Montebello Training Ltd

Montebello Training Ltd Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Debra Forsythe-Conroy, Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 October 2023

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

25 Broad Green Road Liverpool L13 5SD Monitoring visit: Montebello Training, 17 and 18 October 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and/or the apprenticeship levy. 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

Montebello Training Ltd is an independent learning provider that specialises in hairdressing apprenticeships. It is based in Liverpool. At the time of the visit, there were 28 apprentices in learning. Most were aged 16 to 18, and a few were aged over 19. Twenty-five apprentices study level 2 hairdressing professional, and three study level 3 advanced creative hair professional apprenticeships.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear rationale for their apprenticeship provision in meeting the skill demand for Merseyside in the hair and beauty sector. Leaders carefully select the employers with whom apprentices are placed. They ensure that they are committed to allowing apprentices to attend the training centre for their off-the-job training every week.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have developed well-established employer relationships that support apprentices to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours at work. Employers give apprentices the opportunity to practise what they have learned in the training centre at work. Employers are well informed of the knowledge and skills that their apprentices make on the apprenticeship at formal reviews of their progress. Leaders ensure that apprentices benefit from a schedule of masterclasses, to which employers are also invited, to complement the skills that they develop through their apprenticeship. Examples of masterclasses include advanced colouring techniques.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit apprentices with integrity. They provide initial training and induction for up to eight weeks in the training centre before the apprentice is placed with an employer. Leaders support prospective apprentices with interview techniques to support their impending interviews with potential employers. For example, apprentices learn how to present themselves and communicate effectively at an interview. Monitoring visit: Montebello Training, 17 and 18 October 2023 Staff are qualified teachers and hairdressing professionals with extensive experience in the industry. Most still work in salons. They attend industry updates in advanced colouring and cutting techniques to maintain their knowledge and develop new techniques. However, leaders do not provide training for teachers on how to improve their teaching.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recognise that annual self-assessment does not sufficiently identify areas for improvement. In a few instances where actions have been identified, targets are not precise enough. As a result, leaders do not swiftly rectify the key areas that they need to improve.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers rightly recognise that they would benefit from external challenge to further improve the provision. They do not yet have governance arrangements in place.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders plan and teach the apprenticeship in a logical sequence that supports the apprentices to develop their foundational knowledge before progressing on to more complex aspects of the apprenticeship. Level 2 apprentices start by learning essential knowledge and skills, including client consultation, shampooing and conditioning. They then progress on to developing their cutting skills early in their apprenticeship. Apprentices incrementally enhance their skills as they progress through their apprenticeship with increasingly challenging cuts.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours because of their apprenticeship. They secure and build their knowledge and skills over time. Apprentices apply their knowledge of blow drying to a range of styles, such as straight, curly and bouncy blow dries. They adapt their techniques to suit the type and length of the client’s hair.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices explain the different massage techniques they use when shampooing and conditioning hair, such as using deep petrissage movements. They also develop their practical advanced colouring skills, including balayage and colour correction.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers provide useful verbal feedback to improve apprentices’ hairdressing skills. They provide written comments, which are mostly positive. However, they do not tell apprentices what they could do better. They do not routinely correct apprentices’ spelling mistakes, which results in them repeating these mistakes in subsequent work.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers use a range of teaching activities to introduce new topics. They use questioning to check apprentices’ understanding and recall of prior learning, including the use of complex terminology, such as pediculosis capitis. Teachers demonstrate new Monitoring visit: Montebello Training, 17 and 18 October 2023 techniques to apprentices, including pin curls. Apprentices go on to practise barrel and flat pin curls as part of their curly blow drying.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers prepare apprentices appropriately for functional skills English and mathematics. Apprentices understand the correct angles when doing a uniform layered cut. They communicate confidently with clients and visitors. However, teachers do not further develop and extend apprentices’ English and mathematics skills beyond the minimum level required.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices understand what they need to do to pass their final assessment. However, teachers do not set challenging targets for apprentices to achieve a distinction grade. This impedes those apprentices who have the capability to achieve a higher grade.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have developed effective safeguarding policies and procedures. Safeguarding leads are appropriately trained to execute their roles effectively. They have developed a range of links with relevant agencies, such as the police and the local authority, to provide support should any safeguarding concerns arise.

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Reasonable progress

Staff undertake annual safeguarding training. They receive regular updates on how to protect apprentices from harm. They make apprentices aware of local risks, such as recognising county lines and gang culture in the region.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers use safer recruitment practices when recruiting staff to work with apprentices. They conduct appropriate checks before employing staff to ensure that prospective staff are suitable to work with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe. They know how to be safe in the workplace and are aware of the risks they may encounter in their personal lives. Monitoring visit: Montebello Training, 17 and 18 October 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 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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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