Ebor Academy Trust

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection dates: 14 to 16 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

Ebor Academy Trust is a multi-academy trust that consists of 23 schools in York and North Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull and the Humber region and on the Yorkshire Coast. It began offering apprenticeships in September 2018. The programmes are managed by a dedicated team that is part of the trust's central support team. At the time of the inspection, there were 53 apprentices, of whom 36 were studying the level 3 teaching assistant standard and 17 were studying the level 3 early years educator standard. Almost a half of the apprentices are employed in settings within Ebor Academy Trust. 14 to 16 September 2022

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

Apprentices benefit from a positive and welcoming learning environment provided by very supportive staff. Trainers invest time in getting to know the apprentices, both personally and professionally. Apprentices feel valued, listened to and part of a team. As a result, they develop their confidence and resilience well to carry out their roles in schools and nurseries.

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

Apprentices enjoy their training days, and they attend the sessions well. Trainers are approachable, knowledgeable and experienced practitioners. They deliver sessions that are interesting and thought provoking. Apprentices develop significant and relevant new skills, knowledge and behaviours. Trainers provide useful hints and tips from their own experience, which apprentices are able to put into practice quickly in their job roles.

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

Apprentices feel safe and have a good understanding of safeguarding. Each training session includes a discussion on the ‘Prevent’ duty, safeguarding and well-being. Apprentices have a clear understanding of local risks, such as the activity of far-right groups in the north east, domestic abuse and county-line gangs. They also have a good awareness of challenges in the local area, such as deprivation and drug misuse. Trainers support apprentices to stay safe in personal situations and in the workplace. They provide advice about the risk of drink spiking and how apprentices can stay vigilant to the risks. Apprentices know the designated safeguarding staff and how to report any safeguarding concerns, should these arise in their settings and at the provider.

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better?

Leaders and managers have a clear intent to provide apprenticeship programmes that equip staff in the education sector with the skills and knowledge needed to support some of the most vulnerable children and help them to achieve positive outcomes. They draw successfully on the areas of specialism and expertise in the trust to provide apprenticeships for teaching assistants and early years educators. Leaders and managers contribute to filling skills gaps in the sector, working with other staff in the trust and with other employers.

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better?

Leaders and managers work well with employers to deliver programmes that meet employers’ needs. They develop positive relationships with the headteachers of schools and nurseries. Headteachers are able to influence the curriculum to ensure that it best fits the business needs of their school or nursery. They value the opportunity to work with the provider to train apprentices, and they appreciate the contribution that apprentices make in their settings.

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better?

Leaders and managers recruit staff who are well qualified and highly experienced in the sector. They have rigorous processes in place to identify individual development and training opportunities. These processes help them to develop trainers’ skills well. Leaders and managers set clear targets for trainers to update and to enhance their 14 to 16 September 2022

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subject knowledge and teaching skills. Trainers use their skills and knowledge well to provide high-quality training and to support apprentices through the programme.

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Managers and trainers plan and sequence the curriculum effectively to enable apprentices to benefit from training that is delivered in a logical order. Trainers engage with highly qualified and experienced mentors in the workplace, who help to review apprentices’ progress and support apprentices to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours that they require to carry out their job roles successfully. Off-the-job activities closely align with training days and learning plans. Apprentices value their off-the-job training, and they can apply theory effectively in their practical settings. Apprentices on the level 3 teaching assistant standard can scaffold learning with pupils to help embed concepts. Those studying the level 3 early years educator standard are able to use specially designed tiles to enhance a clock in order to assist children’s mathematical development.

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Trainers develop helpful learning plans based on apprentices’ starting points to ensure that apprentices develop the required skills, knowledge and behaviours of the apprenticeship standard. They use assessment effectively to adapt learning plans and tackle misconceptions. Apprentices studying the level 3 teaching assistant standard receive tailored guidance to ensure that they understand concepts such as how pupils achieve the building blocks of mathematics in Year 3. Apprentices on the level 3 early years educator standard are able to recognise children who are demonstrating attachment issues and put effective support in place to enable children to transition successfully to Reception classes.

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Apprentices produce work of a good standard. They use examples from their practice in their workplace settings to illustrate their theory work. Apprentices can effectively use citation and bibliographies to evidence their sources of research. They benefit from helpful feedback from their trainers, which they use to improve their work. Apprentices achieve well. Over half of those who have completed their programme achieved a distinction grade in their end-point assessment. However, a few apprentices are unaware of how they could improve their work to reach their optimum grade in their end-point assessment.

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A dedicated trainer successfully delivers courses leading to functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics. The trainer provides sessions to groups of apprentices and on an individual basis with the support of additional work on a specialist online platform. However, apprentices who have already achieved English and mathematics qualifications do not continue to develop their skills in these subjects well enough.

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Most apprentices receive helpful careers advice and guidance. They are supported effectively with their aspirations and progress to their next steps. Apprentices discuss career options when they join the programme and revisit the topic throughout the apprenticeship. Trainers provide apprentices who have expressed a desire to become a qualified teacher with opportunities to visit a number of schools that offer a range of specialisms to broaden apprentices’ understanding of the profession. This allows apprentices to explore specialist pathways such as speech, 14 to 16 September 2022

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language and learning support. However, a few apprentices have not yet received careers guidance and therefore are not aware of how to reach their career goals.

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Trainers take great care to undertake well-being checks with apprentices at every meeting. They ensure that apprentices develop an understanding of keeping mentally well. Apprentices understand how to stay safe when online and how to tackle bullying and harassment if incidents should occur. They receive age- appropriate training on consensual relationships, sexual harassment and careful use of social media. Trainers make apprentices aware of any changes in relevant legislation, such as ‘Keeping children safe in education 2022’. As a result, apprentices understand the signs of peer-on-peer and emotional abuse in pre-school children, such as being insecure or frightened and not wanting to go home at the end of the school day.

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Leaders and managers provide apprentices with a suitable range of opportunities to widen their experience by visiting other schools and workplace settings. For example, apprentices working in schools in rural areas have the opportunity to gain experience in city-centre schools. Apprentices have access to additional training on specific safeguarding topics and other courses on topics such as food hygiene. Trainers provide information to apprentices about these courses. However, they do not monitor apprentices’ participation well enough to establish the level of engagement or the impact of the courses.

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Oversight and scrutiny of apprenticeships by the trustees are effective. The apprenticeship trustee is suitably qualified and experienced to carry out the role, with experience as a headteacher and previous governance roles in schools. The trustee is able to speak confidently about the strategic aims for the next year, including the increase in online delivery and the commitment to continue to provide high-quality training for support staff in schools. Trustees receive appropriate reports from operational staff to inform them of progress and to enable them to drive improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers foster an effective culture of safeguarding that is reinforced in the apprentices’ settings. They ensure that staff and apprentices receive frequent updates on safeguarding issues, both local and regional, through the resources that they provide. Apprentices use their knowledge effectively to contribute to the safeguarding of the children with whom they work.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers have appropriate processes in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. They carry out comprehensive checks during recruitment and selection. They ensure that risk assessments are in place when working with agency staff and with new staff waiting for checks to clear. 14 to 16 September 2022

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Leaders and managers ensure that staff safeguarding training is up to date. All staff have, as a minimum, level 2 safeguarding qualifications. The designated safeguarding lead and the deputy safeguarding lead are appropriately qualified with higher level safeguarding qualifications and are sufficiently experienced to carry out their roles effectively. Leaders and managers have the appropriate policies in place to comply fully with the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Provide apprentices who have already gained their English and mathematics qualifications with support to develop further their skills and knowledge in these subjects.  Ensure that apprentices are aware of how they can achieve their optimum grades and reach their full potential in their end-point assessments.  Ensure that all apprentices engage fully in the courses that leaders provide that are beyond the vocational and academic curriculum.  Ensure that all apprentices benefit from effective careers guidance. 14 to 16 September 2022

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Provider details

Address Ebor Business and Training Centre The Leyes Osbaldswick York YO10 3PR

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Principal/CEO

Sue Hinchcliffe (Director of Apprenticeships)

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Principal/CEO

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Principal/CEO

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Principal/CEO

Main subcontractors None 14 to 16 September 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director of apprenticeships, 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

Joanne Stork, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Debra Forsythe-Conroy Ofsted Inspector 14 to 16 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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