The Training Brokers Limited

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

p.1

Name of lead inspector: Kim Bleasdale, His Majesty’s Inspector

p.1

Inspection dates: 13 and 14 February 2024

p.1

Type of provider: Independent learning provider

p.1

Address:

Wesley House 24 Wesley Street Swinton M27 6AD Monitoring visit: The Training Brokers Limited, 13 and 14 February 2024

p.1

Context and focus of visit

The Training Brokers Limited was inspected in October 2022. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

p.2

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.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 65 adult learners in learning. Sixty- four were studying the level 1 passport into schools course and one learner was studying the level 2 passport into schools course. The level 1 passport into schools course consists of the level 1 award in support work in schools and level 1 employability qualifications. The level 2 passport into schools course consists of the level 2 certificate in support work in schools and level 1 employability qualifications.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Since their previous inspection, leaders have introduced an online learning platform. This enables learners to communicate directly with tutors through chat and video conferencing technology. Learners access and use a range of high-quality resources, such as qualification information, course assignments and individual session plans with associated presentation slides. Tutors organise these improved resources in an orderly way so that learners can easily find them.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Tutors provide digital presentations that are informative and cover the content of the session. They include short videos and a range of website links to encourage learners to carry out further reading. Most learners benefit from watching useful videos, for example on Bandura’s social learning theory, and accessing website links to carry out further research on safeguarding, legislation and children’s development. In addition, tutors provide useful information, such as topics on personal development; fundamental British values; cultural events; the ‘Prevent’ duty; equality, diversity and inclusion; health; employability, and safeguarding.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Tutors and learners benefit from ongoing training and support to use the online learning platform. As a result, learners and tutors steadily improve their digital skills.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders have immediate plans in place to employ three digital apprentices to further develop their online learning resources. Monitoring visit: The Training Brokers Limited, 13 and 14 February 2024

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors redesigned their passport into schools programme so that learners now have a clearer and more cohesive curriculum. This enables the large majority of learners to move into voluntary or paid teaching assistant roles in schools.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Tutors teach this curriculum in a logical order. Learners initially learn about teamwork and how to manage themselves within a group before they move on to safeguarding. Next, learners gain appropriate skills to carry out research in a vocational area to help them when they look for job vacancies. In the final stages of their course, they learn about schools as organisations, and legislation and policy in practice. Consequently, most learners build their knowledge over time in a meaningful way.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Learners now understand and link the different areas of knowledge that they are learning. For example, learners understand the vital importance of work skills, such as following health and safety and safeguarding policies in a school setting. They clearly understand the importance of building professional and collaborative relationships between teaching assistants and teachers to support children’s learning.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Tutors invite guest speakers to talk to learners, for example to explain how mathematics is taught in primary schools. This helps learners to further link what they are learning to the workplace.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Leaders have strengthened the way tutors collect and use learners’ starting point information. They provide appropriate training to tutors. Tutors accurately assess what learners already know and can do at the start of their learning. Most tutors use this information to plan learning and monitor learners’ progress. However, leaders have identified that not all tutors monitor learners’ progress regularly enough. They have imminent plans in place to rectify this.

p.3

Reasonable progress

In the later stages of 2023, several key staff at senior leadership and tutor level left the business. During this period, leaders and staff have done their utmost to minimise the disruption to learners and support learners to achieve their qualifications. Leaders have now stabilised this staffing problem by appointing new Monitoring visit: The Training Brokers Limited, 13 and 14 February 2024 and experienced tutors and senior leaders. While learners’ progress was affected during this short period of time, learners say that despite the disruption in tutors, they now feel settled and happy with the support that they receive.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Too many learners have not completed their course on time. However, tutors have appropriate plans in place to ensure that learners quickly complete their courses, for example by attending additional daytime or evening sessions to suit learners’ personal and family commitments.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Most learners now receive clear and timely feedback from tutors that helps them to know how to improve the quality of their work.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Leaders have implemented a new approach to how tutors assess learners’ work. Learners now submit their assignments onto the new online learning platform for tutors to mark and provide feedback. In addition to providing helpful feedback in relation to improving spelling, punctuation and grammar, tutors often make suggestions for learners to add more information in their written work to demonstrate a clearer understanding of topics, such as ways to interact with children and young people or influences that affect children and young people’s development. As a result, the large majority of learners’ work improves over time.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Tutors benefit from appropriate training on how to provide effective feedback to learners. They feel that the quality of their feedback has improved because of their training. Tutors routinely carry out peer reviews of their feedback and provide constructive suggestions to each other. They feel supported by their managers and are motivated to continue to improve their practice.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors provide a range of useful careers information advice and guidance to learners. For instance, in their digital teaching resources, tutors provide links to a range of websites for employment, apprenticeships and career information. This enables learners to make informed career choices. Learners have high aspirations for themselves. They want to improve their skills and job prospects and their lives.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Tutors identify clearly to learners the roles and opportunities available in schools, for instance in school administration, pastoral care and safeguarding. Learners are Monitoring visit: The Training Brokers Limited, 13 and 14 February 2024 ambitious to work with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, work in forest schools and primary schools as teaching assistants, or become midwives, psychiatrists or counsellors. They routinely discuss their aspirations with tutors.

p.4

Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors use their employer network to signpost learners to potential jobs. This helps to support a significant number of learners into employment. Managers also work with local community leaders, specialist school employment agencies, and Job Centre Plus, who provide links to vacancies. Tutors support learners to be ready for work by providing help with job applications and mock interviews.

p.5

Reasonable progress

Leaders have taken appropriate action to implement a new process to collate and analyse the destinations of their learners to inform their curriculums.

p.5

Reasonable progress

Immediately after completing their course, learners complete a job outcome form. Leaders now follow this up at regular intervals with telephone calls to learners to update their records. They collect information about whether learners are in employment, not employed, in voluntary work, self-employment or in further or higher learning.

p.5

Reasonable progress

Tutors include in the curriculum visits from employment agencies to encourage learners to register for employment or voluntary work. They support learners to search and apply for jobs while they are on their course. As a result, a significant number of learners swiftly move into employment on completion.

p.5

Reasonable progress

Leaders plan to record other outcomes for their learners so that they can identify any further improvements to their personal development curriculum, for instance improvements in learners’ confidence levels, problem-solving skills, assertiveness and resilience. Monitoring visit: The Training Brokers Limited, 13 and 14 February 2024 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.

p.5

Reasonable progress

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.6

Reasonable progress

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Reasonable progress

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Reasonable progress

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

p.6