in which they are studying.  Leaders need to improve swiftly how teachers develop learners’ English and mathematics. They should monitor more frequently the progress learners make with the development of their English and mathematics.  Leaders need to improve their quality improvement processes urgently. Their

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

current processes focus too narrowly on what teachers do in lessons, rather than the impact of this on the progress that learners make from their starting points in the development of their knowledge, skills and behaviours.  Leaders must establish urgently new relationships with the local safeguarding agencies within their new local area. They need to use the information from establishing such relationships to develop all learners’ understanding of localised risk.  Senior leaders must ensure that governors have access to a wider range of information on the quality of education that learners receive, so that governors 19 to 22 October 2021 can challenge the provider more effectively to bring about the rapid improvements needed.  Senior leaders need to track routinely learners’ destinations at the end of their course to inform their development of the curriculum. 19 to 22 October 2021

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Provider details

Address Suite 2, The Old Foundry Bath Street Walsall WS1 3BZ

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Provider details

Director Ian Shepherd and Andrew Jacques

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 18 to 21 September 2018

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 19 to 22 October 2021

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Ian Higgins, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Victor Reid Her Majesty’s Inspector Susan Gay Ofsted Inspector Maggie Fobister Ofsted Inspector Debra Forsythe-Conroy Ofsted Inspector Martin Ward Her Majesty’s Inspector 19 to 22 October 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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