Access to Business

Access to Business 81, Tempest Street, Wolverhampton WV2 1AA

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monitoring inspection report:

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

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monitoring inspection report:

 leadership and governance - specifically the progress leaders and managers have made in designing and delivering relevant adult learning provision that has a clearly defined purpose, and in identifying and supporting the needs of adult learners

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monitoring inspection report:

 inclusion - specifically the progress leaders have made in identifying the needs of individual learners 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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monitoring inspection report:

 curriculum, teaching and training - specifically the progress leaders and managers have made in ensuring that learners benefit from high-quality adult education that prepares them well for their intended job role, career aim and/or personal goals

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monitoring inspection report:

 safeguarding arrangements - specifically whether leaders and managers have ensured 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 thoughtfully developed their Digital Divide adult learning course to develop the digital literacy of adults in Wolverhampton in line with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) priorities. Working with an existing network of partners and through targeted recruitment at community events, leaders successfully attract learners for whom digital literacy is a critical skill. Monitoring inspection report: Access to Business 21 and 22 April 2026

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Leaders frequently review the quality and success of the course, making effective changes where necessary. This has contributed to leaders currently exceeding both their recruitment and outcomes targets. However, at present, where leaders themselves teach, the arrangements in place to quality assure their teaching are not rigorous enough.

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Leaders frequently review the progress of learners. Teachers know their learners well and are quick to identify concerns and offer additional support to learners who need it to access their learning. This includes, for example, loans of information technology equipment and the gifting of other vital resources, such as internet access and data.

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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 have put in place effective processes to allow learners to disclose any barriers to their learning. Leaders provide learners with initial advice and guidance before they begin their studies and request that any barriers be disclosed. Leaders are especially vigilant about the financial barriers learners may be facing, given the proportion of learners seeking employment. However, teachers have limited expertise and training in identifying a wide range of special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inclusion

Leaders work closely with a range of stakeholders to gain a clear understanding of the barriers to learning and wellbeing that learners face. They have used this information to design a curriculum that helps learners to overcome these barriers. For example, leaders embed money-saving guidance and techniques in the curriculum, including a focus on energy bills. Energy suppliers visit classes to help learners develop the skills they need to access these savings.

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Inclusion

In most cases, teachers provide learners with the support they need to access their learning and make 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.

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Curriculum, teaching and training

Leaders have designed a curriculum that prepares learners well to reach their career goals and achieve their personal targets. Teachers order the topics they teach in a logical sequence to help learners to build their knowledge over time. Teachers start with basics, such as creating secure passwords to stay safe online. They then move on to more Monitoring inspection report: Access to Business 21 and 22 April 2026

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complex topics, such as setting up email accounts, the dangers of public Wi-Fi and understanding internet cookies.

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Leaders measure what learners know and can do in relation to digital skills at the beginning of their studies. However, teachers occasionally do not use this information to inform teaching. In a few cases, learners who have a more advanced starting point are taught topics they already know. This contributes to them, at times, making progress at a slower rate of which they are capable.

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Teachers use a range of effective strategies to help learners build their knowledge. They first teach a topic, then demonstrate how to apply it. They then provide learners with opportunities to practise their new skills. Teachers also routinely recap previously taught topics, which helps learners to remember what they have learned.

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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 and managers have appointed a suitably qualified designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and ensure that all staff have annual training in both safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. The DSL has put in place appropriate procedures for the recording and reporting of safeguarding concerns, should these arise.

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Safeguarding arrangements

Leaders identify that almost all adult learners they work with have barriers to their learning and that some of these barriers create potential vulnerabilities for adult learners. As a result, leaders ensure that all staff undergo rigorous checks to enable them to work with children and vulnerable adults.

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Safeguarding arrangements

The DSL has links with a wide range of external agencies, charities and support groups across the city to whom they refer learners for support where necessary. Where these links are used, staff work closely with the learner and external agency to monitor their access to the support they need.

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About this inspection

Ofsted carries out monitoring inspections to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning 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. Monitoring inspection report: Access to Business 21 and 22 April 2026

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Access To Business Limited (A2B) is an independent learning provider based in Wolverhampton. A2B has been teaching adults on the Digital Divide programme funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) since January 2025. At the time of the visit, there were 51 adult learners.

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programmes at time of inspection

Monitoring inspection report: Access to Business 21 and 22 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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