Channel Training Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

Channel Training Limited is an independent training provider based in Minehead, Somerset. It began training apprentices in the outdoor learning sector in 2012 as a subcontractor to the South West Association of Training Providers. It began training apprentices as a directly funded provider in January 2022. Channel Training Limited trains over half of the apprentices studying outdoor learning and adventure apprenticeships nationally.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, eight apprentices were studying the level 2 community activator coach apprenticeship, 80 were studying the level 3 outdoor activity instructor apprenticeship and five apprentices were studying the level 5 outdoor learning specialist apprenticeship. All apprentices work in outdoor learning and adventure activity centres across England. Apprentices receive training from the provider’s tutors at their place of work.

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Information about this provider

Nearly all apprentices were adults, with seven apprentices aged 16 to 18. None of the apprentices were in receipt of high-needs funding. The provider does not work with subcontractors. 9 to 11 April 2024

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices enjoy their studies. They are proud ambassadors for their employers and positive role models for the young people they instruct.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Many apprentices use the significant knowledge and skills they gain as a result of studying their apprenticeship to support the local communities where they live. Apprentices take part in uniformed services cadet groups, run holiday activity camps for children and volunteer for walking charities to help people with visual impairments enjoy the outdoors.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices value the supplementary knowledge and skills they gain from studying additional professional qualifications alongside their apprenticeship, for example in disciplines such as archery, paddle boarding, climbing and adventure leadership. Apprentices also gain the knowledge they need to keep residential outdoor activity participants safe by completing courses in outdoor first aid, safeguarding, food hygiene and fire safety.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices are taught well by their tutors to be resilient when faced with challenges. For example, apprentices leading bushcraft activities with children know how to adapt to deteriorating weather conditions by reprioritising food foraging and meal preparation tasks so that the evening meal can still be provided to them on time.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices feel safe and know what to do if they have concerns about themselves or their peers.

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better?

Leaders are passionate about the value and impact of their apprenticeships on the employers they work with. They use their expert knowledge of outdoor learning and adventure to design a highly effective curriculum that enables apprentices to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to be successful and confident outdoor learning instructors and leaders.

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better?

Tutors are very well qualified. Leaders ensure that tutors receive high-quality training that improves their teaching and their occupational knowledge and skills. For example, tutors take part in training on topics such as reasonable adjustments for people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), bushcraft competencies, fitness in paddle sports, nutrition, archery and mental health first aid. Tutors maintain their occupational knowledge through their membership of professional bodies such as the Royal Yachting Association and the British Mountaineering Council. As a result, tutors teach apprentices the latest information and knowledge to ensure that their instruction practice is accurate, safe and current.

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better?

Tutors use their expert knowledge well to teach apprentices how to plan and teach outdoor activity sessions effectively. Tutors show apprentices how to use quizzes to 9 to 11 April 2024

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check that bushcraft participants retain detailed knowledge such as how to make a fire outdoors by considering weather conditions and wind direction and how to select and arrange appropriate combustible materials. Tutors ensure that apprentices know how to safely carry out paddle board and canoe rescues. Apprentices practise the retrieval of casualties from the water by taking turns with their peers to rescue each other. Tutors increase the complexity and challenge of this task by requiring apprentices to rescue more than one casualty. As a result, apprentices learn how to talk to and guide casualties, the importance of retaining their own equipment during a rescue and how to correctly identify safe exit points on the shore.

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Tutors use real scenarios well during teaching sessions to encourage apprentices to think more deeply about the safety of participants in the activities they lead. Apprentices learn that paddle boarding or canoeing participants with epilepsy require a life jacket as opposed to a buoyancy aid, which would require a person to be conscious to be able to use it.

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Tutors work well with employers to plan effective training programmes so that apprentices know what they will be learning and when this will take place. Tutors and employers agree on work shadowing activities such as tomahawk skills, crate stacking and tower leadership before apprentices can lead the activities independently. Tutors ensure that apprentices complete residential water safety courses; they learn about river flows, how to manage safety from the shoreline, including the types of shouts and calls to be used, how to throw lines and how to identify safe access points to rivers.

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Tutors demonstrate clearly the practical skills apprentices need to develop. However, tutors do not always check apprentices’ understanding of theoretical knowledge to assess what they know or to correct misconceptions. For example, tutors teaching the impact of environmental damage through an online classroom do not ensure that apprentices have understood the content fully, and rely on apprentices using thumbs up and thumbs down emojis to demonstrate they have understood what they have been taught.

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Leaders ensure that they identify apprentices with SEND early in the apprenticeship. Most apprentices with SEND receive appropriate support such as extra workplace visits from their tutors and more time to complete coursework. However, of the small minority of apprentices who have SEND, only half successfully achieve their apprenticeship.

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Apprentices’ behaviour and conduct are exceptional. They are punctual to work and training, and their attendance is high. Tutors promote and reinforce with apprentices the importance of professional behaviours in the workplace. Apprentices learn how to support children who feel homesick on residential activities by ensuring that the child takes part in an early activity or develops a new skill so that they feel proud of their success and settle quickly. As a result, apprentices are kind and caring towards the participants they instruct and carry out their tasks at work diligently. 9 to 11 April 2024

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Apprentices have a very good knowledge of British values and apply this well in their jobs. Tutors ensure that apprentices know how to plan inclusive outdoor activities for participants with SEND. For example, apprentices understand the importance of where they position themselves in relation to participants with hearing impairments so they can lip-read the instructions they are given.

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Most apprentices develop a good understanding of what career opportunities are available to them. They use a wide range of online careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) resources well to help inform their next steps. However, tutors do not ensure that a minority of apprentices who are approaching the end of their apprenticeship receive timely CEIAG. Consequently, these apprentices have a limited knowledge of career opportunities and have not begun planning for their next steps.

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Tutors do not teach apprentices well enough about the risks of extremism and radicalisation. A minority of apprentices do not retain the important information they are taught and, as a result, their knowledge is superficial. Tutors do not ensure that the very small minority of younger apprentices are taught about the importance of healthy sexual relationships.

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Leaders have appropriate processes in place for assessing the quality of the curriculums they teach. Leaders generally know what they do well and what they need to do to improve and mostly take effective remedial actions. However, leaders have not yet ensured that all apprentices who complete their apprenticeship secure employment. As a result, one in 10 do not secure a job with their employer.

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Leaders recognise rightly the important role of external governance in providing them with the support and challenge they need. Leaders have put in place sensible arrangements for an advisory board made up of governors with educational and employer experience and expertise and an apprentice alumnus. However, it is too early to assess the impact of these actions.

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Over three-quarters of those apprentices who start their apprenticeship successfully gain their qualification. All apprentices who complete their apprenticeship achieve the qualification. Just over half of the small number of apprentices who need to gain a qualification in mathematics and around a third of the small number of apprentices who need to gain a qualification in English do so at the first attempt.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that all apprentices receive timely and well-informed careers information, advice and guidance. 9 to 11 April 2024

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 Ensure that what apprentices know and can do is checked more effectively by tutors during learning sessions.  Ensure that a higher proportion of apprentices who successfully complete their apprenticeship secure employment.  Ensure that all apprentices with SEND complete and achieve their apprenticeship. 9 to 11 April 2024

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Provider details

Address The Adventure Centre Warren Road Minehead TA24 5BG

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Jim Whittaker

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 9 to 11 April 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the managing director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Cliff Shaw, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Paul James His Majesty’s Inspector Matt Hann His Majesty’s Inspector Rachel Jablonski Ofsted Inspector 9 to 11 April 2024

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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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