Harper Craven Associates Limited

Harper Craven Associates Limited

Address: Linley House, Dickinson Street, Manchester, M1 4LF Unique reference number (URN): 2654215

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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 have established a supportive and inclusive culture. Staff identify apprentices’ needs quickly at the start of their learning. This enables skills coaches to plan tailored support for apprentices, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning. Leaders have recently appointed an inclusion lead to develop inclusive practices further.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Skills coaches complete training to ensure that they understand and meet apprentices' needs. They develop and apply their skills to support apprentices with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia. Most skills coaches review and amend apprentices' support needs, such as providing extra time for assessment and making session content available in advance of sessions taking place.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from effective assistive technology and wider interventions. Those with autism receive crib sheets to help them overcome their rejection sensitivity during observations. Apprentices with dyslexia benefit from speech-to-text and note-taking technologies to support them with their written work. Where apprentices' progress slows, skills coaches implement effective interventions to help apprentices to make at least their expected progress. Consequently, apprentices with SEND and those who are disadvantaged achieve in line with their peers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders, through effective working partnerships with employers, have an accurate understanding of the increasing need for qualified staff to fill skills gaps in the health and education sectors. They have planned curriculums to address the key priorities in schools, such as special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and safeguarding. Consequently, leaders have embedded SEND into the teaching assistant apprenticeships and introduced a new level 3 safeguarding officer apprenticeship.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement. They have prioritised actions so that most apprentices receive a consistently high quality of training, including in English and mathematics. They understand the reason why not enough apprentices complete their training and have put actions in place to remedy this.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Skills coaches benefit from a dedicated programme of professional development. They have access to an electronic library of resources, attend useful externally organised training courses and share best practice in weekly team meetings. Most skills coaches complete training on topics, such as teaching apprentices who are neurodiverse and scaffolding techniques, effectively. However opportunities to develop skills coaches' pedagogical skills are underdeveloped.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The board of directors has a shared understanding of the provider's strengths and areas for improvement. Board members receive high-quality reports and challenge leaders to ensure that improvement actions are effective, such as in coordinating on- and off-the-job training better. Leaders are considerate of the workload and wellbeing of staff. Staff have access to an employee assistance programme that provides counselling and medical benefits. Leaders have introduced wellbeing days, social activities, such as running and book clubs, and reward systems to recognise and celebrate staff performance.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and accurate understanding of the quality of their apprenticeship provision. The apprenticeships align with the increasing skills needs in the education and health sectors. Leaders work with employers to plan curriculums that address the increasing number of children with mental health and special educational needs and/or disabilities. They adapt the curriculum for apprentices studying the level 3 community, health and wellbeing apprenticeship so that they can support communities effectively with increasingly complex health and wellbeing needs.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders plan and sequence the curriculums effectively so that apprentices build new knowledge and skills incrementally over time. Level 5 specialist teaching assistant (STA) apprentices learn about theories of education, such as behaviourism and constructivism, to understand how children acquire, process and retain knowledge. Apprentices then apply these concepts to plan effective activities and assessments for children in lessons.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Skills coaches adeptly use online platforms to deliver tutorials, live sessions and progress reviews. Most skills coaches use effective strategies to identify gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and address misconceptions. They confidently use questioning, discussions and end-of-module knowledge assessments to check apprentices' understanding of content. Skills coaches direct apprentices to further research, high-quality online resources and podcasts to deepen their understanding of topics.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Most apprentices receive constructive feedback on their written work. Apprentices understand what they have done well and what they need to do to improve their work. However, feedback for level 3 teaching assistant apprentices is not consistently helpful.

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Needs attention

On- and off-the-job training is coordinated effectively. Apprentices quickly apply their knowledge and master new skills at work. For example, level 5 STA apprentices skilfully identify children who need speech and language support and complete appropriate referrals.

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Needs attention

Skills coaches ensure that curriculums are accessible for apprentices who face barriers to their learning and make adaptations as required. They work closely with employers to ensure that apprentices can access appropriate assistive technology at work. This ensures that apprentices make positive progress.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices demonstrate strong commitment to their learning. They maintain respectful and professional online behaviour and routinely attend their tutorials. Apprentices benefit from calm learning environments in which they feel confident to express their opinions. They participate in wider opportunities, such as training to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as additional live sessions.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices feel safe. They can clearly explain how to protect themselves from radicalisation and extremist views. Apprentices complete helpful training on fundamental British values, diversity and healthy relationships. They apply this training to teach children the importance of respect by encouraging children to express their views and listen respectfully to others.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices develop their confidence because of their training. They adopt key roles within their workplace by leading activities with children. Apprentices lead snack time sessions with children to support them with sentence structure and language development. They confidently support children with English as a second language, enabling them to access the curriculum effectively.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Most skills coaches provide apprentices with useful guidance about their future careers. Apprentices who wish to progress into teaching roles shadow colleagues to gain insight into teaching practice, lesson planning and marking of children's work.

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Achievement Needs attention

Previously, too many apprentices, including just under half of the teaching assistant apprentices, did not complete their training. Often this was because they were not sufficiently prepared for the demands of the apprenticeship or withdrew for personal reasons. Leaders have acted to address this. However, it is too early to determine the impact of their actions.

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Achievement Needs attention

Apprentices who complete their apprenticeship, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, achieve merit and distinction grades in their final assessments. Apprentices develop the literacy and numeracy skills to be effective in their jobs. In mathematics, apprentices create classroom activities accurately using fractions and percentages. In English, apprentices use technical vocabulary to analyse the application of theories in their work. Apprentices who take English functional skills qualifications achieve well. However, in mathematics, too many apprentices do not achieve their qualification.

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Achievement Needs attention

Apprentices who complete their training become competent practitioners. Teaching assistant apprentices use sentence stems to help children to organise their thoughts, develop vocabulary and communicate ideas clearly.

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Achievement Needs attention

Skills coaches prepare apprentices effectively for their next steps. Most apprentices remain with their employer and gain promotions or increased responsibility at work.

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

Apprentices adopt professional attitudes and demonstrate positive behaviours. They listen attentively and actively participate in online training sessions. They respect the views of their peers during discussions.

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

Apprentices develop industry-relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours. Those completing the level 3 community health and wellbeing apprenticeship produce high-quality wellbeing boards, focused on mental and physical health and support parents of school-age children. Apprentices working in the health sector skilfully assess patients' physical health and cognitive abilities.

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

Apprentices produce work that meets required standards. Apprentices take pride in their written work and value opportunities to demonstrate their new knowledge and skills at work. For example, they present information on the development and implementation of artificial intelligence to colleagues at work.

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

Apprentices feel valued and heard by their skills coaches and in the workplace and appreciate the support and challenge that they receive. This builds their confidence to interact with children and to contribute ideas about new activities with class teachers.

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

Apprentices are motivated to complete their apprenticeship and gain high grades. They value the welcoming and inclusive online environments. Many apprentices are enthused about the opportunity to progress to teacher training after completing their apprenticeship.

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

Most apprentices, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make positive progress from their starting points. Apprentices with auditory processing disorder benefit from adapted online materials and become competent in public speaking because of the support that skills coaches provide.

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

Apprentices complete purposeful additional training beyond their main curriculum. They complete safeguarding qualifications and know how to keep the people they care for safe.

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Team inspectors:

Alison Humphreys, His Majesty's Inspector Peter Wood, Ofsted Inspector Liz Greenhalgh, Ofsted Inspector Glenise Burrell, His Majesty's Inspector Ed Lack, Ofsted Inspector Apprentices learn about legislation and articulate how the anti-terrorism act and the ‘Prevent’ duty is relevant to their work and personal lives.

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Next steps

Leaders should increase the proportion of apprentices that remain on their apprenticeship. Leaders should continue to develop the teaching, training and coaching skills of skills coaches, so that teaching is of a consistently high standard. Leaders should further strengthen the training for skills coaches so that they can systematically review and adapt the support needs of apprentices throughout their training.

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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 apprentices, leaders, board members, staff and employers. The data considered during this inspection, and referenced within the report, relates to published DfE data available up to July 2025.

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About this inspection

Harper Craven Associates Limited is a national independent learning provider, with an administrative centre in Manchester. The provider has 1,720 apprentices in learning. Of these, 671 are studying level 3 teaching assistant, 639 are studying level 5 specialist teaching assistant, 160 are studying level 3 community health and wellbeing worker, 151 are studying level 3 early years educator and 96 are on the level 3 safeguarding professional apprenticeships. Nearly all apprentices are aged 19 and over. All teaching and support for apprentices is online.

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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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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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Year This provider 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

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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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