Ashley Hunter Ltd

Ashley Hunter Ltd Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Stuart Collett, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Park South Park Plaza Heath Hayes Cannock WS12 2DB Monitoring visit: Ashley Hunter Ltd, 11 November 2022

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Context and focus of visit

Ashley Hunter Ltd was inspected in January 2022. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in responding to the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the visit, the provider had completed training of all apprentices in health and social care and was preparing to commence teaching in leadership and management from January 2023. Inspectors met with leaders and managers, health and social care apprentices who had recently completed their apprenticeship, and their employers.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, managers have made changes to the curriculum to ensure a greater focus on apprentices’ development of key knowledge, skills and behaviours. Managers took greater account of apprentices’ job roles and have included key aspects of professional practice into their learning. As a result, the curriculum now aligns more closely with the needs of apprentices and employers. The increased focus on job roles has enabled tutors to include additional learning to meet apprentices’ and employers’ needs. For example, tutors included learning on personality traits to accommodate an employer’s specific requirements. Other tutors include learning on resilience and emotional intelligence for a newly promoted apprentice at the request of the employer. Managers introduced an assessment of apprentices’ existing knowledge, skills and behaviours at the start of a new topic. This has enabled tutors to identify

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Reasonable progress

apprentices’ current understanding of what they have learned and meaningfully personalise off-the-job training to fill apprentices’ knowledge gaps. Tutors provide additional challenge where apprentices already possess some knowledge of the topic. For example, one tutor of an apprentice who started their programme with a background in nursing and had previously covered infection control used her sessions to help the apprentice adapt her previous knowledge to her new job role and context. Monitoring visit: Ashley Hunter Ltd, 11 November 2022 Managers have increased the frequency of off-the-job training from monthly to weekly visits. Apprentices now benefit from more frequent in-depth and focused discussion on relevant topics and practice. This has resulted in apprentices having more specific targets and making improved progress on their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have focused on ensuring that apprentices are both better informed of and prepared for their end-point- assessments (EPA). Leaders made the decision to move to a different end-point- assessment organisation and have invested significant time in developing staff at all levels to have an in-depth understanding of the EPA process. Leaders have revisited the curriculum to ensure that most apprentices’ work aligns more closely with the standard and is graded in line with the requirements of EPA. Tutors now provide more developmental feedback, which, as a result, supports apprentices to understand what they need to do to improve their work to achieve a higher grade. All apprentices now attend EPA preparation workshops, which are clearly focused on developing learners’ understanding of the EPA process, what to expect and the requirements of each grade. These workshops are followed by several mock

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Reasonable progress

assessments that are carried out by suitably independent staff members, and useful feedback on performance is provided to both the apprentice and their tutor to give them the opportunity to further improve. As a result, apprentices feel well prepared and more confident when studying for and completing their final assessments.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have redeveloped their quality assurance processes to ensure that they now focus more sharply on measuring the quality of education provided and the impact this has on apprentices’ learning. Leaders and managers have conducted a thorough self-assessment and combined the findings with the areas for development highlighted during the previous inspection to create an ambitious quality improvement plan. Governors have scrutinised these plans and supported leaders to take rapid action to start to address the improvements they have identified. As a result, leaders and governors have a more detailed understanding of the areas they still need to improve. Monitoring visit: Ashley Hunter Ltd, 11 November 2022 Leaders have improved the tracking of apprentices’ progress. This now includes reference to the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices are developing,

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Reasonable progress

and no longer views apprentices’ achievement of units or elements within the mandatory vocational qualification as a measure of progress. Consequently, leaders and tutors now have a better understanding of the progress that apprentices are making and can rapidly put in place support for apprentices who fall behind in their studies. Senior leaders meet more frequently to scrutinise the progress being made against the actions in the quality improvement plan and act swiftly to intervene or provide support to staff where this is needed. For example, those in governance have temporarily stepped into more operational quality roles to support leaders in ensuring that the new quality processes are having a positive impact on apprentices’ learning. They regularly complete lesson visits and meet with apprentices and employers to fully understand the impact these changes are having and what still needs to be done. As a result, leaders and managers are able to provide effective

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Reasonable progress

support to ensure the required changes are made. Monitoring visit: Ashley Hunter Ltd, 11 November 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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Reasonable progress

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

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