R.E.A.L. Education Limited

R.E.A.L. Education Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Saul Pope, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Kings Mill House Unit 1 Kings Mill Way Mansfield NG18 5ER Monitoring visit: R.E.A.L. Education Limited, 6 and 7 October 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

R.E.A.L. Education (R.E.A.L.) provides alternative education provision for children and young people up to the age of 19. It has several sites across the East Midlands. At the time of the monitoring visit, R.E.A.L. had fewer than five apprentices enrolled on training programmes. All apprentices followed the level 3 junior content producer standard.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear rationale for offering junior content producer apprenticeships. They aim to support young people to develop the skills and knowledge they need to work in the digital sector. Because they offer alternative provision in small settings, leaders focus on recruiting apprentices who may find it difficult to study in large, mainstream establishments.

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Reasonable progress

Course tutors have considerable industry experience within the digital sector, for example in three-dimensional modelling, editing and brand design. They also have suitable teaching qualifications and complete useful additional training to help them better support apprentices. Through this training, tutors deepen their knowledge of special educational needs and mental health difficulties that some young people face.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide apprentices with a wealth of modern resources and equipment for their studies, such as cutting-edge software. This enables apprentices to learn new skills on equipment that is of a standard used in industry. Leaders also develop effective links with local businesses, so that apprentices can learn and practise new skills using real-life marketing briefs. Monitoring visit: R.E.A.L. Education Limited, 6 and 7 October 2022 Managers ensure that apprentices’ courses comply fully with the requirements of an apprenticeship. Apprentices spend at least 20% of their time studying. They also understand well the assessment they will complete at the end of their courses. Although tutors’ assessment of apprentices’ starting points is adequate, tutors do not use the information they get to establish the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices most need to develop during their studies.

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Reasonable progress

Managers use R.E.A.L.’s well-established processes to assess the quality of apprenticeship courses. They frequently conduct quality-assurance activities, such as curriculum reviews, visits to teaching sessions and scrutiny of completed assignments. However, managers do not use these activities to focus closely enough on apprentices’ progress through the curriculum.

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Reasonable progress

Because their training includes real-life assignments from local businesses, apprentices develop up-to-date sector knowledge and behaviours. They understand market demands from across the digital sector and develop confidence in communicating, both in person and via email, during on- and off-the-job training.

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Reasonable progress

During off-the-job training activities, tutors teach apprentices a suitable array of valuable new skills. For example, apprentices learn camera calibration or how to add voiceovers to images. Apprentices use these new skills to produce high-quality marketing products during on-the-job training.

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Reasonable progress

Although tutors plan courses around the knowledge and skills that apprentices need to be effective in junior digital roles, they do not always pay close enough attention to the knowledge, skills and behaviours within the apprenticeship standard. They do not plan how apprentices will develop all of these in a logical, systematic and explicit way.

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Reasonable progress

As a result, as they approach the end of their courses, apprentices’ knowledge and skills are, in a minority of cases, patchy. For example, although they confidently add music to advertising clips and produce high-quality social media content, they have a less thorough knowledge of how to use markup and style sheets when publishing web pages.

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Reasonable progress

During their courses, tutors meet with apprentices to discuss their development. They include employer feedback as part of this process and alter teaching sessions if employers identify that apprentices need a greater focus on specific skills. However, progress reviews take place too infrequently, and tutors do not record details of reviews thoroughly enough. Consequently, neither apprentices nor their employers clearly understand the priority areas for apprentices’ future development. Monitoring visit: R.E.A.L. Education Limited, 6 and 7 October 2022 Tutors have recently started to make improvements to the planning of courses and reviews of apprentices’ progress. At the time of the visit, it was too early to judge the impact of these changes.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and are safe, both at work and when they study. They know whom to speak to if they feel unsafe or have concerns about their peers.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead and their deputies undertake comprehensive safeguarding training. They have a thorough knowledge of the local safeguarding risks for vulnerable young people. Safeguarding leads ensure there is an appropriate process in place for staff and apprentices to report safeguarding concerns. Where appropriate, they make referrals to external organisations.

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Reasonable progress

During their courses, apprentices learn about topics such as staying safe online and the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. Although apprentices have a detailed knowledge of online threats, such as to their personal data, they recall only limited information about radicalisation or fundamental British values.

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Reasonable progress

Those responsible for governance complete appropriate safeguarding training. Governors with a safeguarding remit review safeguarding concerns and trends appropriately. Monitoring visit: R.E.A.L. Education Limited, 6 and 7 October 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 and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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