Apricot Centre CIC

Apricot Centre CIC Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Sarah Alexander, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 31 July and 1 August 2024

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Huxhams Cross Farm Rattery Road Dartington Totnes TQ9 6AA Monitoring visit: Apricot Centre CIC, 31 July and 1 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

Apricot Centre CIC is a not-for-profit community interest company based at Huxhams Cross Farm in south Devon. During the monitoring visit, Apricot Centre CIC was teaching one Skills Bootcamp for adults. Sixteen adults were studying regenerative land-based systems at level 2, most of whom were changing their career and starting a farm enterprise. A small minority of learners were unemployed and studying the course to gain the skills required for a job in agriculture or horticulture. The Skills Bootcamps are taught over 12 successive weeks, with one full day of teaching per week. They are taught in person at the farm on site.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders worked with employers and other relevant stakeholders to identify a significant knowledge and skills gap in agro-ecological practices in the local and national agricultural industries. They have designed a pioneering Skills Bootcamps to meet this need. This includes an ambitious aim to lead systemic change in the food industry and meet key environmental objectives for carbon sequestration.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders are highly experienced and suitably skilled to plan and implement training for adult learners. Tutors are well qualified and possess the required subject knowledge to deepen learners’ understanding beyond the basic requirements of the course. Leaders recognise rightly that tutors require further training to ensure that their teaching skills are continuously improved to provide the high levels of training they expect.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders developed a relevant wider curriculum for learners, including film screenings, book clubs, well-being services and work experience placements. However, this does not include sufficient teaching to help learners understand how radicalisation and extremism may affect them in their work and local area.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have sustainable practices in place to assure themselves of the quality of the training they provide. This helps them to understand the training needs of tutors and Monitoring visit: Apricot Centre CIC, 31 July and 1 August 2024 contributes to the culture of continuous improvement. Leaders identified the need to train tutors to give constructive feedback to learners to deepen and extend their skills. This has resulted in a marked improvement in the feedback learners receive. However, leaders recognise that there is further development required in this area.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide governors with comprehensive reports so that they can hold leaders to account effectively. The governing board meets frequently to discuss the performance of the current cohort and any future developments. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the Skills Bootcamps and support leaders well.

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Reasonable progress

Learners appreciate gaining practical skills and discussing experiences with like- minded peers, recognising the benefits for their businesses and careers. They consider how organic biodynamic systems can enhance production efficiency and process improvement. Seeing real-life applications of studied techniques, aided by guest lectures and site visits, helps learners apply these skills to their work.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors build strong professional relationships with learners. They identify learners’ individual strengths and weaknesses and pinpoint those who need extra help as it arises throughout the training. However, they do not identify clearly what learners know and can do at the start of training and cannot therefore plan learning sufficiently well to meet all learners’ needs. Tutors do not identify gaps in knowledge sufficiently well through teaching activities and it is therefore difficult for tutors to monitor learners’ progress accurately.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors have high expectations of learners. They expect learners to take part in significant additional learning, over and above the requirement of the qualification, and to participate in complex high-level discussions, for example by discussing indigenous cultural practices and how modern agriculture has viewed long-standing techniques. While current learners value this discussion it often goes beyond the requirement of the qualification. This is too challenging for learners who do not have the depth of knowledge required for this activity.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors do not develop the English and mathematics skills of learners from their starting points. Learners complete an application form and interview which includes a discussion of their academic level in English and mathematics, but this does not establish any gaps in learners’ knowledge that might hinder their understanding later in the course, for example by not checking that learners understand ratio, estimation, or scale drawings before these skills are needed during the course. Monitoring visit: Apricot Centre CIC, 31 July and 1 August 2024

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Reasonable progress

Leaders create an effective culture of safeguarding where learners are encouraged to discuss their concerns. Tutors conduct a ‘check-in’ at the start of each day, where learners talk about any concerns before starting learning activities. Learners take part in helpful individual counselling sessions offered through the providers’ well- being service, to support wider mental wellness.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed a useful handbook for learners that includes information on how to report safeguarding concerns. However, handbooks do not contain enough information to help learners to recognise safeguarding concerns in themselves and others. Tutors do not teach learners how to protect themselves from potential extremist behaviour in their industry. Monitoring visit: Apricot Centre CIC, 31 July and 1 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 looked after children, 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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