Lorraine Michaels

Further education and skills inspection report

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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 Adult learning programmes Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

Lorraine Michaels (trading as Crosby Training) is a small independent learning provider based in Sefton, Merseyside. Crosby Training was established 30 years ago and received its first publicly funded contract with Liverpool City Region in August 2019. Crosby Training offers short adult learning pre-employment programmes across the Merseyside region.

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Information about this provider

At the time of inspection, there were 55 adult learners. There were 15 learners on a pre-employment programme which consists of a level 1 award in customer service skills and a level 1 certificate in employability skills. There were eight learners on the ‘Empower You’ programme, which consists of a level 1 award in well-being, a level 1 award in customer service skills and a level 1 extended certificate in employability skills. There were 17 learners on the entry level 3/level 1 essential digital skills programme and 15 learners on the level 3 IT user qualification.

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Information about this provider

The provider does not subcontract any of its provision. 6 to 9 June 2023

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

Learners enjoy attending their sessions and feel safe in the respectful environment that staff and learners create. The majority of learners have high attendance and understand that good attendance and punctuality are important behaviours and attitudes for employment. Learners grow in confidence and self-belief as a result of their learning.

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

The support that learners receive is highly effective. Learners are provided with a broad range of support services. They benefit from a laundry and minibus service, access to the hair and beauty salon and food from the on-site pantry. Ukrainian learners have access to an interpreter. Learners can access ongoing support after they have completed their programme to help them to apply for jobs.

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

The support that learners receive from staff helps remove many of the barriers to learning and employment that they experience. As a result, the majority of learners achieve their qualifications and progress to positive destinations, including further learning, work experience and employment.

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

Most learners take up opportunities to participate in a range of activities beyond the classroom. For example, they visit an outward-bound facility and a local farm. This supports them in the development of skills such as communication and teamworking.

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

Learners benefit from motivational speaker sessions on inclusivity and diversity. They increase their awareness and understanding of different disabilities and how these impact people, such as the different canes used by visually impaired people and how these change with the different levels of visual impairment.

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

Learners complete useful training on radicalisation and extremism at the beginning of their programme and learn how to recognise potential signs of radicalisation. Most learners understand fundamental British values and how they relate to their personal lives and work.

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

Learners feel safe and know whom to contact if they have any concerns.

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better?

Leaders have a clear vision and purpose for their curriculum. They work effectively with referral partners and employers to provide short adult learning programmes to support the residents of Liverpool City Region into employment or to move closer to the job market. For example, they provide programmes to support learners with the application process for applying to work in public sector roles. They work with referral partners to support many of the most disadvantaged residents within the region. Staff support, teach and train Ukrainian refugees and those who have suffered domestic abuse or who are recovering from substance misuse to gain knowledge and skills that will help them return to employment. 6 to 9 June 2023

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Leaders and managers have not carefully constructed a curriculum for all learners that enables them to acquire the intended knowledge and skills. The content of the qualifications chosen requires significantly more time to learn than the few weeks that leaders and managers plan for the delivery of the programme. As a result, a few learners who are nearing completion of their qualifications are unable to demonstrate skills or recall learning studied at the beginning of the programme.

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Most learners gain new knowledge and skills as a result of completing their programmes. For example, learners on employability qualifications learn and understand their roles and responsibilities in the workplace, such as treating others with respect and the importance of health and safety at work.

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Prior attainment and experience are not always taken into consideration by staff when planning learning for a few learners. This results in these learners not being challenged to increase their knowledge and skills further. They complete work that requires knowledge and skills they have previously acquired and mastered.

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Tutor/assessors are well qualified and knowledgeable in their vocational subject. They use this knowledge to plan learning, starting with basic knowledge and skills and progressing to more complex topics. For example, learners on the entry level essential digital skills programme learn how to access and use basic applications, such as creating a word-processed document, before learning more complex skills, such as file management.

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Most tutor/assessors plan activities that help learners gain new knowledge and skills. They present and explain concepts clearly, using class discussion. For example, learners on employability qualifications discuss the impact of using social media to promote themselves to prospective employers. Learners on the customer care qualification work in small peer groups, discussing their past experiences in the workplace when dealing with dissatisfied customers. They discuss the approaches that are most effective and could be used, such as their tone of voice and body language.

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Most tutor/assessors check learning effectively during sessions through their use of skilful questioning. However, tutor/assessors do not always use assessment to embed learning to learners’ long-term memory. For example, in employability courses, learners complete workbook assessment activities in the classroom on completion of the topic and then quickly move on to the next topic in order to cover the content of the qualification. Tutor/assessors do not have sufficient time to consolidate and check learning over time with learners.

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Most tutor/assessors provide learners with useful oral feedback. However, feedback to learners on their assessed work is inconsistent. Feedback does not always tell learners what they have done well or what they need to do to improve the work that they produce. Feedback does not always help learners to improve their English written skills, and learners repeat errors. Leaders rightly recognise that this remains a weakness from the previous monitoring visit. 6 to 9 June 2023

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Learners receive effective careers advice from the start of their programme. They have access to an independent careers adviser and local careers services. Learners participate in career days with local employers. This helps learners understand the opportunities available to them on completion of their programme and for their longer-term ambitions.

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Leaders support most tutor/assessors to improve their teaching skills. For example, they complete activities on ‘Rosenshine’s Principles’, such as scaffolding learning and the difference between knowledge and rich knowledge. Most staff benefit from team meetings, where they enhance their subject knowledge and complete training to improve their teaching skills, such as questioning techniques. However, not all tutor/assessors have received support to improve their feedback techniques, and rely on independent research to complete the Rosenshine workbook.

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Leaders support the development of staff. They ensure that staff complete and update mandatory training, including in mental health and well-being. Staff are supported to achieve higher-level qualifications, such as master’s degrees, and qualifications in information advice and guidance. Most staff undertake vocational updating with employers. This ensures that tutor/assessors have a clear understanding of the different industry sectors that they prepare learners to progress to.

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Leaders have made improvements to the use of data to identify the impact of the curriculum for learners. However, they recognise that they still do not fully analyse the destinations of different groups of learners, such as those who have been long- term unemployed and those who have recently become unemployed, in order to further inform the curriculum.

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Leaders place a high priority on the workload and well-being of staff. Staff are provided with extended holidays, well-being time every month, hybrid working, free driving lessons to support independence and team-building activity days to raise money for charities. Staff feel valued and supported.

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Governance is effective. Board members understand their responsibilities and ensure that Crosby Training meets its statutory responsibilities. They are suitably qualified and experienced to carry out their roles. Leaders provide them with sufficiently detailed reports that focus on the quality of education and the progress that learners make. This enables the board to have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Board members set clear and measurable targets for senior leaders to improve the quality of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, managers and staff create a safe, supportive and caring environment for their learners. Leaders have in place effective safeguarding policies and procedures. This ensures that all concerns are raised and dealt with swiftly. The designated 6 to 9 June 2023

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safeguarding lead and deputy are appropriately trained to carry out their role. They work with local external agencies, such as the police and the mental health crisis team, to safeguard learners.

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Leaders and managers carry out pre-employment checks when appointing new staff to ensure they are suitable to work with learners. All staff receive training on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty so they understand how to recognise and report any concerns they may have.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders and managers should review the content and duration of the intended curriculum to ensure that learners have sufficient time to embed new knowledge and skills and can apply them consistently.  Leaders and managers should ensure that all learners benefit from an ambitious learning plan that enables them to build on their existing knowledge and skills so they can achieve their full potential.  Leaders and managers should continue to develop tutor/assessors’ teaching skills so they can provide all learners with useful feedback on their assessed work, which will help learners improve the work they produce and their English written skills.  Leaders and managers should continue to improve their use of data so they can measure the impact of the quality of education and make improvements where necessary. 6 to 9 June 2023

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Provider details

Address Crosby Training (Head Office) Ground floor, St Hughes House Trinity Road Bootle L20 3QQ

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Lorraine Michaels

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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 None 6 to 9 June 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the quality/programme lead, 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

Elaine Price, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Suzanne Horner His Majesty’s Inspector Maura Cummins Ofsted Inspector Rachel Butt Ofsted Inspector Liz Greenhalgh Ofsted Inspector 6 to 9 June 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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