Orange Moon Training Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Orange Moon Training Limited

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Information about this provider

Orange Moon Training (OMT) is part of a group of businesses that include an Ofsted- registered childminder agency. It trains around 300 apprentices annually. At the time of the inspection, there were 182 apprentices in training.

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Information about this provider

Leaders have recently strengthened the rationale for their curriculum to their areas of expertise. They now only recruit apprentices to education and childcare courses.

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Information about this provider

Most apprentices are on early years courses, 56 study the level 2 early years practitioner, and 68 study the level 3 early years educator. There are 22 apprentices on the level 3 teaching assistant standard. Leaders currently work with one subcontracted partner with around 36 apprentices, although this partnership is due to cease. 11 to 14 October 2022

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

Apprentices enjoy their experience with OMT. Tutors set high expectations for standards of professional behaviour and attitudes to learning. As a result, apprentices are committed to their learning and behave well. They become reliable employees who communicate effectively when working with staff, parents and children in their job roles.

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

Most apprentices are satisfied with their training. They value the guidance tutors give them, to become successful qualified practitioners. Apprentices rightly report that they would value more time with their tutors. Many spend too much time working independently on assignments.

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

Most apprentices develop sufficient knowledge, skills and behaviours to secure permanent roles in the education and childcare sector. However, a few apprentices cannot explain how their training helps them to be ready to carry out their job roles proficiently.

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

Apprentices benefit from the work leaders do to get to know employers and learn about their setting. This helps prepare apprentices to be practitioners of the future. For example, teaching assistant apprentices learn about special educational needs and the specific training principles for their respective settings.

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

Tutors use their knowledge from management roles in the sector to develop apprentices’ personal skills well. They help apprentices develop the self-confidence to communicate successfully in team meetings.

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

Apprentices rightly value how tutors help them to be safe, for example how to deal with children who bite. Tutors help them make sound lifestyle choices. Apprentices learn about the risks of drinking too much and making themselves vulnerable, and how to use personal safety apps when walking home alone.

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better?

Leaders and governors have yet to realise their ambition to be the provider of choice for education and childcare training. They have not fully implemented appropriate quality improvement activities to raise standards.

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better?

Leaders and tutors do not plan courses carefully enough. Apprentices’ starting points are not used well to inform effective training plans. A small minority of employers are unclear about training requirements. While many apprentices undertake valuable training activities, such as coaching sessions with their tutor, or shadow experienced teaching assistants doing phonics practice, this does not happen consistently.

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better?

A few tutors try to teach too many topics too quickly. They focus overly on what apprentices need to do to pass assessments or meet qualification requirements. While tutors use appropriate resources to help apprentices to learn, there is an over- 11 to 14 October 2022

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reliance on the completion of basic workbooks. As a result, apprentices do not gain a deeper level of understanding. Leaders have put appropriate actions in place to address this weakness. It is too early for inspectors to judge the impact of this.

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Many tutors do not use assessment effectively to find out what apprentices know and understand. They do not check what apprentices understand before they move to a new topic. For example, tutors pose a question well, but then step in and answer the question themselves. As a result, too many apprentices cannot recall what they have learned about in detail.

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In a minority of sessions, tutors make more careful checks on learning. If they establish that apprentices have not fully understood key concepts, they arrange follow-up tutorials. Tutors provide frequent and helpful additional learning support for the small number of apprentices who require it. They recap new learning with them and revisit topics to reinforce learning.

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Many tutors do not help apprentices to improve standards of English for their current job roles and future careers. Feedback on English is too general and does not lead to improvement. Leaders recognise this weakness. They have recently made changes to drive improvement. It is too soon to judge the impact of this.

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Most apprentices attend well, although ongoing challenges to maintain required staff-to-children ratios in nurseries affects apprentices’ attendance at times. When apprentices miss sessions, tutors take appropriate actions. However, leaders do not routinely review trends in non-attendance to enable prompt follow-up with employers.

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Tutors are well-qualified practitioners with extensive relevant experience, such as a senior nursery manager or primary school teacher. They are passionate about the subjects they teach. When tutors use their expertise well, it brings learning to life.

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Tutors prepare apprentices thoroughly for the externally set assessments at the end of their course. Apprentices achieve good results, and over half achieve a distinction grade. Many apprentices successfully pass functional skills exams, especially for mathematics.

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Tutors improve apprentices’ understanding of fundamental British values. Apprentices encourage children to share and work together, challenge bullying and become responsible citizens.

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Apprentices benefit from the leaders’ and tutors’ nurturing culture. Tutors are friendly and approachable. Apprentices are confident to raise concerns with their tutors and ask for support. When they do so, they experience swift response and action, for example advice about housing costs, or the loan of laptops and textbooks.

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Tutors provide helpful guidance to apprentices about the next steps in their careers. Most apprentices secure or continue in permanent jobs in the education and 11 to 14 October 2022

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childcare sector. However, tutors do not routinely advise apprentices about the wider opportunities available.

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Leaders prioritise staff well-being. This is valued by staff, who agree that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. There is effective support for staff, including a trained mental health first aider. Leaders ensure frequent training opportunities for staff, such as domestic abuse awareness and digital skills updating. However, there has been less effective focus on ways to improve tutors’ teaching practice.

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Leaders have a positive partnership with their current sub-contractor, Learning for Futures (LFF). LFF attend networking and standardisation events, complete monthly reports and partake in annual audits. Communication is frequent and LFF leaders understand expectations well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have an appropriate and due regard for the safety and well-being of apprentices. They ensure a suitable approach to safer recruitment and safeguarding record-keeping.

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Safeguarding

Leaders record and explore safeguarding incidents carefully and comprehensively. Any disclosures are dealt with rapidly and effectively.

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Safeguarding

Leaders promote well a culture of safeguarding. They ensure that tutors inform apprentices about risks they may face. Apprentices learn about online safety and develop their knowledge of current risks in their local areas, for example the recent unrest and tensions within different groups in the community in Leicester. 11 to 14 October 2022

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should use apprentices’ starting points effectively, to inform curriculum planning, and design training that helps apprentices build on what they already know.  Leaders should work with employers to plan and establish effective links between on- and off-the-job training, so that apprentices can develop and practise what they learn.  Leaders should ensure that apprentices, at all stages of their course, benefit from enough time and support with their tutors.  Leaders should support all tutors to use their expertise more skilfully to deepen apprentices’ understanding through teaching and assessment activities.  Leaders should continue their work to improve tutors’ ability to support and improve apprentices’ English skills. 11 to 14 October 2022

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Provider details

Address 6 Sherwood Rise Nottingham NG7 6JF

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Barrington Oliver-Mighten

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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 Learning for Futures Limited 11 to 14 October 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the CEO, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous monitoring visit 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 and reviewing learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff, employers and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Vicki Locke, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Julie Gibson Ofsted Inspector Sarah Le-Good Ofsted Inspector Karen Green Ofsted Inspector Nikki Brady His Majesty’s Inspector 11 to 14 October 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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