Hipster Group Limited

Hipster Group Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Stuart Collett, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

2a Darwall Street Walsall WS1 1DA Monitoring visit: Hipster Group Limited, 8 and 9 July 2025

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision funded by the Department for Education and/or the apprenticeship levy. 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

Hipster Group Limited is an independent learning provider based in Walsall which specialises in apprenticeships in hairdressing and barbering at levels 2 and 3. At the time of the visit, there were 15 apprentices studying level 2 hairdressing professional, nine apprentices studying level 2 barbering professional and fewer than five apprentices studying level 3 advanced and creative hair professional. There were 14 apprentices under the age of 19.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for the apprenticeships that they have chosen to offer. They have used their long-standing industry and training expertise to develop curriculums in hairdressing and barbering which are designed to meet the career aspirations of young people in their locality.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders articulate well their commitment to supporting apprentices, many of whom face challenges to their learning, to become professionals in their field. Leaders understand these challenges and have carefully constructed a broad curriculum in response. The curriculum enables staff to develop apprentices’ understanding of key topics that help them to become active citizens, commit to their learning and make the progress of which they are capable.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and governors, through their quality assurance activities, identified that the curriculum that apprentices follow needed a number of improvements. They have actively implemented these improvements, including the development of revised schemes of work and improved teaching resources. However, at the time of the visit, leaders were still making these changes, so the full impact cannot yet be seen. Monitoring visit: Hipster Group Limited, 8 and 9 July 2025 Leaders have invested in professional, industry-standard resources. The teaching salon is a well-equipped professional environment with high-quality products, tools and equipment. It is located alongside a suite of classrooms in a town-centre location, reducing barriers to learning for apprentices who rely on public transport.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place suitable arrangements for external scrutiny. They engage with independent experts in education who challenge them to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Through their activities, those in governance roles have reinforced and validated leaders’ actions to improve the curriculums. These new curriculums are designed to broaden the skills that apprentices develop beyond the apprenticeship standard, preparing them for their next steps.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have high aspirations for apprentices. They ensure that educators have appropriate skills and experience in the hairdressing sector. Educators hold suitable qualifications and undertake appropriate training to keep their skills current. In the salon, there is a high ratio of educators to apprentices, ensuring that apprentices get the support they need to learn successfully.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders make good use of apprentices’ starting points to order the curriculum. Educators identify apprentices’ previous knowledge, skills and experiences before apprentices commence their studies, through carrying out a range of assessments. They use information from the assessments to adjust the curriculum and ensure that gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and skills are closed swiftly.

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Reasonable progress

Educators use effective teaching activities to help apprentices learn. In wider ‘personal development’ sessions, they use targeted questions, discussions and group tasks to develop apprentices’ understanding of how to become active citizens. They use their own experience to contextualise learning and bring learning to life. Because of this, apprentices understand the importance of being an active citizen and link this successfully to fundamental British values.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices learn substantial new knowledge and skills. Barbering apprentices demonstrate a high level of practical skills. They apply the technical skills that they have learned when completing commercial haircuts in an allotted time and show confidence and dexterity when working with clients. However, a few apprentices studying the level 2 hairdressing professionals apprenticeship struggle to recall basic hair theory and why this is relevant to shampooing and blow-drying products.

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Reasonable progress

Educators do not routinely coordinate on- and off-the-job learning well enough. At the start of the apprenticeship, educators work with employers and apprentices to create a learning plan. During reviews, educators review apprentices’ progress and Monitoring visit: Hipster Group Limited, 8 and 9 July 2025 set targets for them to work towards. However, educators do not work closely enough with employers to ensure that all apprentices are routinely given opportunities to practise the new skills that they have learned in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have appointed a suitably qualified and experienced designated safeguarding lead (DSL) who has put in place appropriate policies and processes to ensure the prompt and effective reporting and recording of concerns. The DSL also uses these processes to record the well-being support that apprentices receive.

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Reasonable progress

The DSL has put in place policies to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. They ensure that all staff receive frequent training on safeguarding, the ‘Prevent’ duty and other related topics.

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Reasonable progress

The DSL has developed close links with relevant external agencies and authorities, from whom they receive useful local information. They share this information with apprentices through a regular topic of the month. Monitoring visit: Hipster Group Limited, 8 and 9 July 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 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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Reasonable progress

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

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