Wiser Academy Ltd

Wiser Academy Ltd

Address: Suite 3, Norman Court Barns, Norman Court Lane, Upper Clatford, Andover, SP11 7HB Unique reference number (URN): 1278659

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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 develop a culture where apprentices generally feel well supported. When leaders identify apprentices with additional learning needs, they carry out appropriate processes to recognise any barriers to learning and consider how to tailor support to meet apprentices' needs. Leaders have recently strengthened this approach at enrolment to identify and support apprentices with challenges they may not be aware of or are reluctant to disclose.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders put in place support plans that determine the appropriate support apprentices receive. Apprentices value the assistance they receive, which enables them to make positive progress in their learning. Leaders regularly monitor the effectiveness of this support and adapt it as required to ensure it remains effective. Apprentices with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve better than their peers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff are trained to recognise, support and adjust for apprentices’ varied learning needs. Trainers receive guidance on how to best support neurodiverse learners and to use effective teaching strategies, such as chunking learning to make content more accessible. Apprentices with a learning difficulty value the way trainers explain and teach content in ways that help them understand new concepts well. Where appropriate, trainers inform employers of how best to support their apprentice in the workplace.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are generally aware of their strengths and areas for improvement. They are focused on improving outcomes for apprentices and have implemented positive procedures and processes to monitor and intervene where apprentices are not making the expected progress. The actions leaders have taken are beginning to have a positive impact on the progress apprentices are making. However, it is too early to see the full impact of these interventions.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors have an established strategy to provide apprenticeships that meet the training needs of insurance companies nationally. More recently, they have responded positively to recruitment demands in the region for hairdressers. Leaders remain focused on enabling individuals to gain the professional qualifications they require to work in these sectors.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors generally have a clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and the progress apprentices make. They are aware of improvement priorities and work closely with leaders to support and challenge them.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders support trainers well to maintain their industry knowledge and ensure teaching remains up to date and relevant. Trainers attend industry briefings, product training and take up opportunities to observe practice in industry. Those new to teaching are supported effectively to develop their teaching skills swiftly.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are proud to work at the provider and feel that it is well managed. Leaders meet regularly with trainers to ensure their workloads remain manageable. They implement appropriate processes and procedures to protect staff from bullying, harassment and discrimination.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders implement appropriate processes to review the effectiveness of training. They use this knowledge to support improvement across the curriculum, although there is more work to do to ensure a consistently high quality of training across all apprenticeships.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders develop an apprenticeship curriculum that focuses mostly on meeting employer recruitment and training needs in the insurance and finance sectors, with a recent move into hairdressing. They collaborate well with employers to ensure that the training closely reflects apprentices’ roles and employers’ priorities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders plan the curriculum appropriately so that apprentices build their knowledge gradually. Hairdressing apprentices learn about hair types and the appropriate use of products before using this knowledge to perform hair styling techniques, such as perming, correctly. Apprentices consolidate their learning well before attempting more advanced skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers have substantial experience, and use this well to link learning to real-life scenarios. Apprentices quickly recognise how new concepts, such as monopolies, oligopolies and perfect competition, relate to their work in the finance industry.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers typically promote purposeful discussions and use effective questioning techniques to check and broaden apprentices’ understanding. They skilfully explore with apprentices the difference between a durable medium and the distance marketing directive when explaining consumer protection rules. Apprentices confidently use the correct terminology in discussions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers generally provide apprentices with feedback that helps them understand what they are doing well and how to improve. Apprentices use this effectively to develop their work.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders provide a range of opportunities that broaden apprentices’ occupational awareness. Apprentices attend industry events and conferences that help them stay aware of developments in their sector.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from learning about topics that help them make informed choices and recognise risks in their lives and at work. Apprentices working in the financial services sector complete a range of regulatory training, such as ethics, cybercrime prevention and equality.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Trainers discuss topical issues that are pertinent to apprentices’ safety or that may impact their profession. They explore the impact that the current Middle East crisis has on the insurance sector or how financial criminality is used to fund terrorism.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders ensure that apprentices develop their understanding of positive values. Apprentices demonstrate these positive attitudes through their interactions with clients. For example, apprentices take time to explain information and services carefully to older customers, or to those who speak English as an additional language, to ensure they understand fully.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Trainers broadly ensure that apprentices receive relevant careers advice and guidance. Apprentices benefit from attending conferences and networking events and receive help writing CVs and preparing for interviews. They are mostly well informed about their next steps.

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Achievement Needs attention

Apprentices broadly produce work of a high standard. Employers value the skills apprentices develop and report that they become more effective in their roles as a result.

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Achievement Needs attention

Too few apprentices stay in learning and complete all elements of their programme. Although improving, a significant proportion of apprentices are not making the expected progress and are past their planned end date. Apprenticeship achievement remains too low.

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Achievement Needs attention

Apprentices develop relevant English and mathematical skills throughout their learning. For example, insurance apprentices accurately calculate insurance premiums and tax. Nearly all apprentices who require mathematics and/or English functional skills achieve on their first attempt.

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Achievement Needs attention

Those apprentices who remain on their programme generally achieve well, with many achieving a distinction. Nearly all apprentices who achieve progress to positive destinations, most with their current employer, taking on additional responsibilities or progressing into more senior roles.

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

Many apprentices are not making the expected progress and are past their planned end date. Too few apprentices achieve their apprenticeship. Leaders have taken appropriate action to support apprentices towards their final assessment, with more now reaching the end of their apprenticeship, but it is too early to see the full impact.

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

Apprentices largely enjoy the positive learning environment that trainers create. They demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning, are courteous to each other and are motivated to participate enthusiastically. Apprentices value the skills they are developing and attend well.

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

Apprentices develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for their roles and make a positive contribution to their workplace. For example, level 3 insurance practitioner apprentices increase the number of new clients they bring to their businesses, successfully manage insurance renewals and contribute to improved business performance.

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

Apprentices typically become more confident in their abilities as a result of their new learning. Hairdressing apprentices practise and refine their techniques in well ‑ equipped salons.

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

Apprentices develop the behaviours they need to work with a wide range of clients. They develop their understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion in their training and apply this in their jobs when working with clients to administer sensitive insurance claims, such as those who have had a recent bereavement.

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

Apprentices develop an understanding of how to stay safe at work and in their personal lives. They value the effective support they receive from their trainers, who regularly check on their wellbeing frequently.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that apprentices are supported effectively to catch up when they fall behind so that they can achieve their apprenticeship on time. Leaders should ensure that a higher proportion of apprentices remain on their apprenticeship and achieve their qualifications. Leaders should continue to strengthen practices to consistently identify and reduce any barriers to apprentices’ learning. Leaders should continue to monitor and improve the curriculums to secure a consistently high standard of training across all apprenticeships. Leaders should further strengthen the careers education provided to apprentices throughout their learning so that it is of a consistently high quality.

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Lead inspector:

Richard Kirkham, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Carolyn Brownsea, His Majesty's Inspector Julia Gray, Ofsted Inspector Cathy Atkinson, Ofsted Inspector Sara Woodward, 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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About this inspection

Following our updated 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

Inspectors spoke with leaders, governors, staff, employers and apprentices during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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About this inspection

Wiser Academy Limited is an independent learning provider located in Andover, Hampshire. It specialises in training apprentices mostly in insurance and finance, and more recently in hairdressing. At the time of the inspection, there were 349 apprentices in learning. Of these, 216 apprentices were studying the level 3 insurance apprenticeship, 22 were studying level 2 hairdressing professional, 28 were studying level 4 sales executive and 20 were studying level 6 senior insurance professional. Twenty-four apprentices were aged 16 to 18 years old. There were 16 apprentices studying mathematics and/or English as part of their apprenticeship.

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national average

'This provider' and 'national average' figures are taken from the publicly available DfE achievement rates. Where the DfE have supressed the figures, usually due to small cohorts, this has been mirrored in the Report Card and will be shown by an 'S'.

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Year This provider National average

'This provider' and 'national average' figures are taken from the publicly available DfE achievement rates. Where the DfE have supressed the figures, usually due to small cohorts, this has been mirrored in the Report Card and will be shown by an 'S'.

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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 .

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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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