The Small Business Academy

The Small Business Academy Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector:

Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection dates: 6 and 7 August 2024

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Name of lead inspector:

Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Peel House Unit 8 Peel House Business Village Peel Road Blackpool Lancashire FY4 5JX Monitoring visit: The Small Business Academy, 6 and 7 August 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning provision where the provision offered is in scope for inspection. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’, especially the sections entitled ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

The Small Business Academy is an independent learning provider based in Blackpool, Lancashire. The Small Business Academy initially received its funding from Lancashire County Council to provide Skills Bootcamps in April 2023. At the time of the monitoring visit, the provider had 14 adult learners enrolled on cohort five of a digital marketing Skills Bootcamp. Almost all learners are self-employed. A few learners on previous cohorts have been unemployed or in employment. Learners are taught through a mix of face-to-face and online learning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have worked closely with employers and partners to develop the digital marketing Skills Bootcamp. The 12-week course enables learners to learn from industry specialists about topics such as margins, turnover, lifetime costs, social media advertising and costings, and artificial intelligence. In addition to online group lessons, learners benefit from three hours of one-to-one personalised coaching to help them to develop and apply the individual skills they need to digitally market their businesses effectively.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have an accurate oversight of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They are working diligently to develop and implement quality assurance and quality improvement processes. They accurately monitor the progress learners make during and after each lesson. Leaders use the results from six-weekly learner evaluations of Skills Bootcamp lessons to inform improvements to the curriculum.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders precisely and thoroughly identify learners’ starting points, including prior skills and career ambitions, before the start of the Skills Bootcamp. They use the results of assessments of learners’ starting points to plan Skills Bootcamps to meet the skills development needs of their learners. Monitoring visit: The Small Business Academy, 6 and 7 August 2024 Almost all learners who enrol on the Skills Bootcamp complete the course. The very few unemployed learners benefit from guaranteed interviews. Leaders and managers monitor learner destinations closely.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that they have expert trainers and appropriate physical resources to train learners effectively. They have appointed trainers who have extensive experience in digital marketing.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders are mindful of staff welfare and well-being. They provide flexible working arrangements when needed to ensure staff maintain good physical and mental health.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders rightly recognise that governance is in its infancy. Leaders have recruited a governor who has significant experience of adult education. The governor currently provides informal support and guidance. Leaders have plans in place to recruit additional governors and formalise governance arrangements.

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Reasonable progress

Learners develop substantial new knowledge and skills because of their Skills Bootcamp. They learn how to keep their business websites safe and complete the software security framework (SSF) certificate. This helps to ensure that their websites are not compromised by cyber threats. Learners maintain control over their website domain and introduce social media adverts to increase lead generation. Consequently, learners have control of the content on their website and increase their sales leads.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers ensure that learners can apply their new knowledge and skills, such as when optimising new sales and marketing tactics in their online businesses. Learners increase sales by launching online adword campaigns and implementing A/B testing, which compares the performance of two versions of content to identify which appeals more to viewers on website landing pages to improve conversion rates. Learners quickly develop their strategic skills when using online advertisements to monitor website activity, in conjunction with careful use of search engine optimisation (SEO) keywords.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers skilfully use assessment strategies, such as questioning, to check and consolidate learners’ understanding of using social media as a marketing tool for their online businesses. For instance, they discuss the different social media platforms for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) businesses. They ensure learners understand the importance of responding to reviews online. Trainers close gaps in learning, such as when learners consider how to manage negative reviews using social media platforms. Monitoring visit: The Small Business Academy, 6 and 7 August 2024 Trainers are experienced and knowledgeable in their subjects. They use effective examples of their own experiences in their teaching, such as the importance of virtual office addresses. Learners know to access online reviews using their virtual addresses, which ensures their safety as they are not using a home location for their

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers place high priority on an inclusive culture where learners feel safe. Learners know how to report any worries or concerns they may have.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have appropriate processes, procedures and systems to report, record and monitor any safeguarding incidents that may occur. As no safeguarding incidents or concerns have been reported, safeguarding processes and systems remain untested.

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Reasonable progress

Staff benefit from training on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. They use their knowledge of safeguarding to ensure that learners work safely online. Monitoring visit: The Small Business Academy, 6 and 7 August 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 and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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