Alphabet Training Group Ltd

Get Set Academy Ltd Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Suzanne Wainwright, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Central Buildings Richmond Terrace Blackburn BB1 7AP Monitoring visit: Get Set Academy Ltd, 9 and 10 July 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Get Set Academy Ltd 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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Context and focus of visit

Get Set Academy Ltd is an independent learning provider based in Blackburn, Lancashire. It provides training predominantly across the North West with some provision in the North East and South East.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, Get Set Academy Ltd had 120 apprentices. There were 45 apprentices on the level 3 early years educator, 14 on the level 3 teaching assistant and 33 on the level 2 pharmacy services assistant apprenticeships. The remainder were on level 3 business administrator, customer service specialist, early years practitioner, multi-channel marketer, payroll administrator and team leader apprenticeships. Thirty-five apprentices were aged 16 to 18.

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Context and focus of visit

There were 6 adult learners on a 10-week level 3 digital Skills Bootcamp course that was taught online.

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Significant progress

Leaders have redesigned the Skills Bootcamp curriculum extensively. They have created a well-considered and logically planned course that helps learners to develop the practical skills that they need to gain successful employment in the digital sector. Leaders work closely with employers to ensure that the content of the curriculum meets their needs and contributes to the wider digital skills needs of the Lancashire region. Most learners who complete the Skills Bootcamp course secure employment, become self-employed or progress to higher-level courses in digital marketing.

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Significant progress

Learners develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours quickly as a result of their Skills Bootcamp course. They progress from having very little knowledge of social media platforms to creating high-quality videos, posts and newsletters using industry standard tools. These include graphic design platforms, virtual assistants Monitoring visit: Get Set Academy Ltd, 9 and 10 July 2024 and ‘chatbots’ powered by artificial intelligence, and automated email scheduling software.

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Significant progress

Learners benefit from working on ‘live’ briefs provided by local employers. These help learners to apply their new knowledge and skills to problems and tasks that they may encounter in the workplace. Employers often offer learners employment because of the high standard of project work that they produce.

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Significant progress

Tutors provide very detailed developmental feedback to learners on their independent learning tasks. The feedback identifies what learners have done well and where they can improve the content of their work. Learners routinely revisit these activities to make the suggested improvements. Later pieces of work demonstrate that they learn from previous feedback and apply it successfully to help them to create work of a higher quality.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have focused relentlessly on rectifying the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. They now have a detailed understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their provision. Leaders have implemented a cycle of appropriate quality assurance and improvement activities that take place frequently. For example, they carry out quarterly visits to learning sessions to check the quality of teaching and training. Leaders now only work with employers who demonstrate commitment to supporting their apprentices’ training plans and progress.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers now hold useful monthly meetings to monitor the impact that their actions have on raising the quality of education. They focus on areas such as the Skills Bootcamp course, functional skills achievement and the quality and impact of tutors’ feedback to learners and apprentices. However, leaders recognise that it is too early to judge the impact of a few of their actions.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide comprehensive and relevant training and development activities that help staff to improve their effectiveness at work. Leaders and managers have attended training that has helped them to understand how to rectify the weaknesses in their provision and to develop effective quality improvement processes. Tutors benefit from training that helps them to maintain up-to-date industry knowledge and to improve their teaching and training practices. However, in a few cases, leaders have not given sufficient feedback to tutors following observations of teaching. These tutors are unable to focus specifically on what they need to do to improve their teaching practice. Monitoring visit: Get Set Academy Ltd, 9 and 10 July 2024

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have implemented two systems for monitoring apprentices’ and learners’ progress. One is for apprenticeships, and one is for Skills Bootcamps. The Skills Bootcamp system is updated frequently after learning sessions, progress review meetings and when learners submit their independent learning tasks for review. Leaders monitor Skills Bootcamp learners’ progress effectively. However, the apprenticeship system does not identify clearly when an apprentice is falling behind. Leaders plan to introduce a digital platform to give greater clarity of apprentices’ progress across all apprenticeship standards.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors monitor learners’ and apprentices’ progress based on what they already know and can do at the start of their course or apprenticeship. They use this information to monitor learners’ and apprentices’ progress against their initial starting points and future goals. Tutors provide individualised actions to help learners and apprentices to develop their skills further and to make even better progress. Learners on the Skills Bootcamp make significant progress during their course.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors monitor learners’ attendance closely. Attendance has improved since the previous inspection. Most apprentices and Skills Bootcamp learners attend frequently. On the few occasions where learners do not attend their sessions, they are supported to catch up. Tutors link attendance to the behaviours that learners need to demonstrate at work.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors and coaches plan on- and off-the-job training effectively with employers. They sequence the curriculum carefully to allow apprentices to apply the knowledge that they learn in their training sessions to the tasks they complete at work. Employers ensure that apprentices undertake activities, such as shadowing their colleagues, to develop an understanding of key information prior to the next lesson. For example, apprentices on the level 2 pharmacy services assistant apprenticeship work with the Monitoring visit: Get Set Academy Ltd, 9 and 10 July 2024 pharmacist at work to practise checking prescriptions for errors when learning about the drugs tariff in their off-the-job training sessions.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors use an effective range of strategies to check that apprentices can remember what they have learned over time. These include effective questioning techniques and repetition to deepen apprentices’ knowledge and to help them to transfer this knowledge to their long-term memory. For example, on the level 2 pharmacy services assistant apprenticeship, tutors question apprentices on how they use effective communication techniques to help and support patients. Apprentices can recall what they have learned and demonstrate how they apply their knowledge competently in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have successfully redesigned their approach to how they recruit apprentices, learners and employers. They establish the suitability of the learner or apprentice to the learning programme they want to complete before enrolment. Leaders ensure that employers have the appropriate support in place, such as workplace mentors and staffing capacity, to allow apprentices to attend training sessions during the working day and to achieve their apprenticeships on time.

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Reasonable progress

Most learners and apprentices now demonstrate full commitment to their learning programmes and remain on their course or apprenticeship. In a few apprenticeships, such as the level 2 pharmacy services assistant apprenticeship, this has resulted in more apprentices achieving the highest grades.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors provide helpful careers information, advice and guidance to most learners and apprentices throughout their courses and apprenticeships. Most learners and apprentices understand the next steps available to them, such as progression to the next level of learning, a university course or promotion at work. Leaders use their employer contacts to provide learners on Skills Bootcamps with information about Monitoring visit: Get Set Academy Ltd, 9 and 10 July 2024 possible careers in the digital skills sector and job interviews. Skills Bootcamp tutors constantly relate learning activities to job roles and future career opportunities.

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Reasonable progress

During progress review meetings, tutors provide a range of appropriate resources to discuss apprentices’ career aspirations. They use their expertise and experiences to identify potential career pathways and to help apprentices to understand the progression routes available to them.

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Reasonable progress

Most tutors help learners and apprentices to develop additional skills that will be useful to them in the workplace or to gain suitable employment. These include the development of their communication skills, how to improve their CVs and covering letters, and the use of digital media skills to enhance their professional online presence. Monitoring visit: Get Set Academy Ltd, 9 and 10 July 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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Reasonable progress

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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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