Aurelia Training Limited

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

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Name of lead inspector: Ian Higgins, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 October 2023

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

The Butts Arena Butts Coventry CV1 3GE Monitoring visit: Aurelia Training Limited, 26 and 27 October 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Aurelia Training Limited was inspected in November 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

Aurelia Training Limited is a national training provider based in Coventry. It specialises in providing training in the care sector. At the time of the visit, 232 apprentices were in learning. Most were completing apprenticeships in health and social care. There were 87 apprentices enrolled on the lead adult care worker apprenticeship at level 3, with a further 52 undertaking the adult care worker apprenticeship at level 2. A total of 26 were enrolled on the lead care practitioner apprenticeship at level 4, and 17 on the leader in adult care apprenticeship at level 5. The provider also offers apprenticeships in sector areas such as business, early years, management and teaching. Nine adult learners were completing qualifications in care or as teaching assistants, funded through advanced learner loans. The provider does not work with any subcontractors. Most apprentices are aged 19 and above, with a few apprentices under the age of 19.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed a more robust induction process for new apprentices. Leaders and trainers have detailed discussions with apprentices about any prior knowledge, skills and experiences they have that are relevant to their apprenticeship. Leaders routinely involve employers in such conversations. Apprentices’ line managers contribute their views on the existing knowledge and skills that apprentices have when planning the apprenticeship. Leaders now have a clearer understanding of what apprentices already know and can do when they start their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Following the induction process, leaders and most trainers now produce detailed, individualised training plans for apprentices. Leaders and trainers thoroughly consider the vocational knowledge and skills that apprentices need to develop. They carefully consider any existing knowledge and skills that apprentices have. Leaders and trainers plan learning for apprentices to develop their knowledge and skills further. Most apprentices now make the expected progress from their starting points. Monitoring visit: Aurelia Training Limited, 26 and 27 October 2023 In workshops, trainers use questioning skilfully to check what apprentices have learned. Trainers then use this information to correct any misconceptions that apprentices may have. Most trainers support apprentices effectively to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills further.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders now take effective steps at the beginning of the apprenticeship to understand apprentices’ English and mathematical skills. All apprentices now complete assessments in English and mathematics at the start of their apprenticeship. In most cases, trainers use this information to help apprentices to improve their skills in English and mathematics.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have set clear expectations for trainers for the quality of feedback that they must provide to apprentices on their work. All staff have undertaken extensive staff training on providing helpful feedback to apprentices. Most trainers now provide helpful and precise feedback to apprentices. As a result, apprentices know what they need to do to improve the quality of their work.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers provide helpful verbal feedback to apprentices on their work. This feedback helps apprentices to understand what they have done well and how they can improve the quality of their work. Trainers help apprentices to develop useful strategies to improve the quality of their academic writing, such as strategies for apprentices to improve their proofreading and reduce grammatical errors. The quality and accuracy of apprentices’ work improve over time.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers are highly responsive to the needs of apprentices. They quickly respond to any questions that apprentices have on the feedback that they have received. Trainers provide positive reinforcement to apprentices, particularly where trainers recognise the improvements that apprentices have made. Apprentices quickly build their confidence in producing work to the expected standard and in line with the level of their apprenticeship. For many apprentices, this is critical to developing positive attitudes towards their work.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices work towards a valuable, embedded qualification in care as part of their apprenticeship. In most cases, this is a mandatory qualification that apprentices must achieve to support their employment. Trainers provide helpful written feedback on apprentices’ assignments. Apprentices routinely improve the standard of their written assignments because of the feedback that trainers provide. In a few cases, trainers do not support apprentices to extend their knowledge beyond the requirements of the apprenticeship. As a result, a few apprentices do not make the progress of which they are capable. Monitoring visit: Aurelia Training Limited, 26 and 27 October 2023

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and trainers now plan and align on- and off-the-job training in apprentices’ training plans. Trainers, apprentices and most employers frequently discuss and plan opportunities for apprentices to apply their learning in the workplace. Most employers have a clear oversight of what apprentices will be learning. Consequently, most apprentices benefit from meaningful opportunities in the workplace to apply new learning, such as opportunities to shadow senior staff at their employers or in dealing with complex, multi-agency safeguarding cases. This supports apprentices’ progress over time.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have carefully considered the purpose and focus of the formal progress reviews that they undertake with apprentices and employers. Trainers have detailed discussions with apprentices and employers about future training needs and learning. This helps trainers and employers to coordinate on- and off-the-job training effectively. This improved coordination helps apprentices to consolidate their learning and develop their workplace skills. In a few cases, employers do not attend progress reviews. This means that in these cases, opportunities for apprentices to apply what they have learned in the workplace are less frequent.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have collaborated diligently with employers to help them recognise what constitutes on- and off-the-job training. There is now a much greater focus on the apprenticeship, as opposed to just the embedded qualifications that form part of the apprenticeship. Most employers now have a clear understanding of on- and off-the- job training. Line managers in the workplace now provide helpful support for apprentices to enhance their learning at work. Apprentices make a more valuable contribution to the workplace, such as being able to conduct a range of effective health and safety checks in temporary accommodation to support the safety of service users.

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Significant progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have quickly developed a robust post- inspection action plan. Leaders set clear actions for development aligned directly with the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Leaders have systematically reviewed their progress towards these improvements. Governors receive routine updates on progress against actions. Leaders and governors have an Monitoring visit: Aurelia Training Limited, 26 and 27 October 2023 accurate understanding of the improvements that they have made since the previous inspection, and what improvements are yet to be fully realised.

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Significant progress

Leaders have revised the range of quality assurance processes in order to help inform their view of the quality of teaching. The process of observations has a sharper focus on speaking to apprentices and reviewing apprentices’ work. Leaders now make more accurate judgements on apprentices’ progress over time in the development of new knowledge, skills and behaviours. Where apprentices are not progressing sufficiently well, leaders have put a new risk assessment process in place. They quickly identify apprentices who are falling behind and put swift actions in place to support apprentices to catch up.

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Significant progress

Leaders have benefited from increased scrutiny from those in a governance role. Additional, interim governor meetings took place immediately following the previous inspection. Leaders now provide more insightful information for governors to review before attending formal meetings. Leaders provide routine updates to governors on the new risk assessment process that is linked to apprentices’ progress. Governors have a more informed view of the quality of education at the provider. Governors hold leaders to account more robustly, such as ensuring that the timescales set for leaders to complete actions are sufficiently ambitious and challenging to support the pace of improvements.

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Significant progress

Leaders instigated a formal, external review of the actions that have taken place since the previous inspection. They have consulted effectively with other apprenticeship providers to inform the actions that they have taken. This has led to the sharing of good practice to inform ongoing improvements in a suitable manner. Monitoring visit: Aurelia Training Limited, 26 and 27 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

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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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