Kingdom Academy Limited

Kingdom Academy Limited

Address: Kingdom House, 1 Woodlands Park, Ashton Road, Newton-Le-Willows, WA12 0HF Unique reference number (URN): 1276426

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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 Expected standard

Leaders have established a culture of inclusion where apprentices feel well supported. Tutors and skills coaches care deeply about their apprentices and are aware of the various barriers to their learning. At the start of the apprenticeship, tutors and skills coaches quickly identify apprentices’ support needs and put in place a tailored support plan that meets each apprentice’s specific needs, which they subsequently monitor and adjust as needed.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Tutors and skills coaches confidently adapt their teaching and coaching to align with apprentices' specific support needs. They provide apprentices with appropriate resources to support their learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work closely with an external partner whose staff have the expertise to support fully the few apprentices who have more complex barriers to their learning. Partner staff routinely meet with apprentices to review and update apprentices’ support plans. They swiftly share this information with tutors and skills coaches, who promptly and appropriately adapt their teaching approaches and resources.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure that most staff benefit from appropriate training to help them confidently provide the support that apprentices need, such as around neurodiversity, autism, dyslexia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyspraxia.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and those responsible for governance have a clear and ambitious vision to provide apprenticeships in direct response to employers’ skills needs. They provide up-to-date, sector-relevant training that enables apprentices to develop the key skills needed to be successful at work.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders receive effective scrutiny and challenge from those responsible for governance, who are suitably qualified and experienced for their roles.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and those responsible for governance make decisions and take actions in the best interest of apprentices. For example, they have recently invested in improved mental health services to help apprentices overcome the barriers to learning that many face.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear oversight of their strengths and areas for improvement. They take timely action to make improvements. This has resulted in an increased proportion of apprentices who stay to the end of their programme and achieve their apprenticeship.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders recruit qualified and experienced tutors and skills coaches, who mostly benefit from training that helps them develop their teaching skills. This includes training in the effective use of assessment, using artificial intelligence tools in teaching and setting effective targets.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are in the process of strengthening their quality assurance of the curriculums. This is because they recognise that their observations of teaching do not consistently identify the specific professional development that staff need to strengthen further their teaching skills. Leaders create a supportive environment that helps staff to feel valued. They ensure workloads are manageable. Most staff enjoy their work and appreciate the support they receive from their managers.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices successfully develop the skills that they need and produce work of a high standard. They routinely apply at work what they learn in their training. Level 3 team leader apprentices apply the Shannon-Weaver model of communication to avoid confusion and ensure they provide clear spoken and written information to colleagues.

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Achievement Expected standard

Three quarters of apprentices completed their apprenticeship in the previous year, and most of them passed their final assessments, with just under a half achieving a distinction grade. Most apprentices remain in employment after completing their apprenticeship, receive promotion or go on to further learning.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices typically develop their English and mathematical skills further during their apprenticeship. They communicate in a highly professional and courteous manner with colleagues and customers. Apprentices adapt their language and tone appropriately to suit different audiences and contexts. They develop their mathematical skills when completing modules on business finance, accounting and procurement.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors and skills coaches are experts in their fields. They use their expertise to teach successfully the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need to meet employers’ high standards. Tutors use appropriate questioning techniques to identify gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and inform teaching. They routinely revisit previous topics to consolidate apprentices’ learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

As a result of their learning, level 5 operations manager apprentices understand change management theories and demonstrate effective skills to support and reassure their staff through organisational changes at work. Level 3 housing and property manager apprentices can explain clearly their prior learning about the differences between local authorities and housing organisations. Tutors provide useful feedback that tells apprentices what they have done well and what they specifically need to do to improve. Most apprentices immediately act on this feedback and improve their work. However, a few apprentices do not know the grades they could achieve in their final assessments.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors are confident in making adaptations to their teaching, such as breaking down learning into smaller chunks, encouraging frequent breaks from learning and providing lesson resources ahead of the session so that apprentices feel calm and prepared. Most apprentices, including those with barriers to their education, make at least expected progress.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Most employers contribute to the planning of on- and off-the-job training. This allows apprentices to practise and develop their skills at work. Apprentices evolve into proficient and capable professionals.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Tutors and skills coaches ensure that most apprentices receive industry-specific careers information that helps them make decisions about their next steps. Level 5 coaching professional apprentices are ambitious to become personal, lifestyle and executive coaches in their organisations.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices attend ‘lunch and learn’ sessions on a range of topics, such as mental health, wellbeing and workload management. They have access to an online mental health toolkit, which contains interactive and practical tools for managing stress, tips for healthy routines and wellbeing checklists. This helps apprentices to balance successfully the demands of their home life, busy workload and studies.

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Participation and development Expected standard

A small proportion of apprentices take part in, and often win, competitions. These include Women in Housing awards, Chartered Institute of Housing Apprentice of the Year and Housing Executive awards. A few apprentices take part in community events and raise money for a variety of charities.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices feel safe at the provider and have not experienced any bullying or harassment. They know to whom to report any concerns they may have about themselves or others.

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

Apprentices enjoy their studies and thrive because of the support that they receive from tutors and skills coaches. This helps apprentices to feel included, valued and cared for. Apprentices generally attend their training, are committed to their apprenticeship and are well prepared to work in their chosen sector.

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

Apprentices develop a wide range of new knowledge, skills and behaviours and become trusted members of their teams at work. Level 4 senior housing and property management apprentices deepen their knowledge of asset management and apply critical thinking skills effectively at work.

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

Apprentices with barriers to their learning use assistive technology, such as voice-to-text software, to help when taking notes and producing assignments. This reduces apprentices’ anxiety and stops them from falling behind in their learning. Apprentices with barriers to their learning achieve slightly better than their peers.

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

Leaders frequently celebrate apprentices’ achievements and the impact they make at work. They commend apprentices on their final assessment grades and on overcoming significant barriers to learning, and when they undertake additional work activities on top of their studies.

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

Apprentices develop their confidence and competence because of their apprenticeship. When coaching clients, level 5 coaching professional apprentices confidently apply theoretical frameworks such as Nancy Kline’s ten components of a thinking environment. Level 3 team leader apprentices confidently and ably take the lead in work projects.

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

Tutors ensure that apprentices have an appropriate understanding of life in modern Britain. Apprentices know how to keep themselves safe online from threats such as phishing. Level 3 housing and property management apprentices acquire a secure knowledge of work- related regulations in relation to housing and property management.

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

Most apprentices benefit from a curriculum that helps them to learn age-appropriate content about healthy relationships and mental and physical health.

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Next steps

• Leaders should take appropriate action to continue to improve the proportion of apprentices who stay on and achieve their apprenticeship. • Leaders should identify the specific professional development that staff need to strengthen further their teaching expertise. • Leaders should ensure that all staff benefit from relevant training on meeting the needs of apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities. • Leaders should continue to strengthen their careers education and guidance so that apprentices develop detailed knowledge of their potential future pathways.

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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 staff, learners and employers during the inspection.

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Team inspectors:

Lowenna Bradley, His Majesty's Inspector Maura Cummins, Ofsted Inspector Janine Archer, Ofsted Inspector Scott Cubitt, Ofsted Inspector Angela Owens, Ofsted 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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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Kingdom Academy Limited was previously inspected as Dutton Fisher Associates Limited. The provider is a national independent learning provider based in Newton-le-Willows in St Helens, Merseyside.

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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

At the time of inspection, there were 526 apprentices. Most were on the level 3 housing property manager and level 4 senior housing property manager apprenticeships. The remainder were on level 3 team leader, level 5 departmental manager and level 5 coaching professional apprenticeships.

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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. 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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