The Restore Trust

The Restore Trust Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Lowenna Bradley, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 November 2023

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

4-6 Longmead Avenue Bristol BS7 8QD Monitoring visit: The Restore Trust, 29 and 30 November 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

The Restore Trust is a not-for-profit organisation. It provides education and training to adult learners to support their progression into employment.

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Context and focus of visit

Learners study pre-employment courses as part of the sector-based work academy programmes (SWAPs) designed with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and local employers. Learners study courses linked to a specific sector, such as construction, education, security and logistics.

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Context and focus of visit

Around 300 learners study with The Restore Trust each year, with around half studying the introduction to construction SWAP. Most learners study qualifications at level 1, with a few studying at entry level or level 2.

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Context and focus of visit

Around 60% of learners have previous convictions, and around 70% of learners have been unemployed for more than six months. All learners are aged 19 and over.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have a clear and ambitious vision: to support disadvantaged learners, including those with previous convictions, into employment. They have an inclusive ethos and culture and provide valuable opportunities for learners to help them to integrate successfully into society. Leaders use their extensive experience in criminal justice, social work and education well to minimise learners’ barriers to education and maximise their progression into employment. Leaders offer an extensive range of wraparound support through partnerships that exist within The Restore Trust’s wider business, including the national careers service, advice and guidance and advocacy services.

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Significant progress

Leaders develop a range of purposeful SWAPs with the DWP and a range of employers from sectors with skill shortages and current job vacancies. Leaders Monitoring visit: The Restore Trust, 29 and 30 November 2023 communicate very effectively with employers. This helps them to understand the roles employers want to fill and the skills and qualities they are looking for from their employees. Leaders and managers design programmes with employers that develop learners’ employability skills, such as communication and teamwork, very effectively. Employers contribute to the curriculum well by, for example, adding content relevant to their business, such as health and safety considerations at specific construction sites. Leaders successfully support adults, including those who are hardest to reach, to move rapidly into meaningful employment. As a result, leaders make a valuable contribution to meeting the local and regional skills needs.

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Significant progress

Leaders design most courses to include meaningful work experience. However, construction courses do not currently include these opportunities. Leaders rightly recognise that this is an area for development and have plans to use their many partnerships to offer these useful opportunities to all learners.

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Significant progress

Leaders are supported well by the board of trustees, which has extensive relevant experience, including in governance, education and social work. Trustees ask seeking questions of senior leaders, who in turn are open and responsive. Leaders are highly reflective of their own practice and know their strengths and weaknesses well. Leaders quickly improve areas of weakness and provide training and coaching to staff that has a positive impact on teaching.

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Significant progress

Leaders and tutors have thoughtfully designed a highly effective curriculum for learners that prepares them well for their next steps. For example, learners studying the introduction to construction SWAP are taught health and safety alongside personal development so they can become self-aware and work ready.

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Significant progress

Tutors are appropriately qualified and have relevant and extensive experience. For example, tutors who also teach within HMP Bristol use their experience of teaching conflict management and mental health awareness well to support learners seeking employment. Tutors with construction industry experience draw on their experiences of health and safety to great effect to make learning relevant to learners.

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Significant progress

Tutors sequence activities well to help build learners’ confidence and self-esteem through the completion of a series of short tasks. Learners record their learning in well-designed workbooks, which helps them to track and check their own progress in following the curriculum. Tutors use assessment well to find gaps in learners’ knowledge. They use this information well to plan further teaching, including providing them with individual support, to fill these gaps. Monitoring visit: The Restore Trust, 29 and 30 November 2023 Tutors support all learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) exceptionally well. Well-qualified and experienced leaders support tutors to use effective strategies and adaptations for learners with SEND, such as using readers and scribes, to ensure learners can take part in all learning activities. Almost all learners stay and complete their programmes. Almost all learners achieve

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Significant progress

the qualifications they study as part of their courses. This is because of the personalised and targeted support that provider staff offer to learners.

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Significant progress

Learners develop the knowledge and behaviours they need to gain employment, and they are interviewed by employers. For example, learners studying construction learn how to use risk assessments to reduce accidents at work and spot hazards. As a result, the large majority of learners move on to sustained paid employment. A few learners also move on to further education at other providers. Leaders do not know the destinations of a small minority of learners. Leaders recognise rightly the need to get a better picture of what happens to these learners when they leave.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have developed an effective culture of safeguarding that considers carefully the best interests of learners, staff and the wider community. Leaders ensure that all members of the large safeguarding team are very well qualified and have relevant experience. Staff use their experience well to produce detailed risk assessments. They identify the risk factors and mitigations to put in place to safeguard learners and others effectively.

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Significant progress

Leaders ensure that all staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding through effective training. Leaders use regular one-to-one discussions to question staff effectively on their knowledge of safeguarding. Leaders therefore identify and fill any gaps in staff’s knowledge rapidly. Monitoring visit: The Restore Trust, 29 and 30 November 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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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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

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