Northern Regeneration CIC

Northern Regeneration CIC Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 December 2023

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Scarborough Construction Skills Village Musham Bank Road Eastfield Scarborough YO11 3XU Monitoring visit: Northern Regeneration CIC, 13 and 14 December 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Northern Regeneration CIC 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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Reasonable progress

Teachers provide effective support to apprentices with an identified learning need. Apprentices complete an online assessment when they start their apprenticeship, and staff take account of the results of this to plan helpful activities to support their apprentices. When staff determine that their apprentices require additional time to complete their work or need additional help in their studies, they provide it.

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Reasonable progress

Teachers provide effective English and mathematics training for apprentices who need to achieve functional skills qualifications. The teaching of these subjects commences shortly after apprentices are recruited. Almost all apprentices pass their examinations, and most are successful at their first attempt. Teachers develop apprentices’ construction terminology well and, throughout their studies, provide them with detailed information to help improve their spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders support staff well to keep their vocational knowledge and skills up to date. They provide them with opportunities to keep their construction skills certification scheme card, plant licenses and other trade training up to date. However, leaders do not provide enough ongoing training for staff to improve the quality of their teaching practice. Those staff who are new to teaching are supported well to achieve assessor and initial teacher training qualifications, but they do not receive sufficient support in relation to their ongoing development as teaching practitioners.

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Reasonable progress

Staff do not take enough account of the trade practices of a few employers when planning apprenticeship programmes. They do not consider fully the fact that larger housebuilders subcontract work relating to integral aspects of the apprenticeship, such as kitchen fitting and installing external doors and windows, to other smaller construction companies. This means that a few apprentices who work for larger housebuilders often miss out on aspects of their training that they need at specific Monitoring visit: Northern Regeneration CIC, 13 and 14 December 2023 points in their programme. To mitigate this, staff arrange additional placements for apprentices at the end of their programme so they can receive the essential training that they need. However, for these apprentices, their learning, progress and achievement are delayed.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have implemented a new personal development curriculum that helps to develop apprentices’ understanding of life in modern Britain. They have planned weekly sessions at which staff discuss a wide range of ‘hot topics’, such as men’s mental health and cancer awareness. Apprentices can recall such topics, including how they affect them, their families and work colleagues.

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Reasonable progress

Staff work with charities such as the Lighthouse Company and with the local council and have links with the regional ‘Prevent’ duty coordinator to help improve apprentices’ understanding of a wide range of topics. The new health and well-being curriculum has been well planned and structured, and teaching resources are made available for staff to deliver these sessions effectively. However, leaders rightly acknowledge that there is more to do to ensure that vocational staff have the confidence and ability to deliver the personal development curriculum.

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Reasonable progress

Many apprentices receive helpful information about careers in the construction trade, particularly through the conversations they have with staff about becoming self- employed and additional training that they need to succeed in the industry. However, in a few instances, apprentices are not clear enough about their future career options. For example, site carpentry apprentices are not aware of other specialisms, such as shopfitting, bench joinery and roofing, as potential career opportunities.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices do not have access to a sufficiently rich enrichment curriculum. They do not access skills competitions or visit trade events such as the national housebuilder show. A few apprentices do go on outreach visits to schools and other events, such as the science and engineering fair at Scarborough Spa.

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Reasonable progress

Staff conduct a thorough initial assessment of starting points in English and mathematics when apprentices enrol on their programme. This forms the basis of individual learning plans for apprentices. Staff focus on these early in the apprenticeship, ensuring that the achievement of English and mathematics qualifications is a priority. Monitoring visit: Northern Regeneration CIC, 13 and 14 December 2023 Leaders have improved the monitoring and oversight of the provision. They have a much clearer focus on the issues that have impacted negatively on the retention and achievement of apprentices. Leaders now hold frequent, well-structured management meetings to review apprentices identified as being at risk of leaving and put in place intervention plans to ensure that these apprentices stay on programme and achieve. The non-executive directors meet more frequently to hold leaders to account. Consequently, the proportion of apprentices who leave their

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Reasonable progress

programme early has reduced since the last inspection, and a higher proportion of apprentices now achieve their qualifications.

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Reasonable progress

Staff coordinate and plan carefully the steps that most apprentices need to take to complete their apprenticeship. When staff identify that apprentices have potential gaps in their skills or would benefit from additional training, they swap apprentices between employers. For example, bricklaying apprentices who need to become more competent installing drainage are moved to those employers working on building sites where construction of substructures has just started. This ensures that apprentices are more fully prepared for working in the industry.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have introduced a range of useful quality assurance processes, including reviews of teaching and learning, as well as training for staff on equality, diversity and personal development. They use these activities to enhance the curriculum offer for apprentices, such as the recent inclusion of the health and well-being ‘hot topics’ that are now covered during weekly off-the-job training sessions.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have successfully improved the attendance of apprentices. As a result of leaders’ higher expectations, improved partnerships with employers and streamlined use of systems such as the live electronic register, attendance has improved markedly.

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Reasonable progress

Staff have high expectations of apprentices’ behaviour. Apprentices arrive at sessions on time and keen to learn and share their experiences from site. They are polite and courteous in their interactions with each other, staff and visitors. However, staff do not focus enough on encouraging apprentices to develop strategies, such as notetaking, to help consolidate their learning. For example, where complex learning is being taught during electrical installation classes, apprentices do not take notes that they can subsequently revise from, which would help to deepen their understanding and recall of such subjects. Monitoring visit: Northern Regeneration CIC, 13 and 14 December 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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Reasonable 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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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