Inclusive Training Solutions Ltd

Inclusive Training Solutions Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Saul Pope, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 1056 Deer Park Road Moulton Park Industrial Estate Northampton Northamptonshire NN3 6RX Monitoring visit: Inclusive Training Solutions Limited, 30 and 31 May 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Inclusive Training Solutions Limited (ITS) was inspected in November 2022. 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

At the time of the previous inspection, the provider was known as All Trades Training Limited (ATT). Since that inspection, new leaders have taken over the provider, renamed it and changed its curricular focus. They focus on providing apprenticeships for people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and/or who are disadvantaged.

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Reasonable progress

Since the last inspection, leaders have significantly altered the curriculum that they offer. They focus only on subjects in which they, and their coaches, have considerable expertise.

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Reasonable progress

In most cases, coaches plan well the curriculums that they teach. They carefully consider employers’ needs, and plan topics and projects to meet these. For example, they teach level 3 business administrator apprentices about the computing systems and processes that they use at work.

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Reasonable progress

Most coaches plan logically the order of the topics they teach. Level 5 operations or departmental manager apprentices first learn about emotional intelligence and self- reflection, before they apply this to management.

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Reasonable progress

On most courses, coaches provide apprentices with helpful examples to support their studies. Coaches of level 3 digital marketer apprentices include case studies of contemporary brands when they teach global brand sensitivity to apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

In a few cases, coaches plan courses less effectively. For example, level 2 supply chain warehouse operative coaches do not ensure that apprentices develop secure knowledge of all the underpinning theoretical topics that they need. Monitoring visit: Inclusive Training Solutions Limited, 30 and 31 May 2024 During lessons, coaches check apprentices’ knowledge and understanding appropriately. They ask probing questions that challenge apprentices to expand on their answers and recall what they know about key topics. However, coaches do not revisit new topics with apprentices frequently enough. Consequently, a few apprentices struggle to recall key information.

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Reasonable progress

Too many apprentices do not receive clear and direct feedback on their written work. As a result, they do not know how to improve their work in the future, or recognise corrections that they need to make to their written English. For example, level 5 operations or departmental manager apprentices do not include a sufficient focus on key theorists in some assignments, but coaches do not challenge them to make improvements.

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Reasonable progress

Both leaders and coaches monitor apprentices’ progress closely. Coaches give apprentices clear and focused targets to work towards. These help apprentices to understand coaches’ expectations, and to organise their studies well. Apprentices attend sessions at high rates, and are enthusiastic about their learning.

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Reasonable progress

Nevertheless, a few apprentices fall behind slightly in their courses. This is particularly the case on the level 5 operations or departmental manager standard. When this happens, apprentices attend extra support sessions to help them catch up. Apprentices rightly value this swift and effective additional support. It enables them to get back on track with their studies.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place thorough quality assurance processes to monitor coaches’ performance. This helps them to understand when coaches do not meet expected standards and, as a result, hinder apprentices’ progress. When they identify issues, leaders take swift action. Coaches who fail to meet these standards swiftly leave the provider.

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Reasonable progress

In a few cases, employers do not consistently offer apprentices sufficient off-the-job training hours, or attend apprentices’ reviews frequently enough. Both leaders and employers recognise these shortcomings, and have advanced plans in place to rectify them.

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Reasonable progress

Although they do not always attend reviews, employers understand well their apprentices’ progress. They work constructively with ATT staff to rectify any issues that apprentices have, such as with apprentices’ professional conduct.

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Reasonable progress

The small number of apprentices who transferred to ITS from ATT did not, in most cases, complete their courses successfully. This was largely due to historic issues. Monitoring visit: Inclusive Training Solutions Limited, 30 and 31 May 2024 Leaders and managers at ITS supported well those apprentices who remained engaged with their courses to undertake their final assessments.

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Insufficient progress

At the time of the visit, apprentices did not receive sufficient teaching to help them develop their mathematical and English skills and knowledge. This was due to a lack of suitably qualified and experienced teachers.

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Insufficient progress

Previous English and mathematics teachers, who have left ITS, planned poorly the work that apprentices completed. They did not use apprentices’ starting points to plan suitably challenging curriculums. They set work that was too often not challenging enough, and did not record apprentices’ progress well.

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Insufficient progress

As a result, apprentices rely on self-study to develop new mathematical and English skills and knowledge. They do not develop new mathematical and English skills to sufficiently high levels.

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Insufficient progress

New, appropriately experienced, mathematics and English teachers have devised thorough plans to make improvements. These include well-planned curriculums and appropriately challenging resources to help apprentices understand key topics. However, at the time of the visit, staff had not started to use these curriculums with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices have a sound knowledge of many safeguarding topics, such as abuse and neglect. They understand what constitutes a safeguarding risk in most contexts, and know how to report any concerns that they have about safeguarding or welfare to staff at ITS.

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Reasonable progress

However, apprentices have only a basic knowledge of radicalisation and extremism. They study these topics during their induction and complete assessments related to these. Because they do not return to these topics during their courses, they struggle to recall much detail of what they have studied. Monitoring visit: Inclusive Training Solutions Limited, 30 and 31 May 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

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Reasonable progress

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

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