Richmond Training Academy Limited

Richmond Training Academy Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Suzanne Wainwright, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Suite 4 The Technology Centre Inward Way Ellesmere Port CH65 3EN Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 26 and 27 July 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Richmond Training Academy Limited was inspected in August 2022. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

Richmond Training Academy Limited (Richmond) is an independent learning provider based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. It provides training predominantly in Chester and the Wirral. Richmond was acquired by Think Trinity Limited (Think) in April 2022.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, Richmond had 42 apprentices. There were 12 apprentices on the level 2 adult care worker standard, 16 on the level 3 lead adult care worker standard, six on the level 4 lead practitioner in adult care standard and six on the level 5 leader in adult care standard. There were fewer than five apprentices on the new level 5 coaching professional standard. Nearly all apprentices are aged 19 years or over.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have developed a clearly defined curriculum that is focused on the business needs of employers and the aspirations of apprentices. Apprentices complete a skills scan at the beginning of their apprenticeship. This identifies what they already know and can do. Skills coaches use this information effectively to determine gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and skills and to devise individualised training plans. They review apprentices’ progress every eight weeks to ensure that apprentices are on track to achieve their apprenticeships on time.

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Significant progress

The newly appointed managers and skills coaches are highly competent. They are passionate about the work they do. They have committed fully to the curriculum and quality challenges they inherited and have improved the curriculum design and Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 26 and 27 July 2023 apprentices’ learning experiences substantially. Consequently, this has reduced the number of apprentices who leave their apprenticeship early.

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Significant progress

Apprentices now understand fully the content of their final assessments and the grade opportunities that are available to them. Skills coaches weave the grade criteria effectively into the high-quality learning resources that accompany each topic. Of the apprentices who have now completed their final assessments, almost all have achieved high grades.

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Significant progress

Apprentices improve their English and mathematical skills extensively from their starting points. Skills coaches provide apprentices with individual support to help them to achieve their functional skills qualifications. These sessions enable apprentices to overcome their previous barriers to learning, particularly in relation to mathematics. Other apprentices demonstrate clearly how they use their English and mathematical skills in their daily work. For example, level 5 lead adult care worker apprentices use mathematical skills to manage budgets, calculate staffing ratios and forecast wages.

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Significant progress

Most apprentices’ work is of a high standard. It demonstrates clearly how apprentices build on their knowledge and skills over time. For example, level 3 lead adult care worker apprentices learn about infectious diseases under health and safety prior to completing the detailed optional units on the cause and spread of infection and infection prevention and control.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have taken appropriate actions to improve the coordination of on- and off-the-job training. Skills coaches work closely with apprentices and employers to ensure that off-the-job training links directly to apprentices’ job roles. Most employers are now involved in the planning and coordination of apprentices’ training. For example, care home managers schedule rotas to enable apprentices to apply off-the-job learning at work, such as leading team meetings and attending safeguarding panels.

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Reasonable progress

Employers are supportive of their apprentices. Leaders and managers have ensured that employers understand their commitments to apprenticeships fully. Of the reviews sampled during the monitoring visit, most employers attend their apprentices’ progress review meetings routinely. They contribute regularly to feedback on apprentices’ progress. Skills coaches ensure that apprentices and employers understand what they can record as off-the-job training and discuss progress against target hours at each progress review. Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 26 and 27 July 2023 Apprentices develop their skills and behaviours at work swiftly. For example, level 2 adult care worker apprentices learn about mental health capacity, duty of care and risk assessments. They apply this knowledge confidently at work to improve the person-centred care they provide.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensured that the coordination of on- and off-the-job training for their new level 5 coaching professional standard was in place before they offered this apprenticeship. Consequently, apprentices learn about Freud’s developmental psychology and different coaching models, such as ‘GROW’ (goal, reality, options, will) and ‘OSKAR’ (outcome, scaling, know-how, affirm, review), and use these at work to support the successful development of their teams.

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Reasonable progress

In a minority of instances, apprentices are unable to complete off-the-job training routinely at work. This interrupts the planned training of a few apprentices and occasionally impacts on their ability to complete their apprenticeship on time.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers provide potential apprentices and employers with sufficiently detailed, impartial information to ensure that an apprenticeship is the appropriate option for them. Their new approach includes a variety of different activities, such as an initial expression of interest, skills scans and face-to-face meetings. These activities ensure that both the employer and the apprentice understand fully the requirements and expectations of what it means to study for an apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders are considering alternative options to upskill potential learners for whom an apprenticeship is not yet appropriate. These include discussions with the local authority to offer health and social care focused skills bootcamps and working with their large employers to provide careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) events to demonstrate career opportunities in the sector.

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Reasonable progress

Skills coaches integrate routinely aspects of a CEIAG curriculum into their teaching sessions and progress reviews. This ensures that apprentices understand the broader career options available to them once they have completed their apprenticeship. The new personal development curriculum includes topics such as interview techniques, conflict resolution and teamworking, which enhances apprentices’ wider skills to help them to be successful in their next steps. Apprentices discuss further learning opportunities, including at higher education institutions, and the range of careers available in the health and social care sector. Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 26 and 27 July 2023 Employers provide apprentices with information on internal career opportunities. They support the progression paths of their apprentices on to further study. This approach helps employers with their recruitment needs and succession planning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recognise that they have work still to do to strengthen their improvements to the CEIAG curriculum. They intend to introduce a strategic careers plan based on the provider access legislation and to enhance further their collaborative arrangements to provide careers education through large employers.

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Significant progress

Following the previous inspection, the new leaders, managers and board members took highly appropriate actions to ensure that the quality of education improved rapidly. They redesigned the curriculum to meet the needs of employers and to ensure that there is an initial focus on apprentices’ achievement in English and mathematics at the start of their apprenticeship. Leaders and board members implemented a robust process for monitoring their quality improvement actions. They now have a strong and accurate oversight of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Leaders and board members have significantly lowered the previously high withdrawal rates and improved achievement rates, including high grades.

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Significant progress

Leaders have appointed highly qualified and experienced new staff to expertly train and support apprentices. They have utilised the skills of middle managers to train staff in areas such as improving target setting, supporting apprentices to achieve high grades and how to provide effective feedback. Leaders are currently developing a programme of staff development activities aimed at raising further the standard of staff’s training skills.

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Significant progress

Leaders have significantly improved the checks they undertake to ensure that employers are committed fully to the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship. Leaders will not recruit further apprentices from employers who do not demonstrate that they support their apprentices to achieve and succeed.

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Significant progress

Board members recognise fully the sizeable amount of change that was needed to bring the quality of education to an acceptable standard. They meet regularly to review the quality of their provision. Meetings are thorough and provide effective support and challenge to board members, managers and staff. Board members are passionate about ensuring that all staff members contribute fully to improving the quality of education and training and that this is sustainable over time. For example, skills coaches attend management meetings regularly to jointly review the quality improvement plan and carry out standardisation meetings. Monitoring visit: Richmond Training Academy Limited, 26 and 27 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

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Significant progress

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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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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