Floorskills Limited

Floorskills Limited 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: Unit 2 Lyndon Farm Poolhead Lane Earlswood Solihull B94 5ES Monitoring visit: Floorskills Limited 22 and 23 June 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

Floorskills Limited started running standards-based apprenticeships in April 2021. At the time of the visit, there were 105 apprentices, 101 were on the level 2 floor layer standard and four were on the level 2 hospitality standard. Around half of apprentices were aged 16 to 18.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have strong links with their employers, who are both flooring manufacturers and fitters nationally. They identify thoroughly employers’ skills needs and plan a curriculum that ensures apprentices develop the skills and behaviours needed to raise the standard of floor laying across the country. As a result, employers value highly the training which helps their apprentices to develop ‘industry-leading’ knowledge and skills.

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Reasonable progress

The planned curriculum meets the requirements of an apprenticeship, including appropriate arrangements for end-point assessment. However, leaders have not made sure that all employers contribute to apprentices’ reviews so that apprentices receive sufficiently helpful feedback and targets for improvement. As a result, not all apprentices make the progress of which they are capable.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have invested significantly in extensive facilities to enable apprentices to practise both domestic and commercial floor-laying skills needed for their respective sectors. Leaders are in the process of recruiting an apprenticeship manager and an English and mathematics specialist, and so it is too soon to judge the effectiveness of these roles in improving the quality of curriculum.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders scrutinise the quality of their provision and use information from teaching observations and apprentices’ views to identify areas for improvement. As a result, Monitoring visit: Floorskills Limited 22 and 23 June 2022 leaders mostly know their strengths and weaknesses and have identified appropriate actions to rectify identified weaknesses, including for the few hospitality apprentices. Leaders have yet to ensure that they know well enough the extent to which apprentices develop their personal skills and wider understanding of topics, such as equality and individuals’ differences at work and in their communities.

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Reasonable progress

Although apprentices know the benefits of their programme for their current role, leaders have not ensured that apprentices know well enough information about their potential next steps outside of their current employment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have ensured that they have an appropriate governance structure in place to oversee leaders’ actions. However, leaders accept that they do not provide governors with sufficiently helpful information so they can hold leaders to account.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have created a well-sequenced and vocationally specific curriculum. As a result, apprentices gain substantial new skills, knowledge and behaviours over time to become productive employees. For example, apprentices learn rapidly the skills to lay carpets independently and can fit more difficult stair types confidently, such as ‘bullnose’. However, tutors do not focus sufficiently on how well apprentices develop their wider personal skills and behaviours to prepare them for their next steps.

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Reasonable progress

At the start of apprentices’ programmes, tutors assess appropriately what apprentices know and understand, including in English and mathematics. They use this information to plan learning that helps apprentices build on their current knowledge and skills. For example, those apprentices who require it, learn how to structure sentences and paragraphs and use apostrophes, which helps them to complete evidence sheets accurately. Apprentices also become more confident when speaking to customers and use their mathematical skills to calculate quotes for new jobs. As a result, most apprentices continue to develop their English and mathematics skills sufficiently and become talented fitters – one apprentice achieving ‘flooring apprentice of the year’.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors are well qualified and have a wealth of industry expertise, both nationally and internationally. They use this expertise when demonstrating new skills in training sessions, enhancing apprentices’ ability to grasp new techniques and the understanding to apply them in various settings. For example, tutors demonstrate how to lay flooring around more complex areas such as architraves, which the apprentices can then replicate. Because leaders test manufacturers’ new products in their high-quality training environment, apprentices advance their skills and learn about new flooring and fitting products as they become available. Monitoring visit: Floorskills Limited 22 and 23 June 2022 Tutors assess apprentices’ knowledge and skills thoroughly, including knowledge required for end-point assessments. They know when an apprentice is falling behind or does not have the opportunity to apply their skills at work. As a result, managers

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Reasonable progress

intervene quickly, helping the apprentice to get back on track.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders take safeguarding very seriously. They have devised a comprehensive safeguarding policy that is clear and informs staff about the organisation’s expectations of safeguarding and health and safety. The policy clarifies the reporting process for any potential safeguarding disclosure. The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) monitors safeguarding referrals carefully and, on the rare occasion that these occur, acts swiftly to support apprentices where necessary.

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Reasonable progress

During induction, apprentices are provided with appropriate information to develop their understanding of safeguarding, the ‘Prevent’ duty and health and safety, including in cybersecurity. Consequently, apprentices know the associated risks of extremist groups and the growing threats via online communications.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders follow an appropriate safer recruitment process and ensure that staff, including the DSL, have the appropriate training and disclosures to safeguard apprentices and maintain safe working environments and practices. As a result, apprentices know how to keep themselves safe in various domestic and commercial environments, particularly when using dangerous equipment, such as knives and other cutting tools. Monitoring visit: Floorskills Limited 22 and 23 June 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

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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