Professional Skills Academy

During the monitoring inspection, inspectors focused on the following themes:

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 progress in leadership and governance – this means how much progress leaders and those responsible for governance have made in ensuring that the provider is meeting all the requirements of successful apprenticeship provision, and is identifying and supporting the needs of apprentices

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 progress in inclusion – this means how much progress leaders have made in identifying the needs of individual apprentices and putting suitable support in place, in particular for those who are disadvantaged, those with SEND or high needs, those who are known (or previously known) to social care, and those who may face other barriers to their experiences and opportunities, including those without level 2 English and/or mathematics

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 progress in curriculum, teaching and training – this means how much progress leaders and managers have made in ensuring that apprentices benefit from high-quality training that leads to positive outcomes for apprentices

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 progress in ensuring effective safeguarding arrangements – this means how much progress leaders and managers have made in ensuring that effective safeguarding arrangements are in place

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Leadership and governance

Reasonable progress : the provider’s actions are already having a beneficial impact on learners and/or apprentices. Improvements are sustainable and are based on the provider’s thorough quality assurance procedures.

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Leadership and governance

Leaders have clear ambitions to provide high-quality apprenticeships. They meet the principles and requirements of apprenticeship provision. Leaders are at a formative stage of their planning and implementation with very few apprentices. They know what is going on across the provision, and tailor actions to meet apprentices’ needs. Leaders do not yet have formal governance arrangements in place. Professional Skills Academy 35 St Lawrence Quay, Salford Quays, Salford M50 3XT

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monitoring inspection report:

9 and 10 April 2026 Monitoring inspection report: Professional Skills Academy 9 and 10 April 2026

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Leaders rightly recognise that they need to formalise their quality assurance processes to confirm strengths and identify priority areas for improvement within their provision. They highlight that this will support them to focus on the quality of the curriculum for apprentices.

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Leaders have the necessary qualifications and experience to teach apprentices. They have teaching, training and assessing qualifications. Leaders maintain their vocational expertise by working with sector organisations, completing professional development activities and using awarding body updates and training. They acknowledge that further training is needed so that they continue to develop and enhance their teaching skills.

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Leaders plan learning with the employers and apprentices to make sure that apprentices access useful training. They routinely review progress with apprentices and employers, identifying gaps in learning and setting activities and training targets to enhance apprentices’ development. Leaders have a clear oversight of the progress that apprentices make.

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Inclusion

Reasonable progress : the provider’s actions are already having a beneficial impact on learners and/or apprentices. Improvements are sustainable and are based on the provider’s thorough quality assurance procedures.

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Inclusion

Leaders make sure that apprentices benefit from an open and inclusive learning environment. They quickly identify apprentices’ needs and barriers to learning at the beginning of their apprenticeship. Leaders effectively use this information to reduce barriers to learning and to put appropriate measures in place to support apprentices. For example, they make sure that electronic devices, such as monitors, are placed at a set distance from apprentices to support their medical conditions.

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Inclusion

Leaders prioritise making education and training accessible for apprentices. They put the needs of apprentices first. Leaders know their apprentices well. Apprentices feel comfortable to disclose any support needs that they may have. Leaders quickly provide suitable support for the very few apprentices enrolled.

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Inclusion

Leaders have not yet completed training about how to review and adjust support for apprentices. They rightly recognise the need to formalise inclusion arrangements in preparation for the recruitment of apprentices in the future. Apprentices, including those with barriers to learning, make at least their expected levels of progress.

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Curriculum, teaching and training

Reasonable progress : the provider’s actions are already having a beneficial impact on learners and/or apprentices. Improvements are sustainable and are based on the provider’s thorough quality assurance procedures. Monitoring inspection report: Professional Skills Academy 9 and 10 April 2026

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Apprentices benefit from effective training. They work closely with experienced trainers, peers and mentors, and access a suitable range of online resources. This supports them to gain a clear understanding of topics such as rolling resistances of different-sized tyres, and the impact that has on speed while cycling on the road. Apprentices quickly develop valuable new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Trainers sequence curriculums sensibly so that apprentices develop their knowledge over time. Management apprentices explain their increasing effectiveness in business negotiations. Apprentices are well supported to gain the knowledge, confidence and skills that they need to apply and progress at work.

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Apprentices benefit from useful off-the-job training. Management apprentices are mentored by industry specialists to develop their knowledge of presentation skills, sales and negotiation techniques, and business finance. Bicycle mechanic apprentices visit specialist bike builders to learn about niche skills that they do not routinely encounter at work. For example, they learn how to build different types of specialist wheels that they do not routinely come across in their regular bicycle maintenance work.

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Apprentices produce practical work of an appropriate and improving standard. They build wheels with different features including disc brake fittings, derailleurs and carbon rims.

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Safeguarding arrangements

Reasonable progress : the provider’s actions are already having a beneficial impact on learners and/or apprentices. Improvements are sustainable and are based on the provider’s thorough quality assurance procedures.

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Safeguarding arrangements

Leaders have appropriate safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty policies and risk assessments in place. They have appointed a designated safeguarding lead. Leaders and staff complete appropriate safeguarding and Prevent duty training. They have recently scheduled training to complete further updates in designated safeguarding lead training.

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Safeguarding arrangements

Apprentices feel safe. They know how to behave safely and with due consideration for the welfare of others. Apprentices know how to keep themselves and others safe. Leaders have plans in place to ensure that any new apprentices complete work on safeguarding and the Prevent duty at induction as well as completing workshops on how and why they would need to report any concerns that they may have about themselves or others.

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Safeguarding arrangements

Since starting their apprenticeship contract, leaders have not had any safeguarding concerns or incidents to report or support. This means that their safeguarding processes and systems remain untested. Leaders have developed a safeguarding log to record, track and review any safeguarding concerns that may arise in future. Monitoring inspection report: Professional Skills Academy 9 and 10 April 2026

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About this inspection

Ofsted carries out monitoring inspections to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision where the provision offered is in scope for inspection.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the further education and skills inspection toolkit. The purpose was to report on the provider’s progress in relation to the 4 themes set out above.

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About this inspection

Professional Skills Academy is an independent learning provider based in Salford. The provider offers niche provision in leadership and management, and for those looking to become expert bicycle mechanics. At the time of the monitoring inspection, the provider had fewer than 5 apprentices enrolled on training programmes. Apprentices were enrolled on either the level 2 bicycle mechanic or the level 4 junior management consultant apprenticeship.

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funding at time of inspection

Monitoring inspection report: Professional Skills Academy 9 and 10 April 2026

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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