Apprenticeships provider 'inadequate', says Ofsted

A sports education provider has been rated "inadequate" by Ofsted.

First Step Education and Training, which runs coaching apprenticeship programmes, has been told to "take swift action" to rectify "significant weaknesses".

During an inspection in April, Ofsted found the quality of education was "not improving" and was "poor", after concerns were raised on a previous visit in February 2023.

The company, based in Anlaby, has been approached for a comment.

First Step Education and Training has been running apprenticeship programmes since September 2021.

It is listed on the First Step Sports Group website, along with a number of other companies including one, First Step Cycle, which has a contract with Hull City Council to provide free cycle training to adults in the city.

First Step Cycle was not subject to this Ofsted inspection.

A report of the latest inspection of First Step Education and Training, between 16 and 18 April, found staff were not providing enough teaching to apprentices, including in basic maths and English.

As a result, "too many apprentices make slow progress in developing their knowledge and skills".

Inspectors found many apprentices could not complete final exams because they did not have their "functional skills qualifications". Teachers had not ensured students improved their English and mathematics skills.

Those with additional learning needs were not being supported "well enough".

Inspectors found Level 4 sports coach apprentices with dyslexia "often feel excluded in training sessions and struggle to access the curriculum".

Most of the teaching was being delivered online, which meant apprentices "have a very limited understanding of the local risks impacting the communities where they live and work", Ofsted said in its report.

Tutors were well qualified and experienced, and provided "helpful and developmental feedback".

Apprentices were "motivated and engaged", but "too many" were choosing to leave their apprenticeship early.

"At the time of the inspection, at least a third of apprentices had not completed their training within the timeframe that staff had allocated for them," the report said.

The report criticised management for not doing enough to "address the weaknesses identified" during Ofsted's previous visit on 15 February 2023.

"In too many instances, the actions that leaders identify are not implemented for a long period, in some cases for longer than 12 months, such as the ongoing, unresolved concern about support for apprentices to help them to achieve functional skills qualifications," the report stated.

"In a few instances, tutors do not support apprentices who have additional learning needs well enough."

In its recommendations, Ofsted said the company had to "rapidly improve oversight of the provision and take swift action to rectify the significant weaknesses in apprenticeship programmes".

It said the company also needed to "improve the quality and sufficiency of English and mathematics teaching, particularly for apprentices who need to achieve functional skills qualifications".

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