Alliance Learning

Alliance Learning Reinspection monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Alison Cameron Brandwood, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection dates: 19 and 20 July 2023

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

The Hurst Building Horwich Business Park Chorley New Road Horwich Bolton BL6 5UE Monitoring visit: Alliance Learning, 19 and 20 July 2023

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Context and focus of visit

This is the first reinspection monitoring visit to Alliance Learning following publication of the inspection report on 18 April 2023 which found the provider to be inadequate overall.

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Context and focus of visit

Alliance Learning is based in Horwich near Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is part of the University of Bolton Group. At the time of the visit, the provider had 303 apprentices studying apprenticeships at levels, 2, 3, 5 and 7. Around half of the apprentices were aged 16 to 18 years and half aged over 19. Apprentices follow 12 apprenticeships, 11 of which are standards-based, and one is a framework. The large majority of apprentices study apprenticeships in engineering with the rest following business and professional apprenticeships. Leaders work with employers across three regions of England with the vast majority located in the North West.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put in place appropriate actions to respond to the safeguarding concerns raised at the previous inspection. They have made reasonable progress in strengthening their safeguarding processes and procedures. Leaders have appointed two additional members of staff to the safeguarding team.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put in place a range of training to improve how staff respond to safeguarding and welfare issues. Tutors understand when and how to report concerns and do so promptly using the online reporting system. Safeguarding leaders and officers benefit from the training that they attend such as suicide prevention. They are more confident to ask apprentices difficult questions about their well-being such as feelings of self-harm and suicide.

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Reasonable progress

The safeguarding team respond promptly to safeguarding concerns. The team swiftly follow up and act on concerns raised. Safeguarding leaders make appropriate referrals to external agencies when needed. They keep detailed, confidential records of ongoing cases. The safeguarding team meet frequently with apprentices to follow up on their concerns and ensure their well-being.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and know how and who to raise concerns with, should they arise. They value the activities that develop their understanding of safeguarding further such as alcohol and drug awareness talks. Monitoring visit: Alliance Learning, 19 and 20 July 2023 Leaders are aware that they need to broaden their focus on local safeguarding issues to include all regions where apprentices are located. They need to further identify the local risks where apprentices live and work.

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Reasonable progress

Board members have made reasonable progress in the scrutiny and challenge they provide to leaders around the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. Following the previous inspection, board members swiftly appointed a new CEO and more recently a new quality manager. Leaders provide reports to board members that are comprehensive. They provide useful information about the progress that leaders are making to improve safeguarding arrangements and the engineering curriculums. Board members challenge leaders about the impact of staff training, such as feedback to apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Membership of the board of trustees has been strengthened. Additional appointments include a board member with considerable educational experience and a safeguarding board member, who has extensive experience of safeguarding. Board members challenged leaders to provide a trend analysis of safeguarding cases. The subsequent report highlighted that most safeguarding cases were concerns around depression, anxiety and stress. This has led to the introduction of mental health training for staff, board members and apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have not taken on any additional apprentices because the funding body has suspended any new starts. In the meantime, leaders have put in place clear plans to improve the way in which they will assess what new apprentices know and can do at the start of their apprenticeship. Tutors have begun to revisit the starting points of existing apprentices to identify any gaps in their current knowledge, skills and behaviours. For example, engineering apprentices Monitoring visit: Alliance Learning, 19 and 20 July 2023 attend additional support sessions to develop their understanding of topics such as trigonometry and equations.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put in place a range of training for staff to develop their skills in giving feedback to apprentices. In most cases, tutors provide high-quality oral feedback. For example, following feedback, engineering apprentices ensure sufficient penetration of a weld while undertaking vertical welding tasks. Tutors have improved the quality of the feedback that they provide to apprentices on their written work, so that apprentices know what they need to improve. However, apprentices are not always clear about how to improve their work because tutors do not clearly outline the actions that they need to take to make it better. Leaders have planned more training sessions to improve the quality of feedback further.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices have a well-developed understanding of the requirements of their final assessments and the grades that they could achieve. They are more aware of what they need to do to be successful. Employers are clear about the requirements. A few employers conduct professional conversations in which apprentices discuss the skills that they have developed.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have made reasonable progress in ensuring that apprentices’ on- and off- the-job training is planned and coordinated effectively. They have taken clear actions to ensure that employers are more involved in the apprentices’ learning journey, such as participation in the reviews of their progress. Where employers are fully involved, apprentices make faster progress through their studies because their employers ensure that they practise in the workplace the skills they are learning. Leaders have plans in place to ensure that improvements are embedded across all apprenticeships.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have introduced suitable actions to develop most apprentices’ English and mathematical skills earlier in their apprenticeship. They have made reasonable progress in collecting and assessing information about apprentices’ knowledge of English and mathematics at the start of their apprenticeship. Apprentices complete assessments to identify their strengths and weaknesses in English and mathematics. Tutors use the results of the assessments to target apprentices’ areas for development. Level 5 operations or departmental manager apprentices develop their report writing and evaluation skills. Engineering apprentices develop work-related Monitoring visit: Alliance Learning, 19 and 20 July 2023 advanced mathematical skills. They calculate resistances, material density and tolerances to ensure the accuracy of their work.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices who need to achieve functional skills qualifications benefit from attendance at individual and small group sessions. Tutors focus on developing apprentices’ understanding of the topics that they struggle to understand such as punctuation. However, a few apprentices studying functional skills in English do not know how soon they will be ready to take the examinations that they need to achieve to move through their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have made reasonable progress in putting into place actions to improve the personal development curriculum and ongoing careers advice and guidance for apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders now provide a greater range of activities to help apprentices develop their interests and talents beyond their main vocational curriculum. Apprentices benefit from a recently reinvigorated and more purposeful tutorial curriculum. They take part in activities, including sustainability workshops, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and money management talks, and visits to industry conferences about innovative technologies. Leaders recognise that they still have work to do to provide a comprehensive personal development programme for all apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices benefit from comprehensive initial information advice and guidance prior to starting their apprenticeship. Most apprentices feel that the apprenticeship they are studying matches their current career aspirations. Leaders have not yet ensured that apprentices routinely benefit from a well-planned careers education programme. Apprentices receive ad-hoc information from their tutors and line managers about potential next steps. Leaders have begun to plan a careers education programme for the start of the new academic year. Monitoring visit: Alliance Learning, 19 and 20 July 2023 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

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Reasonable progress

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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