PHX Training Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Information about this provider

PHX Training Limited (PHX) received a contract to offer directly funded adult learning programmes in November 2017 and for training apprentices in April 2018. Both contracts ended in 2020. In 2023, PHX was successful in its re-tender for adult learning programmes and recommenced directly funded courses in August of that year.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, PHX had 111 learners based in seven different learning centres across Cumbria and Lancashire. A further 693 learners had enrolled, and completed, a course since the start of the new contract. Most learners study short courses at level 1 or level 2. They generally attend face-to-face sessions, with a minority learning remotely online. The most popular courses are in business administration, customer service, functional skills mathematics, and health and social care.

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Information about this provider

PHX also teaches adult learning programmes for other training organisations as a subcontractor. These courses were out of scope for this inspection. 29 to 31 May 2024

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

Learners are motivated and keen to learn. They benefit from calm and respectful learning environments that help many learners to overcome their previous fears of education and barriers to learning.

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

Learners set high expectations for themselves. They model the professional behaviours that they need to develop for their next steps and future employment. Learners work independently on tasks and support each other considerately when collaborating on more complex questions and topics.

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

Learners grow swiftly in confidence. They develop skills beyond the requirements of their qualifications, such as social interaction, communication and life skills. Tutors help learners to understand how to register at doctors’ surgeries and how to cook on a budget.

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

Staff work with a wide variety of external partners to provide the support that learners need to be successful in life. Each centre displays a list of local groups where learners can receive confidential support if they are in crisis or experiencing difficulties. These include agencies that support debt management, men’s mental health and drug and alcohol misuse.

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

Learners feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe. Tutors ensure that learners understand the risks of extremism and radicalisation. For example, learners on the level 1 basic principles of customer service course talk confidently about their increased awareness of the threats they might face when working in security roles at large public events and gatherings.

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better?

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for their curriculums. Learners are often long-term unemployed residents, asylum seekers or refugees who need additional support to develop the skills needed to meet local and regional skills shortages and to move into employment.

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better?

Leaders involve employers and stakeholders routinely in the design of their curriculums. For example, the level 1 basic principles of customer service course is part of a larger programme developed with employers to prepare learners for employment in the security industry.

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better?

Curriculum leaders and tutors plan their curriculums logically to help learners to develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours throughout their courses. For example, on the level 1 basic principles of customer service course, tutors teach general communication with customers before moving on to aspects that link directly to security roles, such as rights and responsibilities, health and safety at work and dealing with queries and problems. 29 to 31 May 2024

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Curriculum leaders and tutors identify accurately what most learners already know and can do at the start of their courses. They use this information to plan highly individualised learning. However, staff do not assess the initial knowledge and skills of a few learners who learn online at the start of their course or adapt the curriculum to meet their needs.

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Tutors use a range of effective strategies to help learners to learn more and to remember more over time. They use question and answer techniques, worksheets and quick-fire questions skilfully to check learners’ knowledge. Tutors across all courses provide additional individual sessions to help learners to catch up if they struggle with topics or fall behind.

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Tutors provide helpful and effective feedback to learners. For example, on functional skills mathematics courses, learners use feedback to improve their understanding of how to use formulae to calculate the area of shapes accurately. Tutors identify swiftly any errors in learners’ work to help them to dispel any misunderstandings quickly. On the level 2 understanding mental health first aid and advocacy in the workplace course, tutors’ feedback on work helps learners to extend their answers using research beyond their workbooks. Learners develop the skills they need to avoid plagiarism and to present their new knowledge in their own words.

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Tutors support learners routinely to improve their written English skills. For example, they closely assess and improve the accuracy of learners’ punctuation and paragraphing. Tutors correct spelling mistakes and help learners with words and technical language that they find challenging. As a result, the standard of nearly all learners’ written English improves swiftly. However, in a few subjects, such as customer service, tutors recognise that they do not focus sufficiently on the further development of learners’ mathematical skills.

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Most learners benefit from effective impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance at the start, during and at the end of their courses. This helps them to plan for their next steps, including how to research jobs and how to prepare for an interview. However, a few learners who learn online do not receive sufficient information about the career opportunities available to them.

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Most learners stay on their courses and achieve their qualifications. They aspire to move on to apprenticeships, further learning or employment. Learners recognise the additional social and family focused skills that they gain while on their courses. For example, functional skills mathematics learners talk about how they are now able to help their children with their homework.

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Most tutors are highly qualified and experienced to teach their courses. Tutors maintain the currency of their subject knowledge through monthly staff development activities and/or continuing as practitioners in their field. Leaders have a clear focus on ensuring that tutors improve their teaching practices. ‘Friday Focus’ topics are designed to give tutors suggestions on how to engage learners in learning and to understand issues that might affect learning, such as Ramadan and the andropause. 29 to 31 May 2024

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Leaders and managers use effective quality assurance and quality improvement processes to monitor and improve the quality of education. They have redesigned their processes over the last six months. These processes have led to notable improvements in the quality of the curriculum across most centres.

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Leaders and managers monitor staff workloads and performance closely. Most staff feel valued and supported by leaders and managers. Leaders have taken appropriate action to tackle poor performance.

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The governance function is strong. Directors have the appropriate experience and skills to hold leaders to account for the quality of education that learners receive. Directors receive high-quality reports that help them to scrutinise the curriculum and to support leaders to implement effective improvement actions.

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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 tutors identify accurately the starting points of all learners, including those who study online.  Ensure that all learners, including those who study online, receive high-quality careers education, information, advice and guidance to help them to make informed choices about their next steps.  Ensure that all learners continue to develop their mathematical skills throughout their learning. 29 to 31 May 2024

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Provider details

Address 3–5 Victoria Place Carlisle Cumberland CA1 1ES

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Briony Fawcett

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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 29 to 31 May 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

Suzanne Wainwright, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector David Towsey His Majesty’s Inspector Alastair Mollon His Majesty’s Inspector Suzanne Horner His Majesty’s Inspector 29 to 31 May 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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