Monthly Insights

November Insights 2025

What does effective governance mean? With the imminent application of the new toolkit, we are seeing fewer published inspection reports, making it much more challenging to produce a statistical analysis. Until new inspections become more common, we will suspend our normal data charts. However, the small number of reports published shows learner achievement remains the […]

October Insights 2025

The wait is finally over. Was it worth it? The long-awaited new inspection framework is now in place, and Ofsted promises it will be better for the sector and less burdensome for nominees and teams. One only has to read how providers will meet the new evaluations to realise the light at the end of […]

September Insights 2025

We still haven’t got to grips with safeguarding. As we prepare for a new framework it’s worth considering whether we got everything right in the old framework. This extract from a report published in August suggests there is still work to do. The arrangements for safeguarding are ineffective. There are systemic weaknesses in safeguarding practice. […]

August Insights 2025

Which comes first, compliance or quality? A key aspect of recent reports focuses on quality assurance, highlighting a continuing area for improvement. A QA focus may likely continue into the new framework. We know that for many, good QA is a problem, but what does good and effective quality assurance look like? This extract from […]

Inspection Insights for July 2025
July Inspection Insights 2025

Progress from starting point still haunts many We make no apology for revisiting this topic, and as the following extract illustrates, some are a long way from finding a solution. Staff do not use information about what apprentices already know and can do to plan a sufficiently challenging curriculum. Coaches complete a check of apprentices’ […]

FIN Inspection Insights - June 2025
June Insights 2025

Outstanding or questionable?We’ve known for some time that some providers carefully select which learners will take national examinations, thereby maintaining high success rates. This inspection extract is from an outstanding college, published in May. It’s an approach you may or may not agree with, but it meets the learner’s best needs. “Leaders and managers have […]

May 2025 Insights
May Insights 2025

Looking at inclusion in the new inspection framework?  The draft proposals for the new inspection framework have been available for a while now although they appear far from finalised or proposals for grading agreed. We do know the new structure is going to feature inclusion as a key driver. An outstanding provider report had this […]

FIN Online April Insights
April Insights 2025

Use of assessment strategies? Too often, leaders believe tutors understand the effective use of assessment only to find out their beliefs are ill-founded too late. At a recent inspection, while tutors use questioning well, the dreaded ‘however’ describes a different story.  “However, too many tutors on courses for young people do not routinely check students’ […]

March Insights 2025

Do you have too many eggs in the one basket? During the past two months, there has been a significant increase in new providers, with44 new training providers, increasing the number of players on the pitch and spreadingrecruitment more thinly. Almost all of these are Independent Learning providers, and nearlyall offer boot camps. It’s worth […]

February Insights 2025

What do good and better behaviour and attitudes look like? The majority of providers perform well in outcomes for behaviours and attitudes. Theextract from an outstanding 6th Form is an excellent example of what inspectors mayexpect to see and nicely sums up the criteria identified in the handbook. Students’ behaviour is impeccable. Students attend well, […]

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