Castle View Group Training Limited

Castle View Group Training Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Ian Frear, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

4-5 Lumley Court Drum Industrial Estate Chester-le-Street County Durham DH2 1AN Monitoring visit: Castle View Group Training Limited, 29 and 30 May 2025

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Context and focus of visit

Castle View Group Training Limited was inspected in September 2024. 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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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have refined the recruitment process so that only those learners who are suitable are enrolled to courses. They have implemented sensible and proportionate actions. These have included more stringent checks on learners’ prior attainment and more detailed checks on learners’ individual needs.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders now have a clearer overview of the quality of their provision. They have improved the quality of the information that they record in individual learning plans, including the quality of targets that staff agree with learners during progress reviews. Leaders also undertake themed learning walks, sample learners’ written work and talk to learners in lessons to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have improved employer participation during courses. Previously, leaders ran courses whether employers were able to attend or not. All courses now have at least one employer who attends training to discuss their current vacancies and what it is like working for them. Leaders now schedule courses so that employers can attend in the first week as they believe this has the most positive impact on learners’ motivation for work.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have refined the content of personal development sessions. Previously, staff put on ‘open’ sessions for learners should they feel they needed support to develop their employability skills on a wide range of topics, such as writing job applications. Staff now provide learners with helpful training on a few specific topics. They identify these topics during discussions with learners throughout the course. Staff now offer additional sessions on topics such as budgeting to provide a more personalised and meaningful experience for learners. Monitoring visit: Castle View Group Training Limited, 29 and 30 May 2025

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Reasonable progress

Staff now carefully check learners’ eligibility for the course. Prospective learners meet with a member of staff to discuss their previous employment and check their personal learning record to establish their prior attainment. Where they determine that learners already have the knowledge, skills and attributes for work, they refer them directly to employers. Alternatively, when learners do not have good enough numeracy or literacy skills, staff encourage them to improve these skills alongside their course, as they know that employers value such skills.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work successfully with those learners who are hardest to reach. Many learners have barriers to gaining work, including being long-term unemployed, suffering from low confidence or having been affected by domestic abuse. Despite these barriers, staff engage effectively with learners and prepare them well for work. Consequently, a high proportion of learners are successful in finding employment.

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Reasonable progress

Staff now discuss learning and development goals when learners enrol. As part of the initial interview process, learners meet with a member of staff who completes an initial assessment with them. This now includes a more detailed conversation about learners’ short-, medium- and long-term goals. Many of the goals are linked to gaining paid employment, such as learning to drive, which widens learners’ opportunities for accepting work further from where they live. Staff help learners plan to meet such goals by supporting them to secure funding or additional driver training to be able to get to work.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors work effectively with learners throughout the course. They take time to understand fully learners’ specific needs and establish why they have been unsuccessful in gaining employment. Staff keep in touch with learners frequently after the course has finished and provide them with additional training in topics such as CV writing and support with debt management and housing issues. By continuing to work with learners, staff help to break down further the barriers to employment that many learners have. This results in learners having a better chance of securing work.

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Reasonable progress

Although improved, across most courses a few learning plans still have targets recorded on them that are too generic. These targets include comments such as ‘learn how to add and subtract’ as learners’ main development points. In these examples, staff do not clearly describe how, and to what extent, learners need to Monitoring visit: Castle View Group Training Limited, 29 and 30 May 2025 improve these skills. Targets are not reviewed clearly enough to show how well learners develop these skills or whether they require any further support.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently started to involve employers more effectively in the design and implementation of the curriculum. Several organisations indicated that it was imperative that learners understand the importance of workplace behaviours such as being punctual, working effectively in a team and listening to each other’s views. Other employers have expressed the view that training could be enhanced by teaching learners specific workplace health and safety dangers related to their company. These suggestions have now been included in the curriculum.

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Reasonable progress

Employers now attend training sessions in the first few days of the course. For example, a representative from a large engineering company presented a ‘day in the life’ of a production engineer worker to help learners understand the reality of working in the sector. Learners enjoy meeting these employers as it helps them to decide whether such job roles are suitable for them or if they would rather seek work in another sector.

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Reasonable progress

Employers report that learners who have attended training through Castle View are better prepared for work in their business. For example, an employer reported that learners already have a better understanding about manufacturing and production engineering compared to those who apply directly.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently established an employer forum through which they intend to incorporate further employers’ ideas into the design of the curriculum. However, leaders also recognise that they need to establish more effective working practices including ‘back to the floor’ days so staff can better contextualise training for learners. An engineering employer also reported that they would welcome a more bespoke curriculum for learners at their Daventry site compared to their Darlington site, as the type of work is different at each. Monitoring visit: Castle View Group Training Limited, 29 and 30 May 2025 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

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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