Cool Blue College Ltd

Cool Blue College 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:

Glenroyd House Medomsley Road Consett County Durham DH8 5HL Monitoring visit: Cool Blue College Limited, 4 and 5 June 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Cool Blue College Limited was inspected in August 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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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not have a clear oversight of the quality of education that they provide. They have not ensured that the quality improvement plan they have in place accurately identifies areas of concern and actions that they need to take to improve their apprenticeship programmes.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not have rigorous quality assurance arrangements in place. As a result, they cannot assure themselves that the quality of the apprenticeships that they offer is of a high standard. Leaders have very recently introduced new quality assurance processes, but it is too soon to see the impact of these. For example, leaders have developed and implemented a new system to track and monitor apprentices’ progress. They use this system in monthly meetings with learning mentors to systematically review the progress that apprentices make. However, leaders do not identify or put in place actions that learning mentors need to take, such as providing support for apprentices when they are not making the expected progress.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not provide governors with a clear overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the quality of education and training. They report to governors on process and compliance-related activities only. As a result, governors do not have the information that they need to be able to support and challenge leaders to improve the quality of training that they provide.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders recognise that they have not provided learning mentors with appropriate professional development to help them to improve their teaching practice. Leaders do not effectively evaluate the quality of learning mentors’ teaching. When leaders Monitoring visit: Cool Blue College Limited, 4 and 5 June 2024 provide feedback following a lesson observation, they do not identify the teaching skills that learning mentors need to improve. As a result, learning mentors do not know what they do well or what they need to do better and too often set their own actions for improvement, which leaders do not monitor. As a result, leaders cannot assure themselves that learning mentors are improving their pedagogical skills.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have provided learning mentors with professional development opportunities to ensure that they know exactly what apprentices need to learn to pass their functional skills examinations and their end-point assessments. For example, learning mentors have recently received training from an end-point assessment organisation that has helped them to understand how to help apprentices achieve higher grades. Functional skills learning mentors have undertaken a level 5 module on how to teach mathematics and benefit from frequent mentoring by mathematic specialists.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have ensured that all learning mentors are either studying or have achieved a level 3 qualification in education and training. However, staff who teach and support learning mentors through this programme do not have up-to-date knowledge regarding current research on teaching practice.

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Reasonable progress

Since the last inspection, leaders have provided learning mentors with guidance on how to plan and deliver a more ambitious curriculum. Leaders are piloting newly designed teaching resources for a few selected apprenticeships. As a result, learning mentors are teaching apprentices a broader curriculum beyond simply completing pre-designed workbooks. For newly recruited apprentices, this is having a beneficial impact, as learning mentors are making learning relevant to the workplace and encouraging apprentices to apply what they learn in their off-the-job training to their job roles. For example, on the level 3 business administrator programme, apprentices benefit from newly designed confidence-building resources which help them to develop their speaking skills in presentations.

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Reasonable progress

Learning mentors adjust the curriculum and tailor subject content for apprentices. They consider what they need to expand on to ensure that apprentices learn extra curriculum content beyond that covered by apprenticeship standards. For example, on the level 2 warehouse operative programme, apprentices learn how to safely handle machinery and lift heavy loads specific to the warehouses in which they work. As a result, they are better prepared to apply these skills in their jobs.

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Reasonable progress

Learning mentors use questioning well to test how effectively apprentices apply in their workplaces what they have learned in their off-the-job training. For example, on the level 5 operational manager apprenticeship, learning mentors teach apprentices how to use Tuckman’s model of forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning to help them develop collaborative leadership styles. They check Monitoring visit: Cool Blue College Limited, 4 and 5 June 2024 apprentices’ understanding and provide useful feedback on the projects that apprentices design about the application of this model at work. As a result, apprentices are becoming better team leaders in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Since the last inspection, leaders have employed an experienced motor vehicle learning mentor, and apprentices on the level 3 motor vehicle apprenticeship have access to a well-resourced workshop. These developments help to ensure that apprentices develop more rapidly their practical skills and knowledge.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders recognise that the actions that they have taken to provide apprentices with high-quality, impartial careers advice and guidance have been too slow. They have appointed a new manager who has identified the areas for improvement that need to be swiftly addressed. The manager has commenced work on a range of strategies and initiatives to develop careers information resources and to improve the advice and guidance that learning mentors provide to apprentices. Resources are well designed, but it is too early for them to have had a measurable impact.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have taken initial steps to ensure that learning mentors hold discussions with apprentices to help them focus on their long-term career goals. Newly recruited apprentices are better supported to consider their personal goals and possible progression routes on completion of the programme, such as working towards achieving chartered manager status.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have recently designed a careers newsletter. Early issues provide links to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and the Skills for Life websites, where apprentices can undertake self-assessment questionnaires to identify what knowledge, skills and behaviours they need for different career paths. Leaders and managers realise that they need to promote these links and opportunities more proactively so that apprentices benefit from impartial career advice and guidance that helps them to consider their long-term career options. Monitoring visit: Cool Blue College Limited, 4 and 5 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

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Insufficient 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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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient 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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