The Priory Federation of Academies

The Priory Federation of Academies

Address: The Priory Federation of Academies Trust, Clayton Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN5 8RE Unique reference number (URN): 1278671

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have established a highly inclusive culture in which staff work tirelessly to mitigate and overcome the barriers to learning that learners and apprentices experience. Leaders and staff carefully consider a wide range of barriers to learning, including special educational needs and/or disabilities and other challenges such as poor wellbeing and financial difficulties.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have developed a comprehensive process to identify quickly and accurately apprentices' and learners’ needs. They monitor the progress that apprentices and learners make closely, and rapidly put in place high-quality support and reasonable adjustments where needed. Staff ensure that learners and apprentices never feel that barriers to learning will prevent them from achieving their ambitions.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders recognise that learners’ and apprentices’ needs change over time and they may experience more than one barrier at any one time. Staff expertly review learners' and apprentices’ needs frequently and appropriately adjust the support that they provide.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff are very well trained in inclusive practice. They receive extensive training on, for example, dyslexia and dyscalculia, which helps them provide high-quality support to their learners and apprentices. The experienced special educational needs coordinator provides expert guidance to staff and reinforces the principle that inclusion must be actively practised.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of their strengths and areas for development. They use their quality assurance arrangements effectively to drive continuous improvement and identify where the quality of training is high and where greater consistency is needed.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have an ambitious vision to become the regional provider of choice in the education, construction and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics sectors. Their focus is on developing high-quality, employer-informed apprenticeship and adult training in these areas. Governors provide highly effective strategic leadership and ensure staff work to an ambitious strategic plan. Governors hold leaders to account with purposeful challenge, supporting sensible actions such as removing underperforming courses and strengthening staffing expertise.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders promote an inclusive culture and take decisions that prioritise learners’ and apprentices’ safety, and their ability to access relevant courses and make progress in their careers. They work closely with governors to ensure that curriculum changes, staffing structures and curriculum developments are in learners’ and apprentices’ best interests.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders take sensible steps to manage staff wellbeing and workload. They set clear expectations, monitor caseloads and offer flexible working where appropriate. These actions help staff feel valued and supported.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide most occupational experts (OEs) with a useful programme of professional learning that supports the development of their industry knowledge and skills. The professional learning that leaders provide to develop OEs’ pedagogical skills is not yet sharply tailored enough for all staff. This has contributed to some areas of the curriculum, teaching and training not yet reaching the very high standards which leaders aim for.

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Achievement Strong standard

Learners complete their Skills Bootcamp training and make considerable progress from their starting points. They develop significant new knowledge and understanding about the range of job roles in schools.

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Achievement Strong standard

Learners take pride in their studies and produce high-quality work. For example, learners produce detailed and accurate tables of a child’s development from birth. Learners grow significantly in confidence.

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Achievement Strong standard

Occupational experts (OEs) support learners very well to develop their English skills. For example, they develop their skills in reading and understanding complex safeguarding guidance.

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Achievement Strong standard

OEs provide high-quality support to help learners with job applications and preparation for interviews. Learners secure meaningful interviews and employment in the education sector.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have very effective oversight of the recently introduced Skills Bootcamp in education support. They have used feedback from learners and employers to make sensible amendments for the next cohort to further enhance the high quality of the provision.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum providing learners with a thorough understanding of the education sector. The Skills Bootcamp meets the regional skills need to address the challenges in recruiting staff in schools. The well-designed curriculum is having a significant positive impact on providing opportunities for adult learners to return to education.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have designed a well-sequenced curriculum. Occupational experts (OEs) begin by exploring with learners the purpose and role of a school, which helps to address and correct common misconceptions. They then move on to teach child development and safeguarding. Throughout the programme, OEs consistently reinforce how to communicate effectively with children.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

OEs ensure that they accurately establish the starting points of learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and barriers to learning. They ensure that the support needs of learners are securely met throughout the course.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

OEs, supported by expert facilitators from senior roles in education, teach the programme through a series of high-quality workshops. They use their considerable knowledge and experience in education to enhance the programme.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

OEs and facilitators provide learners with high-quality constructive feedback as they progress through the Skills Bootcamp. Learners benefit greatly from a support session at the end of each workshop day, where they receive comprehensive additional support and feedback to complete their workbooks.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Staff have very high expectations of apprentices' behaviour. Staff stress the importance of attendance and maintaining confidentiality and professionalism. Attendance on the Skills Bootcamps is very high. Learners are very respectful of each other.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders create a safe, highly inclusive and very welcoming environment for learners on the short Skills Bootcamp course. They cultivate a professional culture in which occupational experts use their specialist knowledge to provide learners with consistently high ‑ quality guidance, challenge, and encouragement. Learners feel highly valued, particularly because of the number of senior education staff who contribute to the programme as facilitators.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Learners benefit from very high-quality careers guidance and support such as ‘experience days’ in a school to understand different job roles. They benefit from expert support to develop their interview skills through mock interview practice and to tailor their job applications to meet the specifications of each individual job. Leaders have implemented a well-designed personal development curriculum for learners following the short Skills Bootcamp course. Learners develop a thorough understanding of how anyone can be vulnerable to radicalisation. They have thorough awareness of local risks such as county lines in rural Lincolnshire and safeguarding concerns when working with children and young people.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices achieve very well. The proportion of apprentices who gain distinction grades is high.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices make extensive progress from their starting points. They demonstrate highly proficient skills in their practical roles. Level 3 teaching assistant apprentices keep calm in stressful situations. They independently and skilfully use regulation techniques with children without any need for additional direction or support from their class teachers. Level 6 careers development professionals are confident to take the strategic lead on careers projects and make recommendations to senior leaders. Level 2 property maintenance apprentices become more expert in the use of hand tools.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices consistently produce high-quality practical work and their written work is of the standard expected.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices are very well prepared for their next steps, including further study, continued employment or promotion. Most apprentices remain in employment, access higher levels of study or secure promoted roles.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders use a range of effective quality assurance strategies to ensure suitable oversight of provision. Leaders develop strong partnerships with employers and plan curriculums that meet employers’ needs. For example, they work effectively with an employer to co-design both the curriculum and the practical training facilities to deliver a high-quality power network craftsperson curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Occupational experts (OEs) order the curriculum logically. They first teach level 5 specialist teaching assistants about educational policies and compliance before they move on to more complex topics including strategies to promote pupils' independence.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

OEs are experienced industry professionals. They use effective teaching strategies such as explanations, demonstrations, coaching and discussions. Level 6 careers development professional OEs carefully explain tools such as anchoring and reframing. Level 2 groundworker OEs demonstrate precisely how to erect shuttering and correctly mix ratios when laying concrete bases.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

OEs use assessment appropriately during taught workshops to check apprentices’ understanding. They use a range of approaches, including low stakes testing, questioning and online collaborative tools.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Most OEs work effectively with employers to plan relevant workplace tasks so apprentices can apply and practise their new knowledge and skills. Teaching assistant apprentices test out approaches such as ‘wait times’ when giving children instructions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

OEs make highly effective adaptations to meet apprentices’ individual needs by offering targeted one-to-one support and modifying assessments where necessary.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

OEs generally provide helpful feedback on apprentices’ written work. However, in a few instances they do not provide sufficient support to help apprentices strengthen their written English skills so that they can produce high-quality written work.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for apprentices’ attendance and conduct. Apprentices respond well and attend workshops and training activities as required.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders create safe and respectful learning environments. Apprentices rightly find occupational experts (OEs) to be supportive. They are confident that OEs will respond should they need to raise any issues or concerns.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from highly comprehensive and individualised careers education guidance. Apprentices undertake careers development planning during induction. There is an in-house trained careers adviser who meets with apprentices to provide helpful tailored advice. During exit reviews, staff discuss with apprentices their future career pathways and they signpost relevant further training.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders place a suitable focus on apprentices’ mental health and wellbeing during their induction and throughout their courses. They have developed an appropriate personal development curriculum for all apprentices. The large proportion of apprentices in education-based roles also benefit from a subject curriculum that covers health, relationships, and safeguarding. Apprentices generally have a secure understanding of fundamental British values and how to stay safe. However, a few apprentices on courses outside the education pathway cannot explain clearly how to protect themselves from risks they may face such as extremist views and harmful online content.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices and learners achieve well. They gain new knowledge and skills that help them to perform confidently in their roles and to be well prepared for their next steps. Learners on the education support Skills Bootcamp develop a deep understanding of how the education sector works. They learn about the wide range of job roles available and how their existing skills can transfer into new opportunities.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices grow steadily in confidence as they use what they learn to manage the demands of their work more effectively. For example, business administration apprentices use their improved time management skills to plan tasks and organise their workload. Apprentices value being able to complete level 2 English and mathematics qualifications, recognising how important these are for their future careers.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners and apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from highly effective individualised support. This helps them to overcome their barriers to learning, remain focused and make substantial progress.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners and apprentices broaden their understanding beyond the requirements of their course, learning about healthy relationships, life in modern Britain and how to contribute positively to society. Skills Bootcamp learners particularly value hearing directly from expert senior professionals in education, which helps them feel connected to the sector and raises their aspirations.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners and apprentices thrive in their studies. They act professionally and maturely, showing commitment to their learning. Their motivation grows as they see the impact of their new skills at work and in daily life. As their confidence increases, they become more resilient and better able to cope with challenges they experience at work and in their daily lives.

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Next steps

• Leaders should further strengthen professional development for staff to further develop their teaching skills. • Leaders should further strengthen the quality of constructive feedback which apprentices receive to support them to develop their English skills and produce high-quality theoretical work. • Leaders should further strengthen the age-appropriate teaching and embedding about radicalisation and extremism so that apprentices can recall and understand these topics better.

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Team inspectors:

Vicki Locke, His Majesty's Inspector Emma Hemmings, Ofsted Inspector Mark Keen, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, managers, apprentices, employers and key stakeholders during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider: The Priory Federation of Academies mainly provides training for learners and apprentices in the multi-academy trust and other regional employers. The provider delivers training online and face to face at its main site in Lincoln or at employer sites.

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About this inspection

At the time of inspection, there were 119 apprentices. Eighteen apprentices were aged 16 to 18 years of age. The largest cohorts were level 3 teaching assistant, with 36 apprentices, and level 6 career development professional, with 23 apprentices. There were 17 level 3 team leader, 12 level 3 business administration and 11 level 5 specialist teaching assistant apprentices. The provider also offers construction, engineering and human resources support apprenticeships, with fewer than 10 apprentices enrolled across these qualifications. Thirteen apprentices were studying level 2 functional skills in English and/or mathematics.

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About this inspection

The provider started to teach education support Skills Bootcamps in October 2025. There were 11 learners completing their training at the time of inspection.

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About this inspection

Andrew Chisholm: Director of Professional Learning

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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