Enterprise Made Simple Ltd

Enterprise Made Simple Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Jacquie Brown, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

4 Eggleston Court Riverside Park Middlesbrough TS2 1RU Monitoring visit: Enterprise Made Simple Limited, 25 and 26 July 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning provision where the provision offered is in scope for inspection. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’, especially the sections entitled ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Enterprise Made Simple Limited is an independent learning provider, with its head office in Middlesbrough. It receives funding from the Tees Valley Combined Authority to provide training to adult learners in the Tees Valley area. At the time of the visit, there were 43 learners enrolled on level 3 courses, 10 of whom were on a management matters course and 33 on a supporting people course.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear curriculum rationale for their programmes. They provide courses to adults who are unemployed, are self-employed, work in management roles or aspire to be managers. The management matters course provides learners with an introduction to leadership and management and equips them with the strategies and tools to support team development at all levels. On the supporting people course, learners develop an understanding of self-development and grow in confidence and self-esteem. The course gives learners the opportunity to grow and change in their personal and working life.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work well with external stakeholders to meet the needs of learners. They work closely with the Tees Valley Combined Authority to provide programmes that meet strategic priorities. Leaders focus on recruiting adults who are unemployed and those who do not have a level 3 qualification. They liaise effectively with Jobcentre Plus, small and medium-sized enterprises and micro-businesses.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide learners with a well-resourced learning environment. Learners benefit from spacious and well-presented training rooms with smartboards. They also have access to comfortable study areas, where they complete independent learning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have effective oversight of the quality of the provision. They have recently begun to complete observations of training and provide feedback to trainers. Leaders Monitoring visit: Enterprise Made Simple Limited, 25 and 26 July 2023 rightly recognise the need to link the outcomes of these activities to staff training plans and to provide training to staff to develop their teaching skills further.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have an accurate oversight of the progress of the small number of learners currently enrolled. They are aware of any learners at risk of falling behind. Leaders plan to increase the number of adult learners and rightly recognise the need to have more formal oversight of learners’ progress as the provision grows.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders analyse destination information for learners so that they are aware of those who have gained employment following completion of their programme and those who have had a career change or progressed in their career. They use this information and feedback from learners to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum that they deliver.

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Reasonable progress

Staff carefully review learners’ prior knowledge and skills to ensure that learners are enrolled on the correct programme. They accurately assess learners’ starting points and use this information to agree targets with learners.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers plan and deliver the curriculum in a logical order. They teach learners the core theoretical knowledge that they need before moving on to skills-based activities. For example, on the supporting people course, trainers teach learners about the theory of counselling skills first so that they develop a clear understanding of fundamental ethical practice before working in a counselling role with peers or clients.

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Reasonable progress

Learners benefit from trainers who are experienced and skilled professionals with good knowledge of their subject areas. Trainers use their knowledge well to shape the content of the curriculum. For example, on the management matters course, trainers use their experience in business operations to talk through the principles of managing employees in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers have sufficient oversight of learners’ progress. They frequently review learners’ work in their workbooks and give them useful feedback to help them to improve. Trainers complete progress reviews with learners to discuss their progress. They provide one-to-one support to learners at risk of falling behind.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers support learners effectively to improve their English skills. They emphasise the importance of learners producing written work that is neat and grammatically correct, and they identify any errors for learners to correct. Monitoring visit: Enterprise Made Simple Limited, 25 and 26 July 2023 Trainers teach most learners effectively. On the management matters course, they encourage debate, which helps learners to understand their managerial styles, weaknesses and strengths. As a result, learners gain a solid understanding of the principles of management, communication and personal development. However, a few learners find training methods repetitive and would value a greater variety of teaching techniques.

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Reasonable progress

Most learners benefit from training that is at a suitable pace. However, a few learners on the supporting people course struggle to consolidate and apply what they have learned to their practice before attending their next session. Leaders plan to review the length of the programme to allow all learners the cognitive thinking time they need.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers provide learners with useful careers information to enable them to plan their next steps. They give information about other courses, such as level 4 and level 5 counselling courses and higher education degrees.

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Reasonable progress

Designated safeguarding leads attend valuable training, which enables them to be effective in their safeguarding roles. They ensure that staff attend useful training that helps them to recognise the signs of abuse and radicalisation and to know what action to take.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have implemented appropriate safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty policies and procedures to help keep learners safe. They implement safe recruitment practices to ensure that staff are suitable to work with vulnerable adults.

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Reasonable progress

Learners feel safe during training when based at the training centre. Trainers teach them about age-appropriate topics during their induction, such as the local risks of potential terrorist activity, given due to the provider’s proximity to a port. They also teach them about domestic violence and alcohol and substance misuse. Learners know to whom they should report safeguarding concerns. Monitoring visit: Enterprise Made Simple Limited, 25 and 26 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 training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council

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Reasonable progress

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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

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