Springfield Training Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Springfield Training Limited

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Information about this provider

Springfield Training Limited is an independent training provider that delivers apprenticeships mainly in the Yorkshire and Humber region. It received a contract to deliver standards-based apprenticeships in 2018. At the time of the inspection, there were 639 apprentices in training, of whom 28 were aged 16 to 18. Apprenticeships are provided from level 2 to level 6 across a range of sectors, including engineering and manufacturing, food and drinks production, health and social care, digital and marketing, business and team leading, and education. 9 to 12 August 2022

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

Apprentices highly value the support that they receive from teachers and support staff. They appreciate the professional culture that they experience through their training. Teachers are welcoming and treat apprentices with respect. Apprentices are confident that when they need help, staff will respond positively to provide it in a friendly manner. For example, apprentices receive additional training to help develop their emotional and mental well-being. As a result of the support that teachers provide, apprentices develop their confidence and know that staff will take swift action if they experience any bullying or harassment.

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

Apprentices benefit from training sessions that are designed and implemented well. Teachers deliver face-to-face training at apprentices’ workplaces and take care to understand the business needs of employers. They work with engineering and manufacturing employers to secure a rich understanding of their organisations and how they operate. They use this knowledge to plan and sequence training that helps apprentices to improve their workplace skills. As a result, apprentices develop and acquire substantial new knowledge and skills during their apprenticeships. They apply what they have learned well, such as solving problems when using specialised equipment in line with industry processes.

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

Apprentices are provided with age-appropriate information from the start of their apprenticeships that helps them understand how to live well and contribute to modern British society. Level 2 food and drink operative apprentices develop skills and behaviours that ensure that they are respectful and tolerant of others. They can explain how they use these skills effectively in their job roles when working as a member of a team, and they recognise the importance of modelling British values in their everyday lives.

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

Leaders and teachers celebrate apprentices’ performance and share their pride for those who complete their apprenticeship. They announce successes in newsletters and on the ‘achievement wall’ on their website. Teachers are ambitious for their apprentices and encourage them to aspire to maximise their future potential by explaining how they can achieve high grades. Most apprentices respond well to this encouragement and produce practical and written work of a high quality.

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

Most teachers provide apprentices with useful and impartial careers advice at the start of their apprenticeship. Apprentices who receive this information value it and are confident about their next steps. However, a few apprentices do not receive such useful advice and guidance and do not have as clear an understanding of the potential progression opportunities available to them on completion of their apprenticeship.

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Leaders have a clear rationale and intent for the apprenticeships that they offer. They select and deliver apprenticeships which target specific skills gaps that employers need to fill. For example, engineering employers find it difficult to recruit engineers who specialise in laser and aerospace technology. They value the apprenticeship offer that enables them to recruit, train and retain engineers who have a specialist understanding of their field.

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Leaders promote a supportive culture, which their staff and apprentices appreciate. Staff well-being, including physical and mental health, is of high priority. Leaders are considerate of staff workloads, and teachers have apprentice caseloads which are manageable. On occasions when teachers and support staff feel they are becoming overwhelmed, they are confident that leaders will take effective steps to help them manage. Leaders provide a range of well-being activities and resources, such as arranging for a therapist to support staff with their health and well-being.

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Leaders and managers have a secure understanding of the quality of training provided to apprentices and meet weekly with teachers to assess apprentices’ development. They take appropriate actions to address any underperformance and slow progress. Leaders have recently addressed a concern that they identified about some apprentices not completing within their planned end dates. They have ensured that the very large majority of these apprentices are now reaching the end of their programme and preparing for their end-point assessment.

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Leaders have sought support from experienced educational professionals who have taken on recent governance roles. Governors have a firm understanding of apprenticeships and the strengths and weaknesses of provision. For example, they identified that the reporting of and the use of data could be strengthened to help leaders understand why apprentices were not completing their programmes in a timely manner. They challenged leaders to address these concerns rapidly through the appointment of a learning support manager.

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Leaders and managers provide staff with relevant professional development opportunities. Teachers participate in training that helps them improve their teaching skills, including studying towards higher-level teaching qualifications. Leaders also encourage teachers to keep up to date with the latest developments and trends in industry. They have established a mandatory monthly reading hour which all staff use to read and research. As a result, apprentices receive training which is relevant and important for the sectors they work in. For example, level 2 furniture manufacturer teachers use their protected hour to research sustainability in the production industry. They then pass on their knowledge to apprentices so that they have a current awareness of modern slavery issues and how these are having an impact on the wood manufacturing sector.

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Teachers carefully select and sequence the apprenticeship curriculum so that apprentices cumulatively acquire the basic knowledge and skills that they need before moving on to studying more complex topics. They skilfully use the knowledge that they gain from initial assessment of apprentices’ starting points and adapt and adjust training plans so that apprentices rapidly acquire new knowledge and skills 9 to 12 August 2022

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that support them in their work. For example, on the level 5 children, young people and families manager apprenticeship, teachers use assessment information to help apprentices develop the knowledge that they need to safeguard children in residential provision. As a result, apprentices benefit from strengthening their knowledge of regulatory legislation.

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Teachers develop positive relationships with employers. They keep them up to date with the progress of apprentices at quarterly reviews. They also use these meetings to understand better the wider needs of employers and discuss the inclusion of additional qualifications in training plans. For example, during reviews, teachers on level 2 food and drink operative apprenticeships discussed with employers the need for apprentices to complete electric pallet truck training. They subsequently arranged for apprentices to undertake the training and acquire a higher level of competency, which benefits the business.

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Apprentices benefit from access to their off-the-job training entitlement, and most are guided to use it beneficially. However, in a very few instances, apprentices on level 3 team leader and/or supervisor apprenticeships do not have consistent guidance on how to make best use of their off-the-job training hours. As a result, they fall behind with their assignment work.

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Teachers successfully use a range of digital teaching methods and tools in combination with face-to-face sessions to enhance apprentices’ learning. They provide apprentices with a range of online resources, such as podcasts, glossaries and workbooks. Apprentices can easily access these when they need to outside of taught training sessions.

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Teachers check learning by observing the skills that apprentices develop in their workplaces. They use mock assessments well to prepare apprentices for end-point assessment. Most teachers set useful written targets that support apprentices to know what they need to do following assessment and how to improve their work. However, in a very few instances, such as in level 2 adult care, targets are set verbally and a few apprentices struggle to recall what it is they need to do.

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Teachers support apprentices well to develop their English, mathematics and digital skills. They carefully contextualise learning of these skills, which helps apprentices to develop and improve the knowledge and skills they need in their jobs. For example, teachers of level 5 children, young people and families manager apprenticeships help apprentices to improve their numeracy skills so that they can accurately calculate shift planning ratios and manage budgets. Level 3 engineering technician apprentices’ written communication improves over time, including their use of technical language. Apprentices who require functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics are supported well to achieve these, and a high proportion pass their examinations at the first attempt.

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Teachers have high expectations of apprentices to attend their studies and to aspire to achieve beyond their target grades. Where attendance is of concern, teachers 9 to 12 August 2022

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quickly make managers aware, and actions are taken to bring apprentices back into training.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have in place comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures that help keep apprentices safe. Staff are recruited safely and are appropriately trained in safeguarding. They know how to respond to concerns raised by apprentices or colleagues. The designated safeguarding lead and the deputy safeguarding officer are appropriately qualified and have a very secure understanding of apprentices who are perceived as being at risk of harm. They swiftly take appropriate action to mitigate safeguarding risks and involve other agencies where appropriate so that apprentices quickly receive the support they require.

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Safeguarding

Apprentices know how to stay safe both in their workplaces and when undertaking training. Leaders and teachers ensure that apprentices have a good understanding of risks that they may face in their communities, online and in workplaces. They provide apprentices with helpful ‘hot topic’ information about how to stay safe from extremist behaviours, radicalisation and other local risks, such as criminal gang activity and cuckooing.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and teachers have a zero-tolerance approach to inappropriate sexualised behaviour. They provide their staff with sufficient information to ensure that apprentices understand their rights and responsibilities in challenging and raising concerns about sexual harassment, sexual assault and peer-on-peer abuse. As a result, apprentices are confident they can raise concerns and that staff will deal with them effectively and swiftly.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that all apprentices receive useful careers advice and guidance that help them to understand their potential next steps.  Ensure that all apprentices who are approaching the end of their programme are supported well in readiness for their end-point assessment.  Ensure that teachers record targets for apprentices effectively so that apprentices know what they need to do to improve their work and can refer to the targets following reviews. 9 to 12 August 2022

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Provider details

Address 5 Victoria Court Bank Square Morley Leeds LS27 9SE

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Provider details

Provider type Independent training provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors Not applicable 9 to 12 August 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the chief executive officer, 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

Chloe Rendall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Karen Anderson Her Majesty’s Inspector Debra Forsythe-Conroy Ofsted Inspector Sarah Reynolds-Golding Ofsted Inspector Emma King Ofsted Inspector Vikki Edmondson Ofsted Inspector 9 to 12 August 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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