Prevista Ltd

Prevista Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Jon Bowman, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: United House North Road Islington N7 9DP Monitoring visit: Prevista Limited, 10-11 April, 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Prevista Limited was inspected in May 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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Context and focus of visit

Prevista is an independent national training provider based in north London and established in 1996. In 2020, Prevista became an employee-owned trust. Prevista currently teaches apprenticeships, education programmes for young people, and adult learning programmes. This visit focused on the areas for improvement identified in the apprenticeship provision as inspectors judged the other provision types to be good.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 437 apprentices, with 370 studying early years apprenticeships at levels 2 to 5. The largest number, 255, study the level 3 early years education standard, with 83 studying the early years practitioner standard level 2. Of the remaining apprentices around half study adult care standards at levels 2 to 5 and management apprenticeships at levels 3 to 5.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have taken highly effective action to make sure that apprentices have good-quality reviews that involve their employers. For example, tutors schedule reviews after they complete workplace observations. This makes it easy for employers to attend, and a high proportion do so.

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Significant progress

When recruiting apprentices, leaders and managers make sure that employers have a full understanding of the demands on them and their setting, and the expectations on them as employers. This has had several positive outcomes. For example, apprentices now receive their entitlement to off-the-job training and employers contribute effectively to assess the progress that apprentices make. Employers are well informed about the progress that apprentices make and value highly the contribution apprentices make in their setting.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have greatly improved the support and management of tutors. They have reduced tutors’ caseloads to manageable levels. Managers Monitoring visit: Prevista Limited, 10-11 April, 2024 frequently meet with tutors to review in detail their performance and the progress that apprentices make. They promptly give apprentices support if they need it.

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Significant progress

Tutors work closely with each other to make sure that apprentices get the help they need. They put in place detailed action plans when apprentices fall behind in their studies to help them catch up. They provide additional one-to-one support to apprentices where needed. As a result, apprentices receive very effective support that helps them stay on track with their studies. They highly value the support they get from their tutors and are motivated to learn and achieve.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have put in place a very well-considered functional skills strategy to plan and achieve the improvements needed. Through the curriculum, they have successfully prioritised the achievement of functional skills qualifications so that these are not a barrier to apprentices completing their training, and to prepare them for their next steps in their career.

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Significant progress

Tutors use assessments of what apprentices know and can do at the start of their training well to make sure that they teach the topics in which apprentices need to improve. Tutors direct apprentices to specific sessions based on the outcome of their assessments to fill their gaps in knowledge, such as in percentages and fractions.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers make sure that there is a range of highly effective options to support apprentices to develop their English and mathematics. For example, apprentices attend online workshops and one-to-one support if they need it. Apprentices’ attendance at workshops is good. Apprentices have access to online resources which they use well when preparing for mock and final examinations.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers make sure that knowledgeable and skilled tutors teach English and mathematics effectively. They have redesigned the English and mathematics curriculums so that apprentices study topics that are suited to their needs. Apprentices achieve their functional skills qualifications well. A high proportion pass their examinations at the first attempt.

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Significant progress

Tutors embed English and mathematics into vocational lessons very well. They plan activities that are vocationally contextualised and relevant to apprentices’ work. For example, when teaching about health, safety, and well-being to early years apprentices, tutors teach about the importance of ratios within the early years sector. Apprentices learn how to calculate how many staff they need in each room of a nursery to provide the correct ratio of staff to children and babies. Monitoring visit: Prevista Limited, 10-11 April, 2024

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Significant progress

After the previous inspection, senior leaders and managers swiftly put in place a comprehensive improvement plan to tackle the weaknesses in apprentices’ training. The board of trustees provides very effective oversight of the improvement plan and thoroughly scrutinises the impact of the actions that managers take. Board members meet frequently with leaders and managers, set targets, and review a good range of management information. Consequently, trustees have a detailed understanding of the provision.

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Significant progress

Tutors work very well with employers to plan on- and off-the-job training. They share curriculum plans with employers so that they can plan on-the-job activities in their setting that align with the content which tutors teach. For example, employers make sure that early years apprentices work with a range of ages so that they can apply what they learn to the full range of children in their setting.

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Significant progress

Tutors plan and teach the well-sequenced curriculum effectively. Level 3 early years educator apprentices learn child development theory before being taught how to plan activities and observations of children. Tutors introduce new content well in lessons. They give clear explanations when they introduce new information, such as technical vocabulary. They use a range of effective questioning techniques in lessons to assess apprentices’ knowledge and understanding.

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Significant progress

Tutors support apprentices who need extra help very well. They use information from education, health and care plans to understand apprentices’ needs and plan support for them. For example, tutors break down important content, tasks, and activities into small chunks. This helps apprentices understand and remember information. Consequently, for example, apprentices can organise and implement play activities with children with minimal support.

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Significant progress

Tutors have high aspirations for their apprentices and prepare them well for their final assessments. Tutors give helpful feedback to apprentices on their written work and what they need to do to achieve a distinction grade. They carry out mock assessments and provide examples of how to answer questions in lessons. As a result, apprentices understand the requirements of their final assessments. The number of apprentices who remain in learning and achieve their apprenticeship has greatly improved since 2022/23 and a high proportion achieve a distinction grade. Monitoring visit: Prevista Limited, 10-11 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

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Significant progress

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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Significant progress

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