Leslie Frances (Hair Fashions) Limited

Leslie Frances (Hair Fashions) Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Philippa Firth, His Majesty's Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

58 Eldon Street Barnsley S70 2JL Monitoring visit: Leslie Frances (Hair Fashions) Limited, 23 and 24 April 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Leslie Frances (Hair Fashions) Limited was inspected in June 2023. 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

Following the previous inspection, leaders and managers quickly developed and implemented an action plan which focused on the weaknesses identified. They took appropriate action to improve their oversight of the quality of education and made changes to working practices and quality assurance processes. They are now better able to monitor the quality of training that apprentices receive and are taking appropriate actions to address weaknesses.

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Reasonable progress

Managers now have a sharper focus on tutors’ development needs. They make effective use of lesson observations to evaluate the standard of tutors’ practice. Managers use the information that they gather to identify areas for improvement and plan appropriate professional development activities for tutors. They have started to provide training to improve tutors’ pedagogical skills, such as on planning and scaffolding learning.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have a quality improvement plan in place which accurately identifies the areas that they need improve, identified through quality assurance processes. Leaders feel better informed about the quality of education and the improvements that the management team have put in place. Although leaders and managers rightly recognise that they still have work to do, their actions are beginning to have a positive impact. These actions include relevant professional development for tutors and providing external opportunities for apprentices to develop their industry-related knowledge and skills.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently put in place a governance board. Governors are experienced hairdressers or are highly experienced in education and training. Managers provide governors with a clear overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision across both centres. Governors are starting to provide more challenge, and leaders are beginning to benefit from their scrutiny. Monitoring visit: Leslie Frances (Hair Fashions) Limited, 23 and 24 April 2024

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have swiftly and effectively improved the procedures to monitor safeguarding concerns. The designated safeguarding lead has a good overview of concerns, which are recorded centrally and monitored effectively. Staff log all issues and concerns to help keep apprentices safe, including lower-level risks relating, for example, to apprentices with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or diabetes.

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Reasonable progress

All staff complete mandatory safeguarding training, including an introduction to safeguarding, followed by a level 2 course in safeguarding children and young people. All staff have completed ‘Prevent’ duty training and update this each year. Staff complete additional training such as on criminal exploitation and trauma- informed practice. Managers log staff training appropriately, which ensures that they know when staff need to update their training.

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Reasonable progress

Managers reviewed how, through lessons and training activities, tutors planned activities to enable apprentices to gain the knowledge they need about the relevant health and safety and legislative requirements for the hairdressing industry. They then used staff meetings, standardisation activities and quality audits of training to help staff to understand how to integrate these topics into the curriculum more effectively.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors introduce apprentices to the health and safety, and legislative and regulatory, requirements for the hairdressing industry at the start of their programme. They then revisit and reinforce these topics throughout the programme. Apprentices have a good awareness of how to work in line with the correct health and safety procedures and comply with relevant legislation when working with clients, to ensure their own and their clients’ safety. These include the regulations and controls necessary for the use of hazardous products and materials when, for example, using bleach and hair colour.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices’ reflections and evaluations about what they have learned and how they have complied with relevant legislation and health and safety requirements during practical lessons are too brief. As a result, apprentices have little information that Monitoring visit: Leslie Frances (Hair Fashions) Limited, 23 and 24 April 2024 they can review later to consolidate their learning, and tutors are not able to identify and address quickly any gaps in apprentices’ understanding.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices have a good awareness about how GDPR regulations relate to their dealings with clients and how equalities laws and duties relate specifically to their industry. They have learned about the need to follow legislation relating to client confidentiality. They have a good awareness about the steps that they should take when using social media to obtain consent and to protect clients’ personal information.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, managers have reviewed the personal development activities that they provided within the curriculum. They have taken action to increase opportunities for apprentices to develop their wider industry awareness and personal skills. Apprentices have already visited or have plans in place to visit the Wella Studio in Manchester, where technical hairdressing experts demonstrate current industry trends in cutting, colouring and styling hair.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have engaged with a former apprentice who is now an international creative director for prestigious companies and who styles the hair of high-profile international media personalities. This creative director recently led a one-day workshop at the Barnsley training centre. Apprentices found the workshop inspirational and highly valuable when considering their future career options. However, a few apprentices were unable to attend due to work commitments, and most apprentices from the Sheffield training centre were not aware that this valuable activity had taken place. Managers are actively exploring other opportunities to engage with external industry specialists and increase the range and frequency of these events so that more apprentices can benefit.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have provided apprentices with opportunities to engage in sessions relating to finances management, and for level 3 apprentices, self-employment and small-business management. A few apprentices have been on a museum visit to explore hairdressing techniques and traditions over time, which they found interesting and developmental.

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Reasonable progress

Managers recognise that they have provided limited opportunities for apprentices to engage in external competitions. A few apprentices entered an online blow-drying competition organised by a brush and equipment supplier. A few apprentices do engage in external competitions organised through their employers.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have plans to increase the opportunities for apprentices to engage in wider personal and skills development activities and to make these a regular aspect of apprentices’ programmes of study rather than one-off activities. Monitoring visit: Leslie Frances (Hair Fashions) Limited, 23 and 24 April 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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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