Nottinghamshire Training Group

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Nottinghamshire Training Group

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Education programmes for young people Requires improvement Apprenticeships Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Information about this provider

Nottinghamshire Training Group Limited (NTG) was founded in 1987 as The Bassetlaw Training Agency. Students and apprentices attend one of four sites in Workshop, Retford, Derby or Sheffield. Study programmes and apprenticeships at levels 2 and 3 are available in hairdressing, beauty therapy, customer service, business administration and childcare.

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Information about this provider

NTG has 96 apprentices and 27 students in learning. NTG has historically focused its education programmes on young people who have had challenging experiences in school and post-16 learning. Most students follow a course comprising work experience, a vocational qualification at level 2, and, where needed, English and mathematics. There are no learners in receipt of high-needs funding. NTG has no subcontractors. 8 to 10 February 2023

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

Most apprentices and students enjoy their learning at NTG. Students who take part in work experience develop confidence and professional behaviours expected in the workplace. Most students who remain on their course successfully secure employment or progress to further study.

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

Apprentices and students value the course they study and benefit from studying in a calm and safe learning environment. They value the opportunity to study in smaller class sizes, where they gain personal support from their tutors.

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

Apprentices and students feel that the quality of education and training they receive meets their needs and aspirations. Students on study programmes do not receive an ambitious, well-planned curriculum. Students are not challenged to expand their knowledge and skills beyond their main vocational qualification. However, apprentices benefit from well-planned training in the hairdressing curriculum.

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

Apprentices and students feel safe. Tutors provide effective guidance and support to enable them to understand safeguarding topics. Apprentices and students have positive relationships with their tutors and know whom to speak to if they have particular concerns. They are confident that staff will deal with their concerns promptly and effectively.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have not implemented sufficient actions to rectify all the weaknesses in the curriculum. Consequently, the quality of education and training is not consistently good. For example, hairdressing apprentices benefit from a well-planned, coherent curriculum with a high level of employer involvement. However, students on study programmes and apprenticeships such as childcare do not benefit from an appropriately designed curriculum that gives them a rich experience to gain essential knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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better?

Most tutors now develop well-sequenced curriculum plans that have enough detail on the specific knowledge and skills that apprentices and students need in the workplace. As a result, tutors organise topics in the appropriate order to enable lesson topics to link together over time. Tutors create clear and well-structured lesson plans.

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better?

Most lessons include appropriate themes that relate to life in modern Britain. Apprentices and students have a good understanding of fundamental British values and can apply this at work and in their everyday lives.

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better?

Tutors teach effective English and mathematics lessons. Apprentices and students who stay on the course complete their qualifications successfully and pass the first time. However, tutors do not plan an ambitious curriculum to help apprentices and students to extend their mathematical and English skills beyond completing their 8 to 10 February 2023

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qualifications in order for them to apply what they have learned and expand their skills in the workplace.

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Leaders do not ensure that the teaching staff plan a sufficiently ambitious curriculum for apprentices and students with additional needs. Tutors do not benefit from enough training so that they understand how best to adapt the curriculum to meet learners’ specific special educational needs and/or disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder. As a result, in a minority of cases, students with additional needs who are on study programmes do not make effective progress.

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In most cases, tutors’ use of assessments is good. Most students and apprentices produce written work to the right standard. In a minority of cases, tutors’ written feedback is confirmatory and does not provide sufficient guidance to allow learners to understand what they have done well and what they need to improve.

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Leaders set clear expectations for learners’ behaviour and conduct. Consequently, apprentices develop appropriate, professional behaviours linked to the standard. Leaders have developed an appropriate attendance and behaviour policy to set out clearly how to tackle poor attendance and behaviour issues. However, leaders do not ensure that this policy is being consistently applied to improve attendance. As a result, attendance, particularly on study programmes, is low, and too many students leave without completing their qualification.

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Leaders ensure that students and apprentices study in good-quality learning environments. Learners feel safe and supported by staff to overcome barriers to their education and training, particularly if they are socially disadvantaged by difficulties at previous schools or issues at home. Tutors work effectively to create an inclusive environment that allows young people to have a second chance to get back into education and training.

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Leaders do not manage their performance data effectively. Leaders’ oversight of the provision is not yet robust. For example, leaders do not yet have a secure oversight of the achievement, retention and destination data for the wide range of courses they offer. Leaders are not able to use this information to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision and set high expectations for staff, students and apprentices.

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Leaders do not consistently ensure that all learners, particularly those on study programmes, get effective careers guidance. Personal and professional development plans for students on study programmes are underdeveloped. As a result, students are often unclear about the wider opportunities available to them after completing their qualification.

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Leaders do not have effective governance arrangements in place to support, challenge and hold them to account to improve the quality of education and training that learners receive. Leaders recognise this issue and are taking suitable steps. It is too early to see the full impact of these. 8 to 10 February 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed suitable policies and practices to ensure that apprentices and students are safe from harm. For example, leaders have appropriate safeguarding and safer recruitment policies in place. Leaders have appointed a designated safeguarding officer who has a suitable understanding of the role.

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Safeguarding

Tutors ensure that apprentices and students are clear about the type of safeguarding and welfare support available to them. Consequently, apprentices and students are clear about how to ask for help should they need it. They have a good understanding of radicalisation and extremism. However, their understanding of local issues, such as county lines and white supremacist beliefs, are underdeveloped.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders must ensure that students on study programmes receive a broad and rich curriculum that develops their knowledge, skills and behaviours beyond the main vocational qualification.  Leaders must ensure that tutors receive appropriate, specialist training on how to support apprentices and students with special educational needs and/or disabilities so that tutors can adapt the curriculum to meet their individual needs.  Leaders must improve their oversight and management of their performance data to ensure that they can accurately evaluate the effectiveness of the provision in order to support improvements.  Leaders must implement an effective careers programme to enable all students and apprentices to receive appropriate guidance and support about the wide range of opportunities available to them after completing their qualifications. 8 to 10 February 2023

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Provider details

Address Cheapside Worksop Nottinghamshire S80 2HX

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Alex Lilley

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 15 and 16 June 2022

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 8 to 10 February 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the managing 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

Michael Worgs, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Alison Loxton Ofsted Inspector Steve Kelly Ofsted Inspector 8 to 10 February 2023

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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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