Alt Valley Community Trust

Alt Valley Community Trust Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector:

Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection dates: 29 and 30 October 2024

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Name of lead inspector:

Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

The Communiversity Altcross Road Croxteth Liverpool L11 0BS Monitoring visit: Alt Valley Community Trust, 29 and 30 October 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Alt Valley Community Trust was inspected in September 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

Alt Valley Community Trust (AVCT) is an independent learning provider based in Croxteth, Liverpool. AVCT has training centres in Birkenhead, Liverpool and Formby. AVCT serves communities with significant social and economic challenges. At the time of the previous inspection, AVCT offered training in adult education, apprenticeships and education programmes for young people. AVCT now offer training and education courses for adult learners.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 48 learners studying on level 3 and level 4 courses. Three learners were studying on the level 3 diploma in dog grooming and salon management, 20 learners were studying on the level 3 diploma in gym instructing and personal training, six learners were studying on the level 3 diploma in nail technology and 19 learners were studying on the level 4 diploma in advanced beauty therapy.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and tutors gather a range of information about what learners know and can do at the start of their courses. At interview, tutors find out about learners’ prior experiences, additional learning and support needs, and their career ambitions. Tutors ensure that learners are well matched for the course. For example, on the level 3 diploma in gym instructing and personal training, tutors check that learners have an accurate understanding of the gym and fitness sector and careers available.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors spend time, during the first few weeks of the course, finding out about learners’ skills in English and mathematics. They use a range of strategies to check what learners can already do and what they need to do to further improve their Monitoring visit: Alt Valley Community Trust, 29 and 30 October 2024 skills. Tutors put in place additional support if needed, so that learners do not fall behind in their learning.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors in gym instructing and personal training, complete individual training plans with each learner. These plans outline how tutors will support and challenge learners to make progress through the curriculum. Those learners with greater knowledge and experience of the gym and fitness sector are challenged to progress more quickly through their course and to coach their peers in various activities.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors consider learners’ specific needs when they plan and teach the curriculum. For example, level 3 nail technicians who are vegan, use plant-based products so that they are fully included in all activities.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors effectively support those learners who speak English as an additional language and check their understanding of key terms at regular intervals.

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Reasonable progress

Learners gain a sound understanding of the curriculum and the skills they will develop. They are well motivated to make changes to their careers, such as self- employed nail technicians or personal trainers.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide learners with clear feedback on the work that they complete in lessons, which helps them to retain and consolidate their learning. On the level 3 nail technician course, learners recall accurately the key parts of the nail, such as the matrix, lunula, nail plate and nail bed. Learners use relevant technical terminology, such as the hyponychium and eponychium fluently. They demonstrate knowledge beyond the demands of the qualification. For example, learners label the epidermis and its five layers.

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Reasonable progress

On the level 3 diploma in gym instructing and personal training, tutors challenge learners to remember what to do when first introducing clients to gym equipment. They swiftly correct learners’ misconceptions through re-wording questions and encouraging learners to consider other important aspects, such as health and safety.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors encourage students to ask and answer questions in lessons. However, at times, tutors rely on asking questions to the whole class, which leads to learners shouting out responses. This does not allow tutors to check individual learner’s understanding closely enough.

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Reasonable progress

As a result of tutors’ feedback to level 3 nail technician learners in practical workshops, learners understand how their technical skills need to improve. For Monitoring visit: Alt Valley Community Trust, 29 and 30 October 2024 example, learners appreciate the importance of completing a risk assessment each time they use a new piece of equipment, and how to improve their French manicure techniques.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors on the level 3 diploma in gym instructing and personal training provide learners with accurate feedback on their written work to help them to improve the quality of their work. However, this is not always the case for level 3 nail technicians. Tutors provide learners with generic feedback on their written work, which means that it is not always clear to learners how they can improve their work.

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Reasonable progress

Following the previous inspection, leaders and managers reviewed how they collect and manage information about those learners who have additional learning needs so that they can intervene more swiftly to support them. They have ensured that suitable managers, who have a detailed oversight of learners’ progress throughout their course, are now in place.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers now take a more rigorous approach to the initial advice and guidance that learners receive before they start their course. They ensure that tutors include a discussion about learners’ additional learning and support needs at interview. Managers then arrange to meet with all learners who have disclosed additional needs to find out more about their barriers to learning and to make suitable arrangements to support them. For example, the use of coloured overlays for learners with dyslexia or the loan of electronic tablets for learners who prefer to complete their work electronically.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide ongoing support for learners with additional learning and support needs. Managers ensure class sizes are small so that additional support for learners is readily available. Tutors refer learners they identify as needing extra support to managers on an ongoing basis. Learners also self-refer if they need extra help. Tutors create a supportive environment, where learners feel comfortable in talking about their support needs.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that tutors receive training in how to support learners with additional learning needs. Leaders and managers have plans to further extend this training, so that all tutors are suitably skilled at supporting learners.

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Reasonable progress

Monitoring visit: Alt Valley Community Trust, 29 and 30 October 2024

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apprentices and learners receive?

Following the previous inspection, leaders and managers swiftly conducted a comprehensive review of quality assurance and quality improvement arrangements. They quickly identified performance issues and weaknesses in the quality of apprenticeships. As a result of the review, they made the strategic decision to stop offering apprenticeships. They have also stopped offering courses for young people aged 16 to 18, and now offer courses solely for adult learners.

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apprentices and learners receive?

Leaders and managers have implemented a range of processes to monitor and improve the quality of the provision. For example, observations of teaching, scrutiny of learners’ work, seeking learners’ views about the quality of their training and education, and frequent one-to-one performance meetings with staff. These strategies now enable leaders and managers to accurately identify the strengths and weaknesses of the quality of education and training that learners receive.

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apprentices and learners receive?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have restructured the staff team. They have appointed staff with expertise and experience of adult courses. Leaders and managers now have greater oversight of the quality of the courses they offer. For example, leaders frequently and stringently monitor learners’ attendance at lessons, the number of learners who remain on their courses and the progress that learners make from their starting points.

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apprentices and learners receive?

Tutors benefit from staff development activities that ensure that they retain vocational competence in their specialist subjects and improve their teaching. Tutors attend training on topics including working with learners with special educational needs and disabilities, using effective teaching strategies in the classroom and specialist training, such as facial peels in beauty therapy.

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apprentices and learners receive?

Trustees are experienced in their roles. They have significant expertise in the education sector. Leaders now provide trustees with detailed and accurate reports, which enable trustees to provide effective scrutiny and challenge, set leaders and managers targets for improvement and hold them to account for their actions. Monitoring visit: Alt Valley Community Trust, 29 and 30 October 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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apprentices and learners receive?

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apprentices and learners receive?

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apprentices and learners receive?

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apprentices and learners receive?

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