Riverside Training (Spalding) Ltd

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Riverside Training (Spalding) Ltd

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Inspection dates: 9 to 12 September 2024

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Information about this provider

Riverside Training (Spalding) Ltd provides training in the early years, care and business sectors. The provider trains apprentices across the East Midlands and East of England regions, with most provision being in south Lincolnshire.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the visit, there were 124 apprentices, most of whom study early years courses. There were 87 apprentices studying level 3 early years educator, 17 apprentices on the level 2 early years practitioner and a further eight apprentices on the level 5 early years lead practitioner. Four apprentices study other level 3 provision in business administrator, teaching assistant and team leader courses. Leaders also provide courses in working with children, young people and families. A further eight apprentices are enrolled on level 4 children, young people and families practitioner and level 5 children, young people and families manager. Forty apprentices are aged 18 and under. 9 to 12 September 2024

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices attend a well-planned induction programme, including eight ‘prime’ lessons on topics such as safeguarding and health and safety. Apprentices are well prepared for their workplace in early years and care settings and know how to keep themselves, and those in their care, safe.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Many apprentices are motivated and attend well. Staff set clear expectations and skilfully create a safe and professional learning environment from the first lesson. Apprentices on early years courses actively participate in lessons right from the start of the course.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Staff are enthusiastic and highly supportive. They develop useful support plans for most apprentices to enable them to make swift progress, and they make reasonable adjustments where needed. Apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate and helpful support, such as training being split into smaller chunks and the use of scribes for exams.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices become more confident because of their training. They learn how to communicate effectively with children of different ages and how to speak to parents sensitively about the development of their child.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices benefit from specialist speakers, such as special educational needs coordinators or forest school leaders, to broaden their knowledge of career options.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices on early years courses achieve their qualification well. Many early years apprentices achieve distinction grades.

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better?

Leaders’ planning of provision, beyond the early years courses, is not good enough. Leaders recently started to offer courses in children, young people and families. Apprentices on these courses do not receive enough teaching and do not make the equivalent progress to their peers on early years courses. Leaders have not ensured that these apprentices benefit from suitably qualified and experienced staff.

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better?

Leaders do not have quality assurance processes in place that identify areas for improvement accurately or quickly enough. Formal observation records are detailed and contain some helpful feedback, for example about using more positive language in lessons. However, too often the advice and guidance given by the observer are not specific enough. Leaders do not use outcomes from lesson observations to inform individual staff training and to help staff to develop their teaching craft.

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better?

Leaders have made substantial improvements to the quality of education for early years courses since the last inspection. Apprentices on early years courses receive sufficient and suitable training. Leaders have put suitable actions in place to ensure 9 to 12 September 2024

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that apprentices now attend training in cohort groups and that training is logically planned from the starting point.

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Leaders do not plan new courses well enough. Apprentices on children, young people and families courses have timely review meetings with staff, but these do not focus enough on the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need for their roles. Apprentices do not make the progress that they should.

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Apprentices on early years courses benefit from well-planned online or in-person training that comprises of workshops alongside carefully directed independent learning tasks. They complete activities such as e-portfolio online courses, shadowing tasks and research. Apprentices develop their new knowledge and skills well and make good progress.

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Leaders have a carefully thought-out curriculum for early years courses. Level 5 early years lead practitioner apprentices first cover fundamental topics, such as implementing policies and procedures and leading a team, before carrying out supervision and observations of the staff they lead. Apprentices develop their knowledge securely and can apply this knowledge effectively in their workplace.

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Trainers use a suitable range of activities to help apprentices gain a good understanding of key topics. In teaching workshops, they use a range of approaches well, including practical tasks, breakout room research and exploration tasks. Level 3 early years educator apprentices watch thought-provoking videos about children’s interactions with robots during play. Trainers skilfully facilitate follow-on discussions that enable apprentices to think more deeply about play activities in the early years of learning.

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Apprentices on early years courses benefit from staff who are experienced early years practitioners. Staff use their specialist knowledge to make connections to apprentices’ work settings and share examples from their own backgrounds and practical experiences to help apprentices become more confident and skilled.

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Staff work effectively with employers to plan training for apprentices. Employers support apprentices well in the workplace. Apprentices are able to practise their new knowledge and skills and become more confident in their work setting. Level 2 early years practitioner apprentices explore methods of support, such as the importance of early assessment for children. They put this into practice by creating additional learning plans with their special needs education coordinator.

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Employers provide valuable input about apprentices’ progress at tripartite progress review meetings. Skills coaches review all appropriate aspects of apprentices’ training in these meetings. However, they do not always explore aspects in enough depth. This means targets are not always specific and purposeful enough to enable the apprentices to make rapid progress.

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Leaders plan well for the inclusion of topics related to equality and diversity and British values. Trainers routinely build these topics into workshops and direct 9 to 12 September 2024

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apprentices to additional online materials. Apprentices develop a useful grasp of these themes and are able to apply them when talking to parents and children from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

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Leaders have made suitable arrangements to help apprentices to develop their understanding of the careers options available to them. Initial guidance includes useful discussions about apprentices’ career aspirations, and trainers follow this up well during progress reviews.

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Leaders have made very good arrangements for governance. Governors know the provider well and bring a wealth of relevant knowledge and experience. They have been instrumental in several positive changes, such as the introduction of the personal development curriculum and the realignment of leadership roles, which have brought about the improvement to early years courses. However, they have not yet ensured that new courses are of the same quality.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that quality assurance processes identify areas for improvement accurately and implement remedial actions swiftly.  Ensure that all apprentices receive enough teaching.  Ensure that new courses are only introduced after careful planning with appropriately qualified and experienced staff.  Make better use of lesson observation visits to identify specific teaching practice for teachers to improve.  Ensure that progress reviews result in meaningful targets for apprentices to ensure that they make at least their expected progress. 9 to 12 September 2024

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Address

Units 4 & 7, Broadgate House 18 Westlode St Spalding Lincolnshire PE11 2AF

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Address

Principal, CEO or equivalent Susan Bulbeck

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Address

Provider type Independent training provider

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Address

Date of previous inspection 30 November to 3 December 2021

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Address

Main subcontractors None 9 to 12 September 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the operations director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Sarah Houghton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Russ Henry His Majesty’s Inspector Vicki Locke His Majesty’s Inspector Michael Worgs His Majesty’s Inspector 9 to 12 September 2024

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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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