Priority Management Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Priority Management Limited

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Inspection dates: 26 to 27 February and 4 March 2025

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Information about this provider

Priority Management Limited is an independent charitable organisation that trades under the name of Riverside Learning and Education Centre. It was established in 1979 by a local community group that focuses on reducing the high levels of unemployment in the area. The provider is located in Liverpool and provides training for adult learners through government-funded advanced learner loans. At the time of the inspection, there were five adult learners enrolled on level 3 supporting teaching and learning and fewer than five adult learners on level 3 early years educator and level 4 higher teaching assistant courses. 26 to 27 February and 4 March 2025

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

Learners demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning and are enthusiastic about the courses they study. They recognise the value and importance of achieving qualifications that can help them move closer to employment or, for those in work, improve their prospects for career progression.

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

Learners attend their one-to-one training, their work and work placements well. They appreciate the care that tutors provide when they face personal difficulties that impact on their learning. When learners fall behind, tutors provide suitable support to help them to attend alternative training sessions.

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

Too many learners have a limited understanding of the risks of radicalisation and extremism and how these risks could relate to their lives and the world around them, including when at work. This is because they are not provided with sufficient training on these issues. A few learners know the steps to take in accordance with counter terrorism police strategies such as ‘run, tell, hide’.

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

Learners receive clear information about their next steps. Tutors provide appropriate careers information, advice and guidance for learners and support them with CVs and job applications. Most learners progress on to further and higher education and/or gain employment.

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

Learners feel safe at the centre and in their workplaces. They are confident that they can report concerns they may have to designated safeguarding staff and that staff will take appropriate actions to support them.

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better?

Leaders select and provide training in the early years and education sectors to meet local skills needs and priorities and to improve the lives of adults. They recruit training staff who are appropriately qualified and have experience of working in early years nursery and primary school settings as teaching assistants and educators.

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better?

Tutors do not use information about learners’ prior knowledge and skills to recognise and take account of their individual starting points. They do not tailor learning well enough when planning the curriculum to meet the needs of learners. For example, learners who have worked in a school or early years setting for a significant period of time before starting their courses, study all aspects of each curriculum unit despite having previous knowledge and understanding of key concepts. As a result, although most learners achieve their qualifications, too many repeat previous learning or do not build quickly enough on the knowledge and skills they already possess.

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better?

Tutors do not routinely teach learners new content and information. Too often in monthly one-to-one sessions, tutors do not focus carefully enough on deepening 26 to 27 February and 4 March 2025

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learners’ understanding of the curriculum. For example, tutors concentrate on whether learners have gathered enough evidence to achieve the qualification as opposed to how successfully they have retained new knowledge and skills and whether they can apply this in their workplace. As a result, the curriculum is not sufficiently ambitious and does not help learners to further extend their knowledge.

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Tutors provide learners with helpful terminology resource sheets, which learners use to improve their academic writing. However, tutors do not routinely correct mistakes in learners’ written work. As a result, a few learners do not correct errors and make the same mistakes repeatedly.

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Tutors help learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to manage their work. For example, for learners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia, tutors offer alternative modes of assessment that enable learners to complete assignment work, thereby, reducing stress and anxiety.

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Leaders and staff ensure that learners have access to information and technology that helps them to complete their assignment work and undertake research. They provide dedicated digital resources, such as computers, laptops and printers that learners access at the centre.

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Most tutors work well with senior staff in primary schools to keep them informed about learners’ progress and achievement. In a few instances, tutors consult with teaching staff to plan additional activities for learners so that they can gain experience in other departments. For example, tutors work with assistant heads of primary schools to plan teaching assistant opportunities, so that learners can develop their knowledge and skills of pupils with SEND.

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Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of the effectiveness and quality of training. The lesson observations and quality monitoring activities they undertake focus solely on learners’ achievement of qualifications. As a result, leaders do not identify areas for improvement in teaching and training, and do not put actions in place to improve them quickly enough.

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Leaders do not provide tutors with sufficient professional development opportunities to help them develop a rich and current understanding of teaching and assessment practice. Teaching is not of a consistently high enough standard.

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Leaders consider the welfare of staff appropriately. Staff are proud to work for the provider. Tutors have small learner caseloads, which enable them to manage their workloads well.

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Governors do not have the appropriate educational expertise and experience to provide effective scrutiny and challenge to senior leaders on the quality of education that learners receive. As a result, they focus on attainment as opposed to the quality of training. 26 to 27 February and 4 March 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Make sure that staff receive sufficient support and pedagogical training to plan, teach and assess learners through an effective curriculum.  Plan and teach an ambitious curriculum that takes account of learners’ prior knowledge and skills.  Improve the oversight and governance of the quality of education and training to take timely and appropriate improvement actions, where needed.  Develop learners’ understanding of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism where they live and work. 26 to 27 February and 4 March 2025

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Address

Riverside Learning and Education Centre, Hyslop Street Liverpool L8 5UA

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Address

Principal, CEO or equivalent Paul Feaver

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Address

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Address

Date of previous inspection 16 to 18 July 2019

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Address

Main subcontractors NA 26 to 27 February and 4 March 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the centre coordinator, 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

Alison Humphreys, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Bev Ramsell His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chloe Rendall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Alastair Mollon His Majesty’s Inspector 26 to 27 February and 4 March 2025

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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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