Acorn Training Ltd

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Adult learning programmes Good Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

Acorn Training Limited is an independent training provider established in 2008. They offer apprenticeships and programmes for adult learners.

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Information about this provider

They have been offering apprenticeships since 2018. At the time of the inspection, 602 apprentices were in learning across the West Midlands, East Midlands and North West. All apprentices were following standards. Of these, 355 were studying childcare and early years, and 181 apprentices were studying in health and social care at levels 2 to 5. The remaining apprentices were following standards in business administration, customer service, team leading and management. Nearly all apprentices are aged 19 and above.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, 229 learners were studying adult learning programmes in employability, health and social care, warehousing, business administration, English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT). Acorn Training subcontracts to three providers: Regency Training, Tempus Training, and Wing Training. Precisely 37% of adult learners are training with subcontractors: 144 learners are attending courses at Acorn Training and 85 learners are attending courses with subcontractors. 14 to 17 June 2022

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

Staff take a keen interest in learners’ and apprentices’ progress and well-being. They quickly identify the support needs of learners and apprentices and put in place the appropriate support. Individual coaching enables them to keep up with course work. Staff make referrals to external support agencies where needed. As a result, learners remain on track with their learning and complete their courses.

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

Learners feel valued and respected. Many learners have had prolonged periods away from education. They find returning to learning a challenge but develop confidence and resilience as a result of their learning experience. They enjoy learning in a positive learning atmosphere. Apprentices and adult learners are enthusiastic about their learning and committed to their studies. Adult learners develop the skills and confidence to make changes in their lives. Apprentices and their employers value the knowledge and skills they are developing. For example, they can explain how their apprenticeship helps them to contribute to their workplace by being able to work with young people with complex needs.

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

Those learning with subcontractors are less likely to receive a consistently good learning experience.

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

Most learners can explain how British values relate to their day-to-day lives. For example, in functional skills English lessons, learners discuss how they value and respect their service users’ opinions. Learners have a broad understanding of radicalisation and extremist behaviours. They recognise the signs of extremism, such as changes in colleagues’ behaviour at work. Too few learners know enough about the specific risks in their local areas.

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better?

Leaders work closely with employers and other partners to design an ambitious curriculum that meets local and national priorities. For example, the apprenticeship curriculum addresses skills shortages in the health and social care, early years, and the business skills sectors. The adult curriculum meets the needs of some of the most disadvantaged. It provides a range of employability and vocational courses. Leaders and trainers plan and teach the curriculum in a logical sequence. Apprentices and learners build their knowledge, skills, and behaviours incrementally. For example, apprentices on early years educator programmes learn first about regulatory requirements and safeguarding. They then move on to more-complex topics, such as supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, their employers value their increasing contribution at work. 14 to 17 June 2022

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Managers recruit qualified staff to teach programmes. Trainers and assessors hold teaching and assessor qualifications and have expert knowledge of their subject area. They attend professional development days where they refresh their subject knowledge. Most learners and apprentices enjoy learning and gain skills quickly. Trainers’ and assessors’ expertise prepares apprentices well for the workplace. Trainers prepare adult learners for their next steps. However, leaders and managers do not always support trainers sufficiently to improve their teaching. As a result, teaching in a few classes is over-reliant on workbooks. Learners in these classes lose interest and motivation. Senior leaders have established checks to evaluate the quality of education that apprentices receive. Leaders observe teaching and assessment and review apprentices’ work. However, the approach to quality improvement on adult provision is less

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thorough. Leaders focus on a single lesson observation, which does not allow them to make a reliable judgement about the progress learners make over time. Leaders have undertaken a robust set of checks on their subcontractors. However, they have not yet put in place appropriate action to assure the quality of education in subcontractors. As a result, learners attending training at subcontractors are less likely to experience a good quality of teaching. For example, a few lessons rely on self-study using workbooks. These lessons do not develop learners’ skills, knowledge and understanding well enough. Tutors do not check well enough what learners know and understand. As a result, it is not clear to teachers what progress learners are making. Senior leaders have in place arrangements for governance. Leaders use external scrutiny to assure governors about contractual and financial compliance. However,

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governors do not receive sufficient information about the quality of teaching, particularly for adult programmes. This means that they are not able to challenge leaders and managers to improve areas of weaker teaching. Apprentices complete an assessment of their knowledge, skills, and behaviours at the start of their apprenticeship programme. However, trainers do not use this information systematically to plan learning that focuses on the development of all apprentices’ identified skills gaps. Learning goals focus too much on the completion of tasks and not enough on the development of skills and behaviours. As a result, not all apprentices make the swift progress that they could from their respective starting points.

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The large majority of trainers are skilful in their teaching, linking theory well to workplace practice. They use assessment well to check what learners and apprentices know and can do. For example, they use quizzes, group discussion and questioning to check learners’ and apprentices’ progress. As a result, most learners and apprentices know more and remember more over time. However, in a few cases, trainers are not sufficiently skilled in the craft of teaching. For example, they do not use questioning well to elicit information from learners and apprentices; instead, they provide the answers themselves. In a few cases, trainers do not ensure that all adult learners take part in online classes. 14 to 17 June 2022

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Learners and apprentices gain substantial new knowledge, skills, and behaviours. Apprentices apply new learning in practice in the workplace. They become skilled practitioners. Adult learners gain in confidence, become more employable and improve their self-esteem. For example, learners on essential digital skills programmes at entry level learn to use information technology to prepare a professional curriculum vitae to support their job search. Apprentices on children, young people, and family practitioner programmes, learn about trauma and how it affects children from a very young age. They apply their new learning when supporting young children presenting with challenging behaviour in their settings.

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Trainers review progress frequently with apprentices and their employers. Employers support apprentices well in the workplace. However, in a few cases, employers do not fully participate in progress reviews. As a result, on- and off-the-job training for these apprentices are not coordinated as well as it could be. This makes it difficult for apprentices to relate theory to practice at work. The majority of trainers provide apprentices with detailed feedback on their written work that tells them what they have done well and what they need to do to improve their work. They often challenge apprentices to expand their answers to include fuller responses. For example, apprentices on children, young people and family practitioner programmes receive feedback to add in more information about the policies and procedures they needed to follow to comply with the Childcare Act 2016. As a result, most apprentices improve their work over time.

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Oral feedback in lessons recognises the contribution that adult learners make and supports them to know what they can do to improve further. As a result, they improve their confidence and self-esteem. Written feedback for adult learners is not always sufficiently detailed. In too many cases, it is overly positive and confirms coverage of assessment criteria. As a result, learners are not challenged to improve their work. Most apprentices are using and developing English and mathematical skills. For example, apprentices on adult care worker programmes learn about percentages and how to calculate the percentage of their off-the-job training hours. They learn about grammar and punctuation. As a result, they are better able to write notes accurately on service users’ care plans. However, leaders and trainers do not ensure that apprentices develop their English and mathematical skills beyond the minimum level

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required for the apprenticeship. Trainers prepare adult learners well for their final assessments. For example, they support learners to solve problems, focusing on key grammatical differences between very similar answers. As a result, almost all adult learners pass their assessment at their first attempt.

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Most learners and apprentices are prepared well for the next stage of their education or employment. They receive useful careers advice and guidance at the start of their courses. However, a few apprentices do not receive enough guidance during their courses and, as a result, are unclear of the opportunities available to them after 14 to 17 June 2022

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completion. The vast majority of apprentices achieve their qualifications and progress to their next steps. Most apprentices remain in full-time permanent employment, gain promotion or move on into higher level training. The majority of adult learners gain the skills, confidence and resilience to progress into jobs or towards employment .

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have a clear commitment to embed a culture of safeguarding within the organisation. They have in place clear safeguarding policies and procedures. Designated safeguarding officers and ‘Prevent’ leads are appropriately trained. They respond promptly and appropriately to safeguarding disclosures, involving external agencies as appropriate. Leaders ensure that all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training. However, the mandatory safeguarding training provided to staff does not focus enough on peer-on-peer abuse, or harmful sexual behaviours.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that those in a governance role receive useful information on the number of disclosures and action taken. This allows those in governance to provide challenge and scrutiny to support safeguarding practices.

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Safeguarding

Learners feel safe and know who to contact if they have a concern.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should ensure that trainers plan and give focused training to support apprentices to fill gaps in their English and mathematical skills.  Leaders should ensure that all trainers use the information collected at initial assessment to plan learning that focuses on the development of all apprentices’ identified skills gaps. They should ensure that learning goals focus on the development of skills and behaviours, so that apprentices make swift progress from their respective starting points.  Senior leaders should ensure a robust approach to the quality assurance of adult provision and of subcontractors to enable them to evaluate and improve the quality of education that adults receive.  They should ensure that governors receive sufficient information to support their ability to challenge leaders as to the quality of teaching that learners receive, particularly for learners on adult learning programmes.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Senior leaders should extend staff professional development support to staff to improve their craft of teaching, particularly where learning is online. They should use the results from quality improvement activities to plan professional development to support improvements. 14 to 17 June 2022

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Provider details

Address 140 Brownhills Road Stoke-On-Trent ST6 4JU

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Provider details

Provider type Independent Learning Provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Main subcontractors

Regency Training Tempus Training Wing Training 14 to 17 June 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the Chief Executive, 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

Kate Murrie, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Ian Higgins Her Majesty’s Inspector Mark Parton Her Majesty’s Inspector Mark Keen Ofsted Inspector Karen Tucker Ofsted Inspector Joel Dalhouse Ofsted Inspector Liz Greenhalgh Ofsted Inspector Claire Beaman Ofsted Inspector Maggie Fobister Ofsted Inspector 14 to 17 June 2022

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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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