Capslock Education Ltd

Capslock Education Ltd Monitoring visit report

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

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Hanover House 30–32 Charlotte Street Manchester M1 4FD Monitoring visit: Capslock Education Ltd, 13 and 14 March 2024

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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

Capslock Education Ltd is an independent learning provider with registered offices in Manchester. The provider received its first contract to deliver cyber security bootcamps for adults in 2022. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 95 learners studying 16-week courses online.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a very strong focus on breaking down the barriers to employment for learners, many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds. A significant number of learners are armed forces veterans, have been unemployed for long periods of time or are Afghan immigrants. After successfully completing their course, most learners move into secure, well-paid jobs that improve their lives.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors have built the curriculum around the needs of both employers and learners. They have partnerships with a variety of employers who recruit a significant number of learners once they have completed their course. This is because employers know that learners develop up-to-date industry-standard knowledge and skills that they can confidently apply at work.

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Reasonable progress

There are suitable quality assurance and improvement processes in place for leaders to monitor the quality of training. Leaders carry out observations of teaching and complete work scrutiny to ensure that teaching and assessment are to a high enough standard. Most tutors know what aspects of their teaching practice they need to improve.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders collect and analyse the destination information for their learners to help them accurately evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. They know that their curriculum is developing the valuable attributes that learners need to be successful in the cyber security industry. Monitoring visit: Capslock Education Ltd, 13 and 14 March 2024 The external stakeholders responsible for governance receive relevant information from leaders. This enables them to have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas that they need to improve. External stakeholders support leaders to improve aspects of tutors’ teaching skills, such as managing inappropriate behaviour and understanding emotional intelligence. However, there are a few aspects of the provision that leaders do not routinely inform external stakeholders about, for instance in relation to safeguarding updates. Leaders have imminent plans in place

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors teach a logically sequenced curriculum that incrementally builds learners’ knowledge and skills. Learners start off by learning about public and private businesses, ethics and culture. Next, tutors teach learners about cloud infrastructure, malware and security threats. This enables learners to confidently analyse and solve cyber-related problems.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors are well qualified and experienced. They benefit from a range of training, for example platform, brand and business strategy, and using effective questioning techniques. This enables tutors to further develop their subject knowledge and teaching skills.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide laptops to a small minority of learners who do not own the equipment needed to complete the course. By doing this, leaders successfully remove any barriers to learning and employment.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors use a variety of useful teaching strategies. They systematically check learners’ understanding to identify gaps in learning and inform teaching. Tutors routinely use engaging discussions and group problem-solving activities. This enables learners to develop the critical thinking skills they need to be successful in the cyber security industry. Learners clearly retain knowledge in their long-term memories, for example in relation to the different cyber security frameworks for governance, risk and compliance.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors accurately record learners’ progress towards completion of their course. For the very few learners who have fallen behind in their learning, tutors provide additional one-to-one support to help them to catch up. However, tutors do not routinely update the progress learners make from their starting points. Leaders have imminent plans in place to resolve this to ensure that all learners are sufficiently challenged to reach their full potential

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Reasonable progress

Learners develop their confidence, self-esteem, and a wide range of knowledge and skills. They become skilled and confident cyber security practitioners. Learners carry Monitoring visit: Capslock Education Ltd, 13 and 14 March 2024 out risk assessments that accurately determine the level of threat to an organisation to avoid data breaches.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders and managers place a high priority on keeping learners safe. They ensure that all members of the safeguarding team are suitably qualified. Leaders complete a range of appropriate checks when appointing new staff to make sure they are suitable to work with learners. All staff, including the designated safeguarding lead and deputy, receive relevant training on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Tutors know how to report safeguarding concerns.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders deal effectively with concerns about their learners. They keep accurate and up-to-date records and quickly refer learners to agencies, such as the police and mental health partners.

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Reasonable progress

Learners feel safe and know how to report any concerns they may have about themselves or others. However, not all learners have a good enough understanding of the local risks posed in relation to radicalisation or extremism. Monitoring visit: Capslock Education Ltd, 13 and 14 March 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.

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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 .

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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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