Ignite Sport UK Limited

Ignite Sport UK Limited

Address: The Community Arena Oxford City FC, Marsh Lane, Marston, Oxford, OX3 0NQ Unique reference number (URN): 1280319

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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 and staff create an inclusive and caring culture well. They support apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well to reduce the barriers to learning that these apprentices have. When apprentices face unexpected life events, such as injury or personal trauma, staff make adjustments for apprentices so they can focus on the things that are important. When apprentices are ready, staff help them catch up with their learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff assess apprentices' learning and support needs accurately. The plans that staff put in place to help apprentices with their learning generally work well, particularly for those with SEND. Staff make sure that employers know how they can help apprentices at work. Staff check that the support that apprentices receive continues to be suitable, and generally this is the case.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders carefully monitor the progress of apprentices with SEND, who achieve in line with their peers. While leaders identify other relevant barriers to learning that apprentices face and staff generally provide apprentices with suitable support, leaders do not monitor closely enough the progress that these apprentices make.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders generally understand the strengths and areas for improvement in apprenticeships. The actions that they take to make improvements are, on the whole, effective. For example, through focused interventions and sustained close scrutiny of data, leaders have reduced significantly the number of apprentices who are beyond the time planned for their training. Leaders' increasing oversight of data is helping them to take action that improves the progress and achievement of apprentices.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are well supported and challenged by expert governors to provide apprentices with relevant training that is very closely aligned to the needs of employers. They help leaders focus on strategic decisions that develop the curriculum in, for example, artificial intelligence.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders value staff highly. They provide staff with relevant professional development to maintain their specialisms and improve their teaching and assessment skills. They bring staff from across the business together at their annual conference to share good practice, hear from motivational speakers and take part in collaborative team building activities. Leaders encourage staff to take care of their wellbeing by providing them with an annual payment that they can spend on things like spa days and gym memberships. Staff enjoy working at Ignite.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders collaborate with employers and stakeholders very effectively. For example, they work with the local skills board to provide training opportunities for apprentices, who might otherwise not be in employment, education or training.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices, including those facing barriers to learning, make positive progress and generally achieve their qualifications, often with distinction grades. Leaders' actions to improve outcomes on the sporting excellence professional and operations manager apprenticeships have been effective in raising the rate of achievement. The very small number of apprentices studying English or mathematics achieve qualifications in these subjects.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours, which they apply confidently and fluently in their jobs. For example, apprentices plan, deliver and evaluate coaching sessions competently. They generally develop the English and mathematics skills that they need for their job. The work that apprentices produce is at least at the standard expected for their level of training and often better.

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Achievement Expected standard

With the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices completing their training acquire, they are well prepared for their next steps. Most apprentices take on further responsibilities, secure promotions or develop their careers through further training.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders offer apprenticeship training that is very relevant to employers. Apprentices develop media skills to become content creators, they learn to lead and manage teams effectively, and they use up-to-date industry techniques in sports coaching. Leaders have a generally accurate understanding of the quality of training. Their model for improvement is designed to bring consistency, so that apprentices benefit from high-quality training. Staff understand and contribute appropriately to this improvement model.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and staff sequence the training well and use their expertise in sports psychology to help apprentices develop valuable employability skills and qualities, such as teamwork and resilience. On- and off-the-job training are appropriately linked so that apprentices apply the theory they have learned at work. As a result, apprentices develop mastery in their skills, such as with online bookings and in customer service.

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Needs attention

Expert staff skilfully contextualise theory so that apprentices relate what they are learning to their jobs and workplaces well. Apprentices at Oxford City Football Club integrate operational management techniques in their game plans. In online teaching, tutors plan learning well so that apprentices collaborate effectively with each other in group discussions and break-out activities. Tutors offer multiple teaching sessions each week so that apprentices can fit learning around their work commitments, making the curriculum accessible. Staff use questioning techniques well to assess apprentices' knowledge and extend their thinking. In general, the feedback that staff provide apprentices with helps them to improve their work.

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Needs attention

Staff work closely with employers, so that employers typically know the progress that apprentices are making and how they can be helped to develop the skills that they need. However, employers do not take part in tri-partite reviews consistently well in all apprenticeships. This limits opportunities to extend apprentices' learning.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders have developed a curriculum that provides apprentices with opportunities to develop their understanding of important topics, such as healthy relationships, fundamental British values, the risks of extremist views and online safety. However, too few apprentices, particularly at levels 2 and 3, have developed their understanding of these important themes well enough.

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Participation and development Needs attention

In some apprenticeships, apprentices receive helpful advice about their careers and next steps from employers and in tripartite reviews with staff. However, this is not consistently the case in all apprenticeships.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Apprentices are respectful and demonstrate professional behaviours in training and at work. They know the high expectations that leaders have of them, and they fulfil these well. Apprentices do not experience inappropriate behaviours and, were these to occur, they are confident that staff would deal with them quickly and appropriately. Apprentices' attendance in learning sessions and tri-partite reviews is high. When apprentices are unable to attend, staff help them catch up with work that they have missed so they stay on track with their study.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders provide opportunities for apprentices to develop their knowledge beyond the curriculum. For example, Olympic rowers and professional footballers share their experiences and reflect on inclusion in elite-level sport.

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

Apprentices enjoy their training because staff make them feel valued, welcomed and well supported. They build positive relationships with staff, who know them well. The care that staff show gives apprentices the confidence to talk about how well they are doing in their jobs or lives, knowing that if they need some help staff will provide it.

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

When unexpected life events occur, such as the birth of a child, sports injury or the sudden closure of another training provider, leaders and staff do all they reasonably can to help apprentices continue with their learning and training. They do so because it is the right thing to do for these apprentices, including for those from other providers who may otherwise fail to complete their training.

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

Apprentices learn new knowledge, skills and behaviours and become more effective in their jobs. Operations manager apprentices develop competency to manage staff performance and absence fairly and in the interests of the business. Community activator coach apprentices become more skilled in coaching young people and confident in the behaviour management techniques that they use.

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

Operations manager apprentices develop their understanding of personal development themes, such as fundamental British values, equality and the risks of extremist views, and how these are relevant to their jobs and lives. This, however, is not consistently the case across other apprenticeships.

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

Apprentices training at higher levels receive helpful careers advice to help them make decisions about their futures. This is not consistently the case for other apprentices.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that apprentices across all courses develop their understanding of important personal development topics that are relevant to their jobs and lives. Leaders should ensure that apprentices across all courses receive high-quality careers advice, so they can make well-informed decisions about their next steps. Leaders should maintain their focus on apprentices' progress, so that rates of achievement continue to improve. Leaders should monitor closely the progress of all the disadvantaged groups of apprentices that they identify and make good use of data to understand the needs of 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 apprentices, staff, leaders, managers, those responsible for governance 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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Team inspectors:

Richard Kirkham, His Majesty's Inspector Christine Blowman, Ofsted Inspector Graham Heath, 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 overall achievement rate

Ignite Sport UK Limited is an independent learning provider based in Oxford. It operates nationally and provides apprenticeship training at levels 2 to 5. There are 146 apprentices in training. The level 4 sports coach is the largest provision with 47 apprentices. The second largest apprenticeship is the level 5 operations manager with 45 apprentices. Teaching is a mixture of face to face and online.

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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

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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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