Aspire Training Solutions (UK) Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Aspire Training Solutions (UK) Limited

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Inspection dates: 22 to 24 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Information about this provider

Aspire Training Solutions (UK) Limited (Aspire) is an independent training provider based in Birmingham, West Midlands. Aspire became an approved apprenticeship provider in 2019 and began teaching apprentices in March 2020. Nearly all apprentices study sport and leisure coaching related apprenticeships and work in either private businesses or schools. At the time of the inspection, there were 154 apprentices. Of these, 51 were on the level 2 community activator coach, 14 were on the level 2 leisure team member, 37 were on the level 3 community sport and health officer, 9 were on the level 3 teaching assistant and 43 were on the level 4 sports coach apprenticeship. 22 to 24 November 2022

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

Apprentices develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours. This newly acquired knowledge helps them to make an effective contribution to their employers’ businesses. Nearly all apprentices have ambitions to progress on to either the next level of study or permanent sports related roles.

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

Apprentices develop professional behaviours that help them to become more confident and resilient at work. Apprentices can deal with a range of circumstances and challenges within their workplaces. For example, apprentices on the level 3 community sport and health officer apprenticeship learn and apply the skills necessary to communicate effectively with young children, parents and senior colleagues.

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

Apprentices understand the need to be inclusive and are appreciative of other’s needs and opinions. For example, level 2 community activator apprentices consider children’s physical and mental health needs thoroughly when planning sports coaching exercises, ensuring these activities are inclusive to all.

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

Apprentices’ attendance at their training and work is high. In the rare instances when absence occurs, skills coaches support apprentices effectively to catch up on any missed work. This is achieved through extra taught sessions or additional targeted work that apprentices are set by their skills coaches.

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

Apprentices are not sufficiently aware of their next steps or prepared suitably for life beyond their apprenticeships. Leaders and skills coaches do not give apprentices sufficient advice to help them decide what they want to do next or how their knowledge and skills might be transferred to a different role within the industry or beyond.

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

Most apprentices have a broad awareness of the dangers posed by radicalisation and extremist views. However, leaders and skills coaches do not ensure that apprentices develop a sufficient understanding of their localised risks. As a result, apprentices cannot identify well enough the risks that they might encounter in their daily lives.

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better?

Leaders and managers have a keen understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. They have recently taken substantial actions to improve the quality of the training that apprentices undertake. Leaders have recruited experienced staff to oversee these actions. However, as these changes are still very new, it is too soon to see their full impact.

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better?

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for the apprenticeships they offer. They ensure that their ambition to promote sport, health and physical development is 22 to 24 November 2022

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shared with all apprentices. Consequently, apprentices share this passion in the communities and schools in which they work.

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Leaders and skills coaches work with employers effectively. They work with employers to ensure that the curriculum is logically ordered to enable apprentices to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to be successful within their roles. For example, apprentices on the level 2 community activator coach apprenticeship study topics such as safeguarding and risk assessments early in the curriculum, before progressing on to classroom control and behaviour management.

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Skills coaches have the knowledge, skills and subject expertise needed to support apprentices appropriately. For example, skills coaches on the level 4 sport coach apprenticeship have prior teaching backgrounds in physical education. As a result, skills coaches clearly explain content and knowledge to apprentices and how this can be used within their job roles.

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Skills coaches gather information about apprentices’ starting points through an initial skills scan and other assessments. However, these are not used to plan or individualise the curriculum that apprentices undertake. Skills coaches do not link apprentices’ prior knowledge and experience to plan new learning well enough. As a result, the more-experienced apprentices are not always challenged effectively to make the progress of which they are capable.

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Skills coaches do not support apprentices to develop their wider skills well enough, particularly in English and mathematics. Skills coaches do not routinely identify apprentices’ starting points in these areas and therefore do not benefit from teaching to help to fill gaps in apprentices’ knowledge.

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In too many cases, skills coaches do not conduct reviews of apprentices’ progress frequently enough. As a result, apprentices cannot always relate their learning to their job role in a meaningful way.

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Skills coaches do not assess apprentices well enough within their places of work. Skills coaches do not sufficiently assess apprentices’ progress in their practical skills development at work. As a result, apprentices are not always sure how to improve their practical skills within their job roles to the standards of which they are capable.

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Skills coaches do not always ensure that apprentices receive clear and concise feedback that supports sustained improvement over time. In too many cases, the feedback that apprentices receive is overly positive. Skills coaches fail to check new learning or identify how the apprentice could improve. As a result, apprentices are not aware of how to improve their work and reach their potential.

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Leaders and managers do not focus their attention closely enough on ensuring that all apprentices complete their studies on time. While at the time of inspection only a small number of apprentices had progressed through to their end-point assessment, too many apprentices on the level 3 community sport and health officer standard had withdrawn from their studies. 22 to 24 November 2022

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Leaders and managers have put in place suitable arrangements for the scrutiny of the training that they provide. Members of the advisory board are highly skilled practitioners. As a result, they provide leaders with significant challenge, hold them to account and highlight areas for improvement. For example, they supported leaders to implement and develop new quality assurance processes that are now more focused upon the quality of education that apprentices receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding lead is suitably qualified and completes additional training that enables them to be effective in their role. They understand their safeguarding responsibilities well. Leaders follow safer recruitment processes to ensure that staff are suitable to work with apprentices and young children.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers ensure that they have appropriate processes in place for the reporting and tracking of safeguarding incidents and concerns. Where concerns are highlighted, they are acted upon rapidly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers ensure that apprentices are safe in the workplace. Apprentices receive training that helps them to risk assess working environments effectively. For example, level 2 community activator apprentices conduct risk assessments that reduce the physical risk to children in both indoor and outdoor play settings.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should ensure that all apprentices’ starting points are identified thoroughly and are used to plan a challenging apprenticeship.  Leaders should ensure that skills coaches provide apprentices with sufficiently helpful feedback on their work so that they know what they are doing well and what they need to do to improve.  Leaders should ensure that skills coaches review apprentices’ progress more frequently and thoroughly so that apprentices can practise what they have learned and develop the practical skills necessary to allow them to flourish.  Leaders should ensure that all apprentices have a clear understanding of the safeguarding risks associated with their locality.  Leaders should ensure that skills coaches develop apprentices’ English and mathematics skills to target gaps in apprentices’ understanding effectively so that they make rapid progress through the curriculum. 22 to 24 November 2022

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 Skills coaches must ensure that all apprentices receive unbiased careers advice and guidance so that they are fully informed about their next steps. 22 to 24 November 2022

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Provider details

Address Unit 6 Holly Park Industrial Estate Birmingham B24 9PB

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Website

https://www.aspire-sports.co.uk/aspire- training-solutions

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Website

Principal, CEO or equivalent James Trowman

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Website

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Website

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Website

Main subcontractors N/A 22 to 24 November 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the operations director, 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

Mark Parton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Rachel Jablonski Ofsted Inspector Ian Smith Ofsted Inspector Helen Morgan His Majesty’s Inspector 22 to 24 November 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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