Blackburn with Darwen Council for Voluntary

Service

Address: The Boulevard Centre, Cathedral Quarter, 45 Railway Road, Blackburn, BB1 1EZ Unique reference number (URN): 2761325

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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 adopt a very supportive culture of inclusion. They identify learners' needs quickly to put timely and very effective support in place. Trainers skilfully make adaptations to meet the needs of learners. For example, they help learners manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder through the use of standing desks, and help learners with autism to prioritise tasks. Staff are highly skilled at providing adaptations and support that meet the unique needs of individual learners.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders monitor the impact of support closely so they can adapt their approach as necessary. Trainers review support plans thoughtfully throughout the Skills Bootcamp and adapt them to reflect learners' changing needs. Trainers have very positive relations with learners. This quickly builds trust and increases learners’ disclosures of need.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff complete comprehensive training on the graduated approach to help them support learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and other barriers to learning. This includes bespoke training in the inclusive recruitment of learners. All staff have a very clear understanding of neurodiversity, menopause and intersectionality of disadvantage. When staff identify learners with needs that they are not experienced in, such as deafness and supporting asylum seekers and refugees, they consistently complete further training in these areas.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear strategy to develop leadership and business skills in the region. They work well with employers to plan ambitious curriculums that align to the local skills improvement plan. Leaders complete detailed needs analyses of employers' businesses when planning Skills Bootcamps.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of their key strengths and priority areas for improvement. Through effective quality assurance processes, leaders continue to improve their provision. They use walk throughs, standardisation meetings, survey data and reflective reviews to identify areas for development for future courses. Leaders place high importance on the professional development of staff. Trainers complete qualifications in relevant vocational areas, including at level 7, and attend multiple sector- related conferences. Leaders have very recently implemented a schedule of training to develop the teaching skills of staff, which includes a strategic partnership with a local college to participate in their professional development activities. However, it is too early to see the impact of this training.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders place significant priority on the workload and wellbeing of staff. Staff benefit from wellbeing days, flexible working and mental health first aid training. Leaders have introduced visual project management tools to support staff to organise tasks and enhance their efficiency.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees are qualified and experienced to carry out their roles. They use detailed, high- quality board reports to provide scrutiny and challenge to leaders and ensure they continue to drive improvements that benefit learners.

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Achievement Strong standard

Learners complete their learning and a very high proportion achieve their qualification. They go on to employment, promotions, additional responsibilities at work or set up their own businesses. Learners consistently achieve ambitious personal learning targets such as increasing their confidence, and gaining team working and presentation skills.

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Achievement Strong standard

Learners make extensive progress from their starting points. They produce high-quality sales and marketing plans and develop detailed pricing strategies for their businesses. They improve their problem-solving and decision-making at work by applying new knowledge, such as the abstraction model of problem-solving. Learners' work is of a very high standard. They write professional business plans that incorporate detailed information about income generation and costs.

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainers prepare learners exceptionally well for their next steps. Learners know how to lead teams, manage volunteers, supervise large projects and secure contracts for their new businesses.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Trainers carefully nurture learners for their next steps and provide them with highly tailored careers education, advice and guidance. Learners have access to the careers advice service and complete mock interviews with recruitment consultants. Learners have a comprehensive insight into further study options to enhance their skills and career prospects further on completion of the Skills Bootcamp.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Learners' behaviour is exemplary and attendance is very high. Learners are highly respectful of their trainers and peers. They develop a safe environment with each other where they can discuss confidential topics such as conflict management and problematic staffing.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Learners have access to substantive wider opportunities. They benefit from an extensive range of professional guest speakers such as accountants, business advisers and senior leaders from community interest companies. Learners gain insight into media relationship skills, attend business network meetings and collaborate with the alumni network to share experiences.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Learners feel safe. They articulate their understanding of fundamental British values, radicalisation and extremist views very well. They know to be vigilant in identifying the signs of someone being radicalised, such as a change in their behaviour and personality.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a comprehensive understanding of the quality of their Skills Bootcamps. They align their provision with the skills needs of employers in the region. Leaders carefully consider the curriculum with employers, such as the ethics and dangers of using artificial intelligence and additional learning opportunities that would benefit learners, before making adaptations to the curriculum content.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers plan curriculums logically to build learners' knowledge incrementally. Learners on the creative leadership Skills Bootcamp learn about the impact of different leadership styles on teams before progressing to project management and growth strategies for the creative sector.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers use a range of teaching and assessment strategies effectively. They use videos, class discussions and group activities effectively to reinforce knowledge. This supports learners to understand and remember what they are taught. In lessons, learners use what they learn on the project life cycle to create professional project plans using industry standard project management tools.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers are experts in their subject specialisms of business, leadership and education. They develop learners' professional and technical knowledge well. When constructing a project team, learners consider different behavioural frameworks and management styles, to ensure they incorporate project team members with the required skills. Learners receive constructive and developmental feedback from their trainers. They know what they have done well and what they need to improve. For example, learners improve their business plans before presenting them to potential funders.

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

Learners gain substantial new leadership and business knowledge skills because of their learning. They expertly apply their learning to produce business plans, cash flow projections and manage projects. Learners understand capital expenditure and insurance policies, and know which expenses they can claim for in their businesses.

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

Learners develop their literacy, digital and numeracy skills. They learn about funding models and cash flows, and complete modules on artificial intelligence to manage teams and support the development of their project plans. They develop skills in writing effective funding bids.

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

Learners are motivated and enthusiastic. They enjoy their learning and value the inclusive and welcoming environment where staff support them to achieve well. Learners contribute to discussions, challenge each other in a polite and respectful manner and participate in group activities.

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

Learners have increased confidence in their leadership skills. Learners with barriers to learning become more confident in their abilities because of the interventions that tutors put in place. Learners use emotional intelligence and motivation strategies to manage their teams effectively. They can skilfully address and resolve conflicts, delegate tasks and provide constructive feedback to team members. Learners attend business network meetings and deliver professional presentations.

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

Learners feel safe and know how to report any concerns. They value the one-to-one support that they receive from their trainers and their own peer-to-peer support groups. Learners understand that they have a responsibility to ensure that their staff are safe and know how to keep themselves safe from radicalisation and extremist views.

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

Learners understand the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion at work. They set up social enterprises to support people in their communities to improve their mental health or secure employment.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to develop the teaching skills of trainers. Leaders should continue to develop the curriculum so that it offers significant additional learning opportunities for learners.

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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 leaders, managers, trustees, trainers, employers and learners.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider: Blackburn with Darwen Council for Voluntary Service (Community CVS) is an independent learning provider offering training to new, or aspiring, leaders and managers across Blackburn with Darwen and Lancashire. Leaders began training their first group of Skills Bootcamp learners in September 2023.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, Community CVS had 44 learners studying Skills Bootcamps. There were 22 learners on the aspiring leaders in health and social care leadership Skills Bootcamp, 14 on the business fundamentals, and 8 on the leadership and management for creative leaders in arts, culture and digital Skills Bootcamps. Most learners work for community interest companies, social enterprises, voluntary service organisations and charities.

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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

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 . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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