Boom Training Limited

Boom Training Limited

Address: Unit 1, Capstan Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO19 9UR Unique reference number (URN): 1276470

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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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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors have a clear vision for their curriculums. They focus training on digital skills and artificial intelligence, which they see as the employment skills of the future. Their vision is aligned closely with that of their global digital education parent company.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders generally understand the quality of provision. They take actions that are effective in bringing about improvements. In accounting, leaders changed the delivery model and recruited specialist staff to improve outcomes. Leaders manage resources effectively to ensure the sustainability of the business.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Expert governors work effectively with leaders to strengthen the provision. They hold leaders to account well, monitoring performance metrics closely and assuring that apprentices achieve their qualifications. They use their extensive experience in further education to guide leaders through curriculum and delivery model changes carefully. The decisions leaders and governors make about training and courses are well informed by the needs of employers and in the best interests of apprentices.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Generally, leaders provide staff with relevant training that helps them in their jobs. Staff learn specialist subject knowledge and develop their coaching skills to help them work with apprentices. Managers use quality improvement processes effectively to inform staff training in, for example, consistent and accurate assessment of apprentices' work.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders value staff highly. They oversee staff workload so that it is reasonable and manageable. They celebrate staff achievement when apprentices pass their qualifications. They recognise the work staff have done, such as projects that visualise the progress apprentices make, in meetings with global education partners.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not assure themselves of the effectiveness of the support apprentices receive. Though leaders monitor the progress of apprentices closely, they do not make sure the level of support apprentices receive is appropriate for their period of need. This is because leaders do not train staff sufficiently to record the support they provide apprentices or to evaluate its impact. Leaders do not ensure staff use the training they have had to use teaching strategies that support disadvantaged apprentices consistently and effectively.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders identify apprentices' needs accurately and systematically when they begin their training. They use this information to provide apprentices with appropriate support, for example with examination arrangements. Coaches develop positive relationships with apprentices. This gives apprentices confidence to share emerging disruptive life events with coaches, who provide them with appropriate help and advice. For example, coaches signpost apprentices to employee assistance programmes at work when these might be appropriate. Apprentices typically feel they have the support they need to do well.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices mostly achieve their qualifications and do so in the time planned. Rates of achievement are improving or have been maintained. Leaders have implemented strategies to improve outcomes in accountancy, which are working effectively.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices typically develop new knowledge and skills securely and apply these well in their jobs. For example, data apprentices use their knowledge in data analysis to query databases and create information dashboards for colleagues. Apprentices make appropriate progress from their starting points and produce work of an expected standard and sometimes better.

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Achievement Expected standard

Generally, apprentices acquire the knowledge and skills that make them productive in their jobs from an early stage. They are well prepared for their next steps and, typically, those completing their training move into permanent employment or gain promotion.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders generally have an accurate understanding of the quality of their curriculums and training. Their improvement actions are prompt and effective. For example, they have substantially reduced the proportion of apprentices who exceed the time planned for their apprenticeship.

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Needs attention

Leaders design curriculums together with employers so that they include the skills that are relevant to their business needs. For example, they design training for digital apprentices on how to improve business efficiency, and so that accounting apprentices learn the skills to complete transactions accurately. Employers typically value the up-to-date training apprentices receive.

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Needs attention

Generally, staff sequence the curriculums well. In accounting, apprentices use their knowledge from bookkeeping when they learn about ledger accounts. Staff and employers plan apprentices' on- and off-the-job training coherently. Through their projects, apprentices apply their learning to solve problems at work, for example when using relational databases for processes in early years settings.

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Needs attention

Leaders make sure the curriculums are accessible. Apprentices have on-demand sessions with expert technical mentors who help them with their projects. Skilled development coaches use a range of high-quality resources in one-to-one sessions to help apprentices learn.

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Needs attention

Most staff assess apprentices' starting points and progress accurately. Generally, they provide apprentices with constructive feedback so they can improve their work. Technical mentors advise apprentices on how to refine their presentation of data so it is relevant to their reporting audience. In tripartite reviews, staff do not provide apprentices with consistently specific targets to help them improve their work with the support of their employers.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders have not structured the careers advice and guidance they provide apprentices well enough. This means that apprentices are not equipped fully with the information they need to make well-informed decisions about their futures.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders provide apprentices with an age-appropriate personal development curriculum through learning resources and workbooks. This includes, for example, learning that promotes positive mental health and healthy relationships. Leaders ensure that, through this curriculum, younger apprentices have the opportunity to learn about topics such as misogyny and incel behaviours. However, leaders do not make sure that apprentices complete this learning. Consequently, apprentices do not have a consistently secure understanding of these important themes.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Caring leaders and staff create welcoming environments and prioritise apprentices' wellbeing. Staff put apprentices at ease so they are confident to ask questions. Apprentices are respectful and tolerant, demonstrating values important for life and work in modern Britain. They generally know how equality and the rule of law relate to their jobs.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders and staff set high expectations for apprentices' professional behaviours and work ethic. Apprentices are generally motivated well to complete their work. They have high rates of attendance at learning sessions. Staff take suitable action to help apprentices catch up with their training should they miss sessions.

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

Apprentices enjoy the flexible model of learning and the variety of online resources they can work through at their own pace and at times that suit them. They complete relevant work- based projects and receive specialist advice from technical mentors in on-demand workshops and chats. Apprentices acquire the technical knowledge and skills they need for their jobs. They apply these to their jobs competently and confidently.

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

Employers value the contributions apprentices make at work and how they become more productive as a result of their training. Apprentices develop their technical vocabulary, consider ethical practices and become accustomed to the project-based work of their sectors. For example, data apprentices complete sprint projects in which they explore the principled use of large language models in their jobs. Accounting apprentices prepare accurate tax statements for clients. Digital apprentices use industry-standard coding to solve problems where they work.

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

With coaches and through workbook activities, apprentices explore personal development topics, such as the risks of extreme views and reactions often seen in social media. Though leaders have created personal development resources for apprentices to learn from, too few complete these fully.

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

Apprentices do not benefit from coherently planned careers information and guidance. They are not fully aware of the opportunities for further learning or training when they finish their apprenticeship. They are not clear how their knowledge and skills may be transferable to other employment sectors.

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

Leaders do not systematically review the effectiveness of the support they provide apprentices. They have not trained staff to consider the impact of the support they give. Leaders are not assured that the support staff provide apprentices continues to be suitable throughout their training.

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Next steps

Leaders should make sure they train staff fully to support apprentices in need of support and to evaluate the impact of the help they provide systematically so that it continues to be suitable throughout the training. Leaders should provide apprentices with coherent careers advice and guidance so they can make well-informed decisions about their futures. Leaders should ensure apprentices complete the programme of personal development so that they have a consistently secure understanding of the themes it includes.

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Team inspectors:

Emma Leavey, His Majesty's Inspector Lynda Bourne, Ofsted Inspector Saskia Niderost, Ofsted Inspector Kay Hedges, 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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Total learners

Leaders should ensure staff set specific targets in tripartite reviews that help apprentices improve their work with the support of their employers.

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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 CEO, senior leaders, governors, employers, staff and apprentices during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider: Boom Training Limited is an independent learning provider based in Southampton and operating nationally. It has changed ownership recently.

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About this inspection

Leaders offer level 3 and 4 apprenticeships in data technician and data analyst, along with level 2 and 3 apprenticeships in accounts/finance assistant and assistant accountant. There are also small numbers of apprentices on apprenticeships such as business administration and multi-channel marketer. Training takes place online and in the workplace.

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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

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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