FLM Training Ltd

FLM Training Ltd Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Kim Bleasdale, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Suite 101, Atlas House Caxton Close Wigan WN3 6XU Monitoring visit: FLM Training Ltd, 5 and 6 June 2024

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Context and focus of visit

FLM Training Ltd 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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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 40 adult learners and 24 apprentices in learning. Thirty-one adult learners were studying the level 3 gym and personal trainer course, eight were studying the level 3 sports massage course, and one was studying the level 3 personal training course. Thirteen apprentices were studying the level 2 leisure team member and 11 were studying the level 3 leisure duty manager apprenticeship standards.

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Significant progress

Immediately following their previous inspection, leaders prioritised the review and re- design of their adult course content. Leaders replaced all online training with face-to- face training. They also increased the number of face-to-face training sessions. Leaders collaborated with tutors to agree the course content. They carefully planned their approach by implementing a pilot course. Following the pilot, leaders made additional changes to their course structure by adding further face-to-face training sessions. As a result, learners now benefit from sufficient teaching that fully covers the course content, includes reflection time, time to complete additional research, study and complete written assignments, as well as the necessary time to practise and refine their skills.

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Significant progress

Leaders have cultivated very effective partnerships with a range of employers in the leisure sector. They acted swiftly on employers’ feedback about the content of curriculums. Leaders now include additional workshop training on group personal tutors, exercise corrections and analysis, business planning, marketing and market research, and financial planning. This extends learners’ knowledge beyond the requirements of the qualification and meets the specific needs of employers’ businesses. Monitoring visit: FLM Training Ltd, 5 and 6 June 2024 Leaders have greatly improved the learning resources for learners. For example, they recently introduced an online learning package to use as a study aid. Leaders identify that the large majority of learners currently benefit from using this resource. They closely monitor how many learners use the resource, which is steadily increasing.

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Significant progress

As a result of these enhancements to the curriculum, almost all learners now stay on their courses and complete their qualifications. This is a significant improvement since the previous inspection, where too many adult learners left their programmes before completing their qualifications.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders now monitor adult learners’ attendance and take swift action if learners do not attend regularly. They know from their monitoring activity that, since their previous inspection, most adult learners routinely attend their courses.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders strengthened existing documents and policies in relation to attendance. Learners now clearly know leaders’ and tutors’ stringent attendance expectations and the consequences if they do not attend their training. The attendance policy now informs tutors of the process to swiftly report absences. Leaders followed this up with appropriate training for tutors. Tutors know and routinely follow this process when learners are absent from training.

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Reasonable progress

Managers routinely discuss learners’ attendance with tutors. This enables them to decide and agree on any necessary interventions to support learners to attend. However, leaders currently collate attendance data at the end of each of their courses. This is not often enough to give them timely attendance information, to be able to respond swiftly to any problems or concerns that may arise at any point during a course.

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Significant progress

Leaders and tutors now make sure that all workplace mentors are fully aware of what their apprentices are learning and the skills they need to practise in the workplace.

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Significant progress

Tutors routinely carry out progress reviews with apprentices and their mentors. They set and agree precise targets and deadlines that focus on apprentices’ skills Monitoring visit: FLM Training Ltd, 5 and 6 June 2024 development at work. Following the progress review, tutors email all mentors with full details of these agreed targets. All mentors know what apprentices are currently working on and what they need to practise at work. Mentors quickly identify relevant opportunities at work for apprentices to practise and hone their skills. For example, apprentices studying the level 2 leisure team member apprenticeship assist with swimming lessons, carry out gym inductions with a junior, and normal activation with an adult. Apprentices studying the level 3 leisure duty manager apprenticeship accurately record and report incidents, order chemicals and organise staff rotas for full-time and casual staff, including cover for staff sickness. As a result, apprentices

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Significant progress

quickly develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to become effective practitioners at work.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have recently devised an informative training package for their workplace mentors. All mentors have benefited from this training. Consequently, mentors better understand their roles.

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Reasonable progress

While most tutors now provide more effective feedback to learners on their practical skills development, the quality and consistency of the feedback is variable across courses.

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Reasonable progress

Where feedback given on learners’ practical skills is done well, tutors clearly record what the learner has done well and how they can specifically and incisively improve their techniques further. For example, learners studying level 3 diploma in sports massage therapy are provided with feedback to ensure they administer the correct amount of pressure when carrying out different massage techniques. Learners studying level 3 diploma in gym instructing and personal training are provided with feedback to ensure that they use the correct terminology when they give instruction on exercise activities to clients. This helps learners explain confidently and clearly to clients the exercise which they will be doing, and how to do it. They explain in detail how the exercise improves different muscles. Follow-up feedback identifies that, where required, learners have acted upon and improved their techniques. As a

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Reasonable progress

result, learners refine specific massage techniques and skills such as effleurage.

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Reasonable progress

In a few instances, tutors provide feedback on learners’ practical techniques that is brief and does not give sufficient detail for the learner to reflect on for further development.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders’ quality assurance processes check the quality of feedback that tutors give to learners. They provide tutors with training through standardisation meetings and Monitoring visit: FLM Training Ltd, 5 and 6 June 2024 feedback from quality assurance processes and continue to support tutors to further develop their feedback to learners.

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Reasonable progress

Most learners now demonstrate a secure awareness of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremist behaviours. For example, learners are aware of the potential risks, such as unattended bags in public areas of leisure or fitness centres, and the theft of chemicals for potential use in extremist activities. However, a few learners still do not have a deep enough awareness of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.

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Reasonable progress

Learners have a secure understanding of British values and regularly demonstrate these at work. This is because leaders and managers provide appropriate training on British values. They ensure that learners receive training at the beginning of their programme and that tutors effectively teach and reinforce this knowledge throughout curriculums. Tutors teach learners the importance of respect, inclusion and awareness of different cultures and religious beliefs when carrying out a client consultation. For instance, if a client is fasting, learners take this into account by tailoring the goals to meet the client’s individual needs.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders now ensure that their quality assurance arrangements pay sufficient attention to the content of the curriculum and learners’ and apprentices’ progress over time. For example, leaders routinely conduct observations of tutors’ teaching, evaluate the quality of tutors’ feedback to learners, and monitor learners’ and apprentices’ attendance and progress. They accurately identify strengths around the teaching of practical aspects such as carrying out postural analysis of clients, as well as areas for improvement, such as the quality of tutors’ feedback and target setting.

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Reasonable progress

While leaders use the findings from quality assurance activities to inform their improvement plan, there are still a few aspects of the curriculum that require further strengthening. For instance, the inconsistency and quality of feedback that learners receive. Monitoring visit: FLM Training Ltd, 5 and 6 June 2024 Senior leaders have improved the information they give to governors in relation to their quality assurance of the curriculum. They routinely inform governors about the outcomes of their quality assurance activities, such as observations of teaching and learners’ and apprentices’ progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Currently, all apprentices and most adult learners are making expected progress to enable them to complete on time.

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Reasonable progress

Governors now hold senior leaders to account more closely for the quality of training that learners and apprentices receive. They have effectively challenged leaders to develop many aspects of their provision. For instance, to move to face-to-face teaching sessions and design and implement a course to enable learners to learn the relevant knowledge and work skills. Leaders have risen to these challenges. Monitoring visit: FLM Training Ltd, 5 and 6 June 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

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Reasonable progress

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

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