Sport Structures Education Community Interest Company

Sport Structures Community Interest Company Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Richard Deane, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Suite 8, The Cloisters 12 George Road Birmingham B15 1NP Monitoring visit: Sports Structures Community Interest Company, 6–7 April 2022

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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

Sport Structures Education Community Interest Company is an apprenticeship provider based in Birmingham. It provides training services in the sport and physical activity sector across England. At the time of the visit, 39 apprentices were on programme: 21 were on level 5 operations/departmental manager standard, nine were on level 3 team leader/supervisor standard, and nine were on the business administrator standard.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear and well-informed strategic intent for their curriculum as a result of key partnerships with national sport and leisure organisations. They have devised a solutions-focused curriculum to remedy the key skills gaps identified in leadership and management capacity within the industry. This curriculum also meets with the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Although the planned curriculum aligns well with most apprentices’ job roles – in areas such as team leading and management – leaders recognise that in a few cases, apprentices are currently unable to undertake all aspects of their curriculum. For example, not all apprentices have direct opportunities to practise performance- management strategies.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices receive sufficient careers information, advice, and guidance so they know about future careers options in and outside of their current organisation. In a few cases, apprentices do not know well enough the opportunities and sectors they might aspire to in the future. Monitoring visit: Sports Structures Community Interest Company, 6–7 April 2022 Leaders have invested significantly to ensure apprentices have the resources for their courses. They have recruited sufficient tutors with the relevant industry experience and teaching expertise to ensure that apprentices receive effective teaching, learning, and assessment. Teachers make suitable arrangements for end-point assessments and inform apprentices about the expectations for these early in their learning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders evaluate the quality of their provision carefully. They use a variety of strategies to understand the quality of education, including observations of teaching, gathering apprentices’ and employers’ views, and reviewing apprentices’ work. As a result, they know broadly the strengths and weaknesses of their provision.

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Reasonable progress

The governing board has a relevant mix of expertise for its role. Governors receive useful information to ensure that leaders’ actions support apprentices to make at least the progress expected of them. Leaders accept that governors require more helpful information about apprentices’ progress from their respective starting points – including in English and mathematics – so that governors can scrutinise leaders’ plans for improvement.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers have planned logically an appropriate curriculum over time to ensure that apprentices develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that they, and their employers, require. For example, on the level 5 management standard, apprentices first reflect and learn about themselves and the business before learning how to work effectively with key stakeholders. As a result, apprentices develop incrementally their knowledge, building their confidence and abilities over time.

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Reasonable progress

At the start of their apprenticeship, teachers use a range of methods effectively to identify what apprentices know and can do. However, in a few cases, teachers do not use this information well enough to plan learning. For example, teachers do not always identify gaps in apprentices’ knowledge, particularly in relation to English and mathematics. Consequently, they are unable to ensure that all apprentices close knowledge gaps in these subjects.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices appreciate the teaching and support they receive. Teachers share content with apprentices clearly. They employ a range of strategies imaginatively, including using coaching and mentoring in both one-to-one sessions and groups online. Teachers question apprentices skilfully to help them consolidate their learning and also provide them with helpful feedback to improve their work. They intervene quickly and effectively to support apprentices to catch up if they fall behind. As a Monitoring visit: Sports Structures Community Interest Company, 6–7 April 2022 result, apprentices understand and remember new knowledge long term and can apply it well in their job roles.

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Reasonable progress

In most cases, teachers, and employers link on- and off-the-job training effectively. For example, apprentices learn about empathy and the theory of emotional intelligence when working with teams or leading projects. As a result, apprentices are able to make sense of theoretical principles in action. In a few cases, where employers do not fully engage with the apprentices’ reviews, apprentices do not always benefit from putting new theory into practice.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop useful new knowledge, skills, and behaviours. For example, they explore techniques to manage their time better, such as the ‘eat that frog’ method. They learn how to conduct more-effective appraisals with staff, developing an empathetic approach and appropriate focus on staff well-being and motivation.

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Reasonable progress

The provider has developed comprehensive safeguarding policies that provide clear expectations and accurate guidance to staff and apprentices. The policy includes procedures for handling safeguarding incidents. It also describes how safeguarding principles align closely with the organisation’s values – setting clear expectations for staff and apprentices. As a result, staff and apprentices work well together in a safe and inclusive environment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have an appropriate safer recruitment process. Teachers and staff have the appropriate disclosures, and the designated safeguarding lead has received the appropriate training to ensure that they can lead and oversee effective safeguarding practice. For example, leaders have a comprehensive ‘risk register’ that identifies potential risks and relevant strategies to mitigate any potential impact.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed a ‘Prevent’ duty action plan and ensure they keep up to date with current topics, including extremist and gang-related activity. Apprentices have an appropriate understanding of safeguarding and know how to keep themselves and their colleagues safe, including online. Monitoring visit: Sports Structures Community Interest Company, 6–7 April 2022 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

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Reasonable progress

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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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