NEAT Training and Education Ltd

Trendy Pooches Training Academy Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Elaine Price, Ofsted 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:

16 Chadwick Street Moreton Wirral CH46 7TE Monitoring visit: Trendy Pooches Training Academy Limited, 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 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

Trendy Pooches Training Academy Limited (TPTA) is an independent learning provider based in Moreton, in the metropolitan borough of Wirral, Merseyside. TPTA was established in 2018 to provide commercial training courses for the dog grooming industry. It was awarded a direct contract to train apprentices in November 2022. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 31 apprentices studying the level 2 dog groomer standard and fewer than five apprentices studying the level 2 animal care welfare assistant standard. Nearly three quarters of apprentices are aged 16 to 18. The majority of apprentices are based in the north west of England.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed an ambitious apprenticeship to meet the growing demand for qualified dog groomers across the country. They have included additional knowledge, skills and behaviours to the apprenticeship such as canine first aid and touch therapies to calm the dogs when grooming. This ensures that apprentices gain skills employers value.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have effective links with employers within the industry to recruit apprentices and ensure that the principles of apprenticeships are met. Apprentices are new to the role and develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours as a result of their training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recruited assessors who are well qualified and experienced in dog grooming. This enables them to support apprentices to gain the knowledge and master the skills they need to become qualified dog groomers.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders carry out a range of quality assurance processes to help them identify areas for improvement. They provide assessors with continuous professional development Monitoring visit: Trendy Pooches Training Academy Limited, 29 and 30 November 2023 to help them improve their practice. For example, they give useful feedback to apprentices that helps them improve their work to gain high grades.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have accurately identified that too many apprentices have left the programme early. Plans are in place for more robust recruitment processes with employers and apprentices. However, it is too early to measure the impact of these changes.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recognise the need for governance arrangements to provide them with scrutiny and challenge to further improve the quality of education. They have recently appointed a chairperson to the board with a suitable background in animal care and education and training. However, board meetings have not yet taken place.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have not identified all of the weaknesses found during the monitoring visit in their self-evaluation. The quality improvement plan does not provide actions for all of the weaknesses in the self-evaluation to be an effective tool for quality improvement.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors plan the curriculum in a logical order. For example, apprentices are taught about wounds and bleeding before moving on to handling dogs. This helps apprentices incrementally build their knowledge and develop their skills over time.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors check apprentices’ knowledge frequently to help them retain learning in their long-term memory. They check that apprentices can explain clearly how to administer first aid to dogs. This ensures that apprentices know how to clean wounds and apply antiseptic when dogs are cut during grooming.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors develop apprentices’ English and mathematical skills. Apprentices carry out calculations to ensure the correct dilution rates for cleaning products. They apply this knowledge when cleaning the salon to ensure they comply with health and safety regulations.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors provide useful feedback to apprentices. Apprentices know what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. As a result, their written work and practical skills improve over time.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors prepare apprentices well for their final examinations. During revision sessions, they explain how to develop answers to gain high grades. This results in apprentices producing work of a high standard. Monitoring visit: Trendy Pooches Training Academy Limited, 29 and 30 November 2023 Assessors support apprentices who fall behind effectively. They provide weekly individual sessions to help them catch up. This results in most apprentices making strong progress towards achieving their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors do not coordinate on- and off-the-job training well enough. They do not routinely plan and agree what apprentices need to practise to hone their skills in the workplace. This results in a few apprentices not progressing as quickly as they could.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors do not use the information gathered about what apprentices already know and can do to inform their teaching. They do not routinely monitor the progress apprentices make from their starting points or set targets so they develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours swiftly. Consequently, a few apprentices do not make the progress of which they are capable.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have effective safeguarding policies, procedures and training in place to ensure that staff understand how to safeguard apprentices. They carry out appropriate checks to ensure staff’s suitability to work with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors provide apprentices with safeguarding training, including online safety. Apprentices are taught how to keep themselves, and the dogs they groom, safe. Apprentices feel safe.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding leads record and monitor all concerns raised. They have effective links with a range of local agencies. However, they have not established links with agencies in all the locations in which apprentices work to understand local safeguarding risks. Monitoring visit: Trendy Pooches Training Academy Limited, 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

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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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