North Lancs. Training Group C.I.C.

Address: Bradshawgate House, 1 Oak Street, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 1EQ Unique reference number (URN): 53588

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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 work closely with local councils to provide education and training for young people, who are furthest from education or employment. They offer tailored programmes to enable young learners to study English, mathematics and employability. Leaders contribute positively to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training, particularly in Bury and Oldham.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Since the previous inspection, leaders have extended the induction period for learners and apprentices. Tutors use this time to understand learners’ and apprentices’ needs and agree timely support. Leaders recognise that many learners and apprentices experience economic disadvantage. They work closely with external agencies to provide learners and apprentices with access to support services, such as for temporary accommodation. Leaders help learners and apprentices, who are care leavers, to access bursaries. They offer laptop loans and support travel costs to enable learners and apprentices to remain in education or training.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff provide effective support for learners and apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Tutors routinely review training support records to ensure strategies and interventions continue to respond to apprentices’ needs. Leaders have recently introduced formal individual learning plans for young learners. However, it is too soon to evaluate the impact of this initiative.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and governors share a vision and steadfast commitment to support learners, apprentices, employers and the communities that they serve. They make decisions that are in the best interest of learners and apprentices. Following the previous inspection, leaders made a conscious decision to support young learners, including those who are most disadvantaged.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders broadly understand the strengths and areas for improvement of their apprenticeship provision. The actions that they have taken since the previous inspection to improve apprenticeship provision have largely had a positive impact. However, leaders have an imprecise understanding of the key areas for improvement for the provision for young learners. This impedes their ability to put effective interventions in place and provide clear organisational priorities for improvement. In addition, they do not provide governors with sufficiently detailed information to enable thorough scrutiny and challenge.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and staff collaborate effectively with stakeholders to identify opportunities beyond the curriculum to enhance learners’ and apprentices’ experiences. For example, learners and apprentices take part in visits and activities to widen their experiences and to benefit local communities.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders ensure that staff have manageable workloads and access to appropriate training to hone their teaching practices and maintain their subject currency. Staff feel proud to work for the provider. They value the proactive approach that leaders take to support their wellbeing.

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Achievement Needs attention

Although leaders have increased the proportion of learners who stay in learning and achieve their qualifications over the past 3 years, achievement remains too low. While learners mostly achieve their employability qualifications, too few achieve their English and mathematics qualifications.

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Achievement Needs attention

Learners’ work is mostly of the expected standard. Tutors help learners to maintain their work in well-organised folders and workbooks. Learners who complete work experience placements acquire substantial practical skills. Learners working in hair salons shampoo and blow dry clients’ hair competently.

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Achievement Needs attention

Too few learners make sufficient progress from their starting points. Too few securely acquire the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need to progress to their intended next steps. Leaders do not routinely or systematically track learners' destinations to ensure that they align with their future aspirations.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not have a sufficiently clear oversight of the quality of the curriculum, teaching and training for young learners. They have recently invested in a renewed information management system and training for curriculum managers. However, these actions are not established fully and leaders’ tracking, monitoring and recording of learners' progress is imprecise. Leaders and tutors do not systematically track the progress that learners make. This impedes leaders’ ability to ensure that learners make sustained progress from the start of their programme.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders ensure that the curriculum offer is aligned to the needs of young people furthest from education. They design short programmes that are focused on English, mathematics and employability skills to prepare learners for their next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Tutors mostly teach their subjects well. They use a range of appropriate activities and carefully prepared resources to promote learners’ interests. Tutors who teach English use beneficial recap tasks so that learners practise applying new vocabulary. They teach learners how to use helpful techniques to support recall. Learners use methods such as note taking and glossaries successfully to help them to remember key concepts.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Tutors generally use assessment effectively. They use targeted questioning and structured group discussions skilfully to identify and correct misconceptions. Tutors mostly provide feedback that helps learners to improve their work.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders ensure that sufficient time is planned in the curriculum to respond to learners' needs. Tutors provide extra sessions for learners, who require additional support or to help learners with irregular attendance to catch up.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders prioritise pastoral support for learners. They provide a ‘safe, equal and well’ curriculum that includes a range of subjects and wider opportunities. Tutors teach learners how to maintain positive mental and physical wellbeing and how to recognise the threats from radicalisation and extremism. In addition, learners benefit from sessions taught by external experts on topics, including cyber security, fire safety and artificial intelligence.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders set high expectations for learners’ behaviour. They do not tolerate bullying, discrimination or harassment. Learners feel safe and are confident that any concerns they have would be dealt with quickly. Learners are respectful and professional in their interactions with others. Leaders recognise that learners typically have low or irregular attendance, when they start their programme. Their actions have improved the attendance for two thirds of learners. However, the attendance of one third of learners has declined further.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders provide learners with access to a work-related learning programme that typically aligns to their future aspirations. However, too few learners who complete the programme are ready to undertake work placements or progress into employment. Too few learners receive careers advice and guidance that is tailored to their intended career pathways.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders have improved apprenticeship achievement for the past 3 consecutive years. Overall, achievement is now close to the national rate. While level 2 achievement is slightly below the national rate, leaders have taken effective steps to reduce the proportion of apprentices who leave their apprenticeship early.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices, many of whom face barriers to their learning, mostly achieve their apprenticeship. Apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve at a slightly lower rate than their peers. Leaders’ actions are reducing this gap. Over half of apprentices achieve merit and distinction grades in their final assessments. However, too few operations manager apprentices achieve these grades.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours from their starting points. They apply new learning to their job roles and add value to the workplace. Most apprentices remain with their employers and secure permanent employment at the end of their apprenticeship, and a few achieve promotions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Since the previous inspection, leaders have reduced the number of apprenticeships that they offer. They now focus on apprenticeships to meet regional specialist priorities in industries, such as furniture making and hospitality.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders work closely with employers to ensure that apprentices attain knowledge and skills that extend beyond the curriculum. Employers offer master classes in shellfish preparation and butchery practices to apprentices studying hospitality. Apprentices acquire up-to-date techniques, such as processing lamb cuts to minimise waste. They are prepared well for careers in their chosen industries.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders recruit tutors who are experts in the subjects that they teach. Tutors apply their industry expertise skilfully to teach apprentices studying furniture making apprenticeships traditional and modern manufacturing methods. Apprentices use traditional surface and thickness planers to trim and smooth large sections of timber. They then operate technologically advanced equipment, such as computer numerically control routers to engrave and shape pieces. Apprentices acquire wood machining knowledge and skills so that they are ready to undertake a range of industry roles.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors use assessment effectively. They use the results of helpful initial assessments to agree apprentices’ personalised targets from the start of their apprenticeship. Tutors monitor apprentices’ progress carefully. They mostly provide useful feedback that identifies what apprentices need to do to improve their work. However, tutors do not routinely provide feedback so that apprentices know how to achieve the highest grades. In addition, they do not provide apprentices studying level 4 and level 5 apprenticeships with feedback to hone their academic skills.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff and employers set high expectations for apprentices’ attendance and behaviour. Apprentices are considerate and professional, and have high attendance.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders encourage apprentices to embrace activities beyond their training. They organise for apprentices to participate in events, such as local food festivals and soapbox challenges. Apprentices value these opportunities to contribute positively to their communities.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff determine apprentices’ career aspirations at the start of their apprenticeships. They establish learning plans to help apprentices to advance toward their career goals. Staff enable apprentices to complete additional qualifications and attend talks from industry professionals. Commis chef apprentices complete supplementary training in food safety and allergen awareness and visit local on-farm egg vending machines. Staff arrange for apprentices studying the team leader apprenticeship to visit large warehousing and distribution centres. Apprentices benefit from meaningful opportunities that strengthen their employability and refine their intended career pathways. Staff ensure that apprentices are prepared well for their next steps.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders provide access to a comprehensive online platform to support apprentices’ mental and physical wellbeing. Apprentices know how to keep themselves safe from risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. They have not experienced bullying or harassment. Apprentices feel safe online and at work.

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

Learners and apprentices appreciate the welcoming and positive culture of North Lancs. Training Group C.I.C. They benefit from a community of acceptance and inclusion, where they feel safe, treated fairly and listened to.

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

Learners and apprentices, many of whom experience disadvantage or are furthest from education, value highly the personalised support that they receive from staff. Leaders and tutors dedicate time to get to know learners and apprentices and agree strategies at the start of the programme or apprenticeship. Leaders cover transportation costs for learners and apprentices, who experience economic disadvantage. They remove financial barriers that would prevent learners and apprentices from travelling to training centres or to their workplace.

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

Learners and apprentices value the education and training that they receive from knowledgeable tutors. Tutors use their subject expertise to construct well-considered curriculums. Apprentices studying furniture making apprenticeships are taught how to plane and shape materials to produce simple chopping boards. They then hone their skills working on more advanced projects, such as shaping chairs on a spindle mould using a jig ringfence. Apprentices practise and build more complex skills over time. Learners improve their oracy skills. Learners who previously lacked the self-assurance to voice their opinions present their views confidently to their peers.

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

Apprentices and learners are respectful and professional in their interactions with others. However, learners' attendance is too low.

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

Apprentices receive helpful careers information and guidance. They mostly achieve their apprenticeships and progress to positive destinations. However, too few young learners achieve their qualifications or make continuous improvement from the start of their programme. This impedes their readiness to take their next steps into work placements, further training or employment.

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Next steps

Leaders should improve quality processes to enable systematic tracking and monitoring of the provision, particularly for young learners, so that they can make improvements swiftly. Leaders should improve the quality of information that governors receive to enable targeted scrutiny and challenge of priorities for improvement, particularly for provision for young learners. Leaders should ensure that young learners are able to attend their study programmes, so that they can gain the qualifications that they need for their next steps. Leaders should ensure that young learners are prepared well to undertake work experience or future employment opportunities. Leaders should ensure that apprentices studying higher level apprenticeships are taught academic study skills, so that they are prepared well for higher-level study. Leaders should systematically and consistently review strategies and support for all learners and apprentices.

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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

Inspectors spoke with leaders, managers, tutors, learners, apprentices, governors, stakeholders and employers 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

North Lancs. Training Group C.I.C. is a non-profit training organisation with its headquarters in Accrington, Lancashire. The provider has training centres in Accrington, Bury and

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Team inspectors:

Rick Fothergill, Ofsted Inspector Jaqui Scott, Ofsted Inspector Alex Lang, Ofsted Inspector Andy Gadsdon, 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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Apprenticeships

Oldham. North Lancs. Training Group C.I.C. offers education programmes for young people and apprenticeships.

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Apprenticeships

At the time of the inspection, there were 106 learners on education programmes for young people studying English, mathematics and employability qualifications from entry level to level 2. There were 604 apprentices studying a range of hospitality, furniture and business and management apprenticeships from levels 2 to 5. Most apprentices study at levels 2 and 3, with the largest numbers on level 2 supply chain warehouse operative, level 3 team leader and level 3 business administrator apprenticeships.

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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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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 . 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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