New Start

Name of lead inspector: Alastair Mollon, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 September 2025

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 179 Townsend Lane Clubmoor Liverpool L13 9DY Monitoring visit: New Start, 17 and 18 September 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 Education and Skills Funding Agency 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

New Start is an independent learning provider based in Liverpool. New Start received its first funding for apprenticeship training in November 2024. At the time of the monitoring visit, New Start had 35 apprentices. There were 15 apprentices studying level 2 adult care worker (ACW), 12 on level 4 children, young people and families practitioner (CYPFP), five on level 5 children, young people and families manager, and fewer than five on level 5 leader in adult care. Apprentices all work for New Start in their residential children’s homes, adult homeless hostels and adult supported accommodation units across the Liverpool City Region.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a compelling rationale for the apprenticeships they provide. This relates directly to their mission to provide high-quality supported housing and residential care services for children and vulnerable adults. Leaders work with service managers in these settings to devise effective curriculums. Apprentices quickly develop the substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need to work in children’s homes, adult homeless hostels and in supported accommodation units.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors have extensive vocational experience in children’s and adult care as well as in training roles. Apprentices rightly value their expertise. Tutors benefit from regular training to enhance their vocational knowledge. They use back-to-the-floor days in hostels and children’s homes to maintain their currency.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors adapt their training to suit the individual needs of apprentices, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities. They support apprentices who lack digital skills with paper-based resources before they train them to use an online portfolio. Tutors take care to provide verbal as well as written feedback to apprentices who struggle with reading and need information broken down carefully. Monitoring visit: New Start, 17 and 18 September 2025 Leaders have an accurate oversight of the progress that apprentices make. For the few apprentices making slower-than-expected progress, tutors have clear plans in place to make sure they catch up quickly.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of the apprenticeships . They use quality assurance and improvement measures, including standardisation processes and lesson observations, to improve the quality of training. Directors have recently employed additional tutors to provide greater teaching and leadership capacity. They provide apprentices with high-quality resources, including a training room, access to laptops and paper-based and electronic resources.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recognise that governance arrangements require further development. They have only recently established governance structures. To date, senior leaders have reported informally to the chief executive and board members.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors structure curriculums logically. On level 2 ACW, tutors begin by exploring apprentices’ professional development and encourage their reflective practice. They then move on to consider key underpinning concepts, including safeguarding, communication and handling information. Apprentices review the critical importance of person-centred care before they choose optional modules based on their professional context.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors prepare lessons effectively using appropriate resources shared in advance with apprentices. Tutors discuss their expectations for apprentices’ behaviour and conduct at the start of each training session, and apprentices meet these expectations.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors help apprentices effectively to apply their understanding of key concepts to their experiences at work. Adult care apprentices consider how their work with tenants in residential care is guided by the 6 ‘Cs of Care’. Tutors ask thought- provoking and probing questions to develop apprentices’ understanding of these principles. Apprentices on level 4 CYPFP develop a strong understanding of safeguarding, and tutors provide them with practical advice on how to manage disclosures. They use the ‘TED’ process, asking the young person to tell, explain and describe what has happened.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors set regular, clearly devised assessment tasks. Level 4 apprentices compile notes on the signs, symptoms, indicators and behaviours for different types of abuse and evaluate serious case reviews. Tutors provide apprentices with helpful feedback on the positive aspects of their work and, in most cases, how it can be improved. Monitoring visit: New Start, 17 and 18 September 2025 Tutors introduce apprentices to the skills they need to master for their final assessment early. Apprentices take part in relevant professional discussions. Tutors provide formal mock assessments towards the end of the apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

A few line managers do not routinely attend progress reviews and do not share areas for improvement they see in apprentices’ work. Tutors do not use progress reviews consistently well to explore apprentices’ learning and help them progress more rapidly through their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

The safeguarding team have the training and experience needed to carry out their roles effectively. They use their extensive knowledge and skills from working in children’s homes and adult care to keep apprentices and their vulnerable service users safe.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and know who to speak to if they have any concerns. They benefit from additional safeguarding and welfare support through regular supervision with their registered managers. Apprentices are well informed of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. They work with local agencies to understand how terror-related protests may impact their communities and how to identify if a resident is at risk. Monitoring visit: New Start, 17 and 18 September 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

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Reasonable progress

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

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

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