Activ First Limited

Inspection dates: 13 to 15 September 2022

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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

Activ First Limited is an independent learning provider that was established in 2009. It received its first contract for directly delivering apprenticeships in 2017 after a period working as a subcontractor for colleges in the Yorkshire and Humber region. It specialises in delivering apprenticeships in the sports and leisure industry. At the time of the inspection, there were 139 apprentices on programmes from level 2 to 5. The largest numbers were on standards in leisure duty manager, team leader supervisor, community activator and personal trainer. Most of the provision is delivered in employers’ workplaces. 13 to 15 September 2022

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

Tutor assessors create a calm and productive environment in taught sessions and at reviews. Apprentices speak highly of the rapport that they have with their tutor assessors and how this helps them to learn.

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

Apprentices demonstrate professional attitudes at work and in learning. They respond well to the high expectations set by their tutor assessors about the need to attend sessions and to complete assignments in a timely way.

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

Apprentices promote the values of equality of opportunity and diversity. They talk confidently about how they now use the correct pronouns for transgender colleagues at work. This makes their workplaces more respectful and welcoming environments for staff and clients.

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

A high proportion of apprentices are on sport and leisure programmes. These apprentices develop a strong understanding about how active lifestyles have a positive impact on their personal health and well-being.

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

Most apprentices on the leisure duty manager programme gain promotions from their role as relief managers to become permanent leisure centre duty managers.

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

Apprentices understand how to apply their knowledge of safeguarding at work. They identify and report suspicious behaviours in leisure centres, so that clients are kept safe.

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better?

Senior leaders have drawn on their extensive experience and contacts gained from working in the sport and leisure industry to create an apprenticeship curriculum that meets the needs of public and private sector employers within the sector. The curriculum contributes to the development of the workforce at all levels within the industry, from front-of-house reception staff to personal trainers in gyms, up to middle and senior managers.

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better?

Tutor assessors involve employers at an early stage in the planning of programmes to shape the content and sequencing of the curriculum. They provide guidance on how units and tasks can be matched with work being undertaken in the workplace to meet the needs of specific employers. For example, training in conflict management and resolution has recently been added to the programme for the leisure duty manager standard, due to the number of challenging customers who apprentices deal with in the workplace.

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better?

Tutor assessors implement the curriculum logically to develop apprentices’ knowledge, skills and behaviours progressively based on their initial starting points. For those apprentices who have worked in leisure centres in more junior roles, the 13 to 15 September 2022

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emphasis is on providing them with a theoretical understanding of different leadership styles and developing their personal skills. For the less experienced and confident apprentices, the programme starts with customer care and health and safety, before moving on to the more theoretical components of the curriculum.

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Tutor assessors plan on- and off-the-job training closely with employers to ensure that apprentices can learn new skills and practise them in the workplace. Apprentices shadow experienced members of staff on duty manager shifts, so they can develop an understanding of how to put together a team and allocate tasks to team members effectively. A few apprentices, however, do not receive protected time to complete their assignments due to staffing pressures at work, and have had to complete them in their own time.

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Tutor assessors use a range of assessment activities effectively to check the progress of apprentices and to help them to improve further. They observe apprentices demonstrating skills, set apprentices frequent assignments to test their knowledge and collect feedback from employers. As a result, apprentices can confidently recall what they have learned.

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Most apprentices’ employers engage in formal reviews and provide feedback to tutor assessors about the progress that apprentices make at work. However, with a small minority of employers, this does not happen frequently enough.

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Tutor assessors prepare apprentices well for end-point assessments. They provide apprentices with a helpful toolkit that supports them to understand what they need to do at the end-point assessment. This contributes to ensuring that a high proportion of apprentices achieve a distinction grade.

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As a result of the good quality of education that apprentices receive, they develop substantial new skills and knowledge that employers find valuable. For example, apprentices on the team leader supervisor standard used their project management knowledge to design a new system to identify tachograph infringements and serial offenders among a company’s delivery drivers. As result of this work, drivers received new training and the number of infringements reduced.

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Leaders and managers plan and implement an effective personal development curriculum for apprentices. They work with apprentices to identify what personal attributes they want to develop at the beginning of each programme. Many apprentices want to be more confident when speaking to groups or chairing meetings, so tutor assessors and employers work well together to provide apprentices with opportunities to develop that confidence.

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Tutor assessors discuss apprentices' career aspirations during the programmes. At the start of programme, employers are involved in discussions to make sure that they can provide the opportunities for apprentices to develop their knowledge and skills in line with their stated career goal. 13 to 15 September 2022

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Leaders and managers recruit tutor assessors with a wealth of experience in the sports and leisure industry. Teachers and assessors are well qualified. They keep their knowledge and skills relevant by sharing best practice and through maintaining direct links to employers within the industry.

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Leaders and managers have taken effective action to recover the quality of education and reduce the negative impact on apprentices' progress caused by the successive shutdowns of leisure industry settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have restructured the team managing programmes, so that there is a sharper focus on monitoring the progress of apprentices. As a result, the number of apprentices who have passed their original end dates has reduced. An increasing number of apprentices are passing through the gateway to reach their end-point assessments.

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Leaders and managers have recently established a governance board that includes external members, to provide them with support and challenge. This has only met once, so it is still too early to see an impact. Before then, company directors held senior managers to account through effective supervision arrangements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers ensure that they keep learners safe through the implementation of a set of effective safeguarding policies and procedures.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding staff deal promptly and effectively with the small number of reported concerns that they receive. For example, they engage with employers and parents to support apprentices experiencing bullying. As a result, these apprentices return to work and complete their programmes.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding staff have access to information on local risks through their membership of provider networks. However, they do not disseminate this information to apprentices. As a result, apprentices cannot identify the risks that relate to their own localities.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that employers engage actively in all aspects of the apprenticeship programme, such as attendance at reviews, so that they can support their apprentices’ development more effectively.  Ensure that all apprentices on the leisure duty manager standard receive sufficient protected time at work to complete their study assignments. 13 to 15 September 2022

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 Continue to develop the role of the new governance board, so that its members can hold senior leaders to account for the quality and performance of the apprenticeship programmes.  Ensure that information on local safeguarding risks is disseminated to tutor assessors and apprentices, so that they are better informed about current risks in their localities. 13 to 15 September 2022

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Provider details

Address 75 St John's Street Bridlington YO16 7NW

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Neil Murray

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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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Provider details

Main subcontractors Not applicable 13 to 15 September 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the co-head education and training, 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

Charles Searle, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Jonny Wright His Majesty's Inspector Matthew Newbould Ofsted Inspector 13 to 15 September 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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