Train 4 Limited

Train 4 Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Emma Woods, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Greetwell Place 2 Limekiln Way Lincoln Lincolnshire LN2 4US Monitoring visit: Train 4 Limited, 8 and 9 June 2022

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Context and focus of visit

Train 4 Limited was inspected in June 2021. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in addressing the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

Train 4 Limited (Train 4) began providing adult education courses in November 2017. It specialises in preparing unemployed learners for work. Learners are located throughout England. At the time of the monitoring visit, seven learners studied the level 2 award for door supervisors in the private security industry.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have taken the difficult decision to suspend temporarily the parts of the curriculum that did not provide sufficient time for learners to consolidate and practise their skills and knowledge. This includes training in construction, personal and social development, employability skills and customer service skills. Leaders continue to offer training for learners to become door supervisors. This course provides learners with the useful opportunity to gain Security Industry Authority certification.

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Reasonable progress

Learners still need to gain a substantial amount of knowledge and develop a range of skills in a relatively short space of time. Tutors introduce learners to a range of practical skills and provide opportunities for learners to practise them. However, these opportunities are limited by the available time. Managers recognise that this is a limitation of the course. They provide learners with opportunities to work alongside experienced security staff following completion of the taught element of their course. This has the potential to be very beneficial, but only a small proportion of learners take up the opportunity.

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Reasonable progress

Managers are currently reviewing and redesigning the other courses that they have stopped offering. They plan to reintroduce them in the future when they better meet the needs of learners. Managers are mapping qualifications to ensure that topics are reinforced at several points during the programme. However, in their current state, these plans still do not seem to provide enough time for learners to practise what they are taught. Monitoring visit: Train 4 Limited, 8 and 9 June 2022

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Insufficient progress

Tutors are yet to use assessment methods consistently well enough to check learners’ knowledge and understanding. They assess practical topics, such as how to search an individual, through learners completing practical demonstrations. Every attempt is recorded for learners’ formal assessments. Learners do them immediately after they have been shown how to do it by the tutor. They then get feedback from the tutor until they demonstrate it correctly. This means that learners do not get enough opportunity to show independently that they can complete activities consistently well or apply their skills fluently.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors make effective use of directed and undirected questioning during lessons to check that learners understand topics. They use multiple-choice tests at the start and end of the day to gauge how well learners have remembered information. However, these tests are largely available from third-party websites and tutors rely on learners telling them which topics they struggled with. This is not sufficiently systematic to check learners’ understanding.

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Insufficient progress

Learners receive professionally produced workbooks and have access to the same materials via the provider’s virtual learning environment. These workbooks provide a series of useful questions and activities for learners to complete as they study. However, learners are largely left to decide for themselves how to use workbooks and online materials. This limits learners’ opportunities to consolidate their knowledge. Tutors do not systematically review or mark learners’ work when they do complete them.

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Insufficient progress

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have made several changes to the improvement activities that they undertake. A few of these activities now help leaders and managers tackle areas for improvement but others are not as effective.

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Insufficient progress

Managers produce a quality improvement plan (QIP) that includes the areas for development from the last inspection. The QIP contains multiple versions of similar information and actions. It is not always clear when actions are complete or ongoing. Leaders have found it difficult to monitor the plan in the current format. Managers now maintain a PowerPoint presentation version to share with leaders but this also lacks precision. As a result, it is hard for leaders to monitor progress and managers spend too much time updating multiple documents. Monitoring visit: Train 4 Limited, 8 and 9 June 2022 Managers now undertake observations and drop-ins to lessons more frequently. Observation records show that managers provide a commentary on what tutors are doing rather than an evaluation. Managers do not pick up on the pertinent issues they need to monitor; for example, how tutors use assessment to help learners to

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Insufficient progress

remember and apply what they have been taught. This limits the impact that observations have on assessing tutors’ skills and the quality of their development plans.

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Insufficient progress

Managers have developed a tutor performance report which contains a range of compliance and quality indicators, and the outcomes of any observations or drop-ins. Managers meet with tutors to review them monthly. This process has a mixed degree of success. For example, actions for tutors to comply with awarding organisation requirements are detailed but their teaching and assessment personal development plans lack depth.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers meet monthly. They discuss quality indicators, such as tutor achievement rates by course and learner satisfaction. This allows leaders to have better oversight and challenge managers. However, the minutes and actions that result from these meetings are not captured well or tracked through to completion.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have changed the way that they record safeguarding incidents. Leaders understand the importance of capturing accurate records and there is a suitable referral form template for staff to use. For the few concerns that have arisen since the last inspection, there are sufficiently detailed records kept. They contain information about those involved, the actions taken and the timeline. Leaders take appropriate action to support individuals where there are any concerns. This includes discussions with job coaches or sharing appropriate resources and support links with learners to help them. Learners can now access a range of support services and resources through an online portal. This means that learners have a good range of contacts should they require any specialist support. Monitoring visit: Train 4 Limited, 8 and 9 June 2022 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young

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Reasonable progress

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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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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