Complete Skills Solutions Limited

Complete Skills Solutions Limited

Address: Suite B2, 1st Floor, Switch House, North Perimeter Road Bootle, Bootle, Liverpool, L30 7PT Unique reference number (URN): 1270922

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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 cohesive culture of inclusion. Caring and nurturing staff provide a wide range of support to learners that removes successfully an extensive range of barriers to learning, such as providing free transport to and from training, laptops, mobile phone SIM cards, breakfast and lunch.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff identify swiftly and accurately learners’ individual needs at the start of their course. Tutors confidently and consistently adapt their teaching to suit learners’ specific needs. They provide resources with larger text, record discussions, facilitate more frequent breaks and fidget resources to help with concentration and focus, and arrange for learners to have help with writing in examinations. Learners with barriers to their learning achieve slightly better than their peers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Tutors benefit from highly effective training on the graduated approach to support and confidently apply this in practice. They systematically review and record accurately any changes to learners’ support. Tutors reduce support where appropriate.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Previously, tutors taught classes in premises outside learners’ communities. Leaders identified a decrease in learners’ attendance to their training and took decisive action to move training into community venues. Learners now flourish in their own communities, surrounded by familiar faces, where they feel the safest, and their attendance has substantially improved.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors work tirelessly to provide carefully designed and highly relevant courses that both meet employers’ needs and empower learners to integrate successfully into their communities where they live and work. They are acutely aware of the significant disadvantage and the many barriers to learning and employment that their learners face.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of their strengths and areas for development. They have effective quality assurance and improvement processes in place that swiftly drive improvements. Leaders’ observations of tutors’ teaching generally identify how tutors can improve further their teaching skills. Leaders have rectified all the areas for improvement identified at their previous inspection.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors receive a range of good-quality information from leaders. This helps them to understand the strengths and areas they need to develop. Governors closely monitor the areas for development. They hold leaders to account to make the necessary changes to improve the quality of learners’ training. For instance, leaders have improved attendance and achievement in their English for speakers of other languages courses, which were too low in the previous year.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure staff are suitably experienced and qualified to teach their subjects. They provide appropriate training to staff that mostly helps to improve their teaching practice, such as the effective use of assessment.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are considerate of staff’s wellbeing and workload. Staff feel valued and benefit from access to private health care, complementary therapy, and bereavement counselling. Leaders provide staff with wellbeing days and flexible working arrangements during the school holidays.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most learners complete their learning and achieve their qualifications. Learners typically make expected or better progress from their starting points.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners develop substantial new knowledge and skills, which prepares them well for their next steps in learning and employment. Entry level 2 English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) learners speak accurately using present-tense and present-simple verbs when booking medical appointments in role-play activities in class.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners are conscientious in their studies and take pride in their work, which they present neatly and accurately in their workbooks. Entry level 3 ESOL learners produce well- formatted and professional letters of application and CVs.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners develop further their literacy and numeracy skills. Level 1 introduction to construction learners learn new technical terminology such as retrofit and renewable technology, which they confidently explain in class presentations to their peers. Entry level 1 ESOL learners learn how to tell the time so they are punctual to appointments.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders understand the quality of their provision clearly. They ensure their curriculums are shaped by local and regional employers’ skills needs. Leaders have designed their English for speakers of other languages courses with vocational pathways in health and social care, construction and early years. To meet the skills demands of the construction sector and gain access to construction sites, leaders enable learners on construction courses to complete a Construction Skills Certification Scheme card.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors are subject experts and most have a teaching qualification. A few tutors are new to teaching. They are currently completing a teaching qualification, and are well supported by mentors, who are experienced teachers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors plan and teach the curriculum in an order that helps learners to build their knowledge and skills. Level 1 introduction to construction learners initially learn about the wide range of job roles in the industry, after which they learn about aspects of sustainability, such as waste streams and green working practices.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors generally use assessment effectively to highlight gaps in learners’ knowledge and to inform teaching. They ask probing questions to identify what learners remember. Tutors use appropriate teaching strategies, such as regular recap, quizzes and purposeful group activities and discussions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors mostly provide helpful feedback to learners. In class, tutors tell learners what they have done well and what they specifically need to do to improve their work. Learners act immediately on this feedback and improve their work. However, the feedback that tutors provide on learners’ written work is often brief and congratulatory.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Tutors provide learners with clear and informative careers advice that helps them understand the future progression opportunities available to them once they have completed their course. Many learners are motivated to achieve their qualifications, which helps them to move closer to their personal and career goals.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Learners’ behaviour in their training sessions is excellent. They respond promptly and enthusiastically to questions. Learners demonstrate a clear understanding of fundamental British values by listening attentively to the views of others and making constructive contributions to group discussions.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Tutors teach classes in community hubs, where learners benefit from free meals from the community kitchen, can buy groceries at discounted prices from the community shop and have access to food and clothes banks. They routinely refer learners to a vast range of local partners and charities where they can obtain help and support for housing, debt, and health matters. In acknowledgement of the high suicide rates in the construction industry, tutors refer learners to a charity that supports specifically the wellbeing of construction workers.

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Participation and development Expected standard

A few learners on construction courses benefit from opportunities to apply their learning as volunteers to renovate the provider’s construction training site and install a new kitchen in the classroom.

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

Learners at Complete Skills Solutions Limited thrive in a highly inclusive culture, where they feel a keen sense of belonging. Through their courses, learners have found friendship, support, and the opportunity for a better future in what are often extremely challenging personal lives.

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

Learners face significant barriers to their education. They live in areas of high deprivation, are long-term unemployed, ex-offenders, have considerable language barriers, and severe financial hardship. Leaders and staff work diligently to reduce these barriers. For example, leaders reduce a barrier to employment by providing all learners on construction courses with their own personal protective equipment.

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

Learners show high levels of commitment to their learning, and are keen to do well. They enjoy and routinely attend their training and develop a wide range of knowledge and skills. Learners studying entry level 3 English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) describe accurately their medical symptoms to a doctor during practice conversations.

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

Learners on construction courses benefit from guest speakers from the construction industry. They learn about modern methods of construction and receive useful information about employment opportunities within the sector. Previous learners give motivational talks about their own work experiences in the construction sector after attending their course.

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

Learners build their confidence and self-esteem throughout their course. As learners on entry level 2 ESOL courses improve their command of English, they confidently and accurately describe in writing their strengths and previous work experience when completing job applications.

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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 have about themselves or others. They do not experience any instances of bullying or harassment. Learners know how to keep themselves safe from extremist views and recognise the signs of radicalisation in others. They are knowledgeable about local risks near to where they live and work, such as knife crime and drugs.

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Next steps

Leaders should further strengthen the professional development that staff receive in order to deepen their expertise in providing consistently high-quality curriculums. Leaders should ensure that they take appropriate action to sustain the high proportion of learners who attend their training, and who achieve their qualifications.

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Team inspectors:

Suzanne Horner, His Majesty's Inspector Robert Marshall-Slater, 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 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 the provider staff, learners, and community partners during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Complete Skills Solutions Ltd is an independent learning provider located in Liverpool. The provider receives its funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to provide adult learning programmes for unemployed adults.

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About this inspection

At the time of inspection, there were 73 learners. Most were on entry level 1 to 3 English for speakers of other languages courses and the remainder were on the level 1 introduction to construction course.

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About this inspection

Managing Director - Adult Skills Division: Fay Gibbin

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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. 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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