Mark Betts Hair Education Limited

Mark Betts Education Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Joanne Stork, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Mark Betts Education 18 Commercial Street Batley WF17 5HH Monitoring visit: Mark Betts Education Limited, August 9 and 10 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

Mark Betts Education Limited is a private training provider based in Batley, West Yorkshire. It began offering apprenticeships in hairdressing and barbering in 2019. At the time of the visit there were 29 apprentices on programme. Most apprentices were working towards the level 2 hair professional standard and fewer than five were working towards the level 3 advanced and creative hair professional standard.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have planned a curriculum that meets the needs of local hairdressing and barbering employers. Assessors teach core skills first, such as health and safety, client care and shampooing. Assessors then adapt the order in which they teach technical hairdressing skills to design bespoke programmes to suit individual employers. In some cases, employers require apprentices to master skills in blow-drying and styling client’s hair before they develop other skills. Other employers prefer apprentices to be able to apply colours effectively early in their programme.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers provide programmes that meet the principles of an apprenticeship. They ensure that assessors hold progress review meetings with apprentices and employers and that they take place within planned timescales. Leaders and managers ensure that apprentices have sufficient training to complete their programme either by attending weekly activities that take place in the training academy or through one-to-one sessions with assessors that take place in the salons. Assessors visit workplaces frequently and establish good working relationships with staff in the salons.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers carry out appropriate workplace checks to ensure that salons are safe for apprentices to work in. They make sure that apprentices have the appropriate supervision from salon staff throughout the programme. Monitoring visit: Mark Betts Education Limited, August 9 and 10 2022 Leaders and managers appoint staff who are suitably qualified and experienced in the hairdressing sector. Assessors continue to work in the industry, which ensures that their skills are up to date. Staff complete a range of vocational developmental activities and manufacturer training. However, they do not complete training to help update or improve their teaching skills.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have suitable systems and processes in place to monitor the quality of provision. However, staff do not receive feedback from their managers to help them improve their teaching.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors ensure that apprentices are suitable for an apprenticeship and are able to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours as a result of the training that they receive. Staff carry out thorough assessments of apprentices’ prior hairdressing experience and existing knowledge and skills in English and mathematics at the start of the apprenticeship and use this information to plan the training for apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors provide apprentices with useful information and advice at the start of their programmes about the expectations and requirements of the apprenticeship. As a result, apprentices understand how they will be trained and how they will be assessed during their apprenticeship. They have a good understanding of the requirements of the end- point assessment (EPA). However, assessors do not ensure that apprentices understand how to achieve the highest marks in the EPA.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors provide useful off-the-job training for apprentices. As a result, apprentices develop new knowledge and skills such as mixing and applying colour to clients’ hair, using hair extensions, and styling and cutting techniques. Apprentices quickly progress to carrying out these services on paying clients in the salon.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors produce training plans that clearly identify what apprentices will learn and when. They set apprentices appropriate skills targets to achieve, and they assess the progress apprentices make towards meeting these targets frequently in the training academy and in the workplace. Assessors use effective questioning to enable apprentices to explain their understanding of the correct tools and techniques to use for different hair types.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices who need to develop their skills in English and mathematics receive helpful training. They develop their written and verbal communication skills and increase their confidence in using mathematics in the workplace. However, managers recognise that they need to improve their monitoring of the progress apprentices make towards achieving qualifications in English and mathematics. Monitoring visit: Mark Betts Education Limited, August 9 and 10 2022

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have appropriate procedures and policies in place to ensure the safeguarding of apprentices. They ensure that staff have training in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers ensure that they use safe recruitment processes. They carry out appropriate background checks to ensure staff are suitable to work with young or vulnerable apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and know who to contact if they have any safeguarding concerns. They know how to keep themselves and clients safe at work and have a thorough understanding of workplace safety. Apprentices can talk confidently about general salon hazards and how to protect clients during services such as colouring.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors do not routinely inform apprentices of the local and wider risks that they may face or how to keep themselves safe in their communities. Therefore, apprentices have a limited understanding of potential risks such as drink spiking, county line gangs, exploitation, peer-on-peer abuse, or the risks from radicalisation and extremism. Monitoring visit: Mark Betts Education Limited, August 9 and 10 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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Reasonable progress

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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