A new Portslade-based adult and apprentice education provider has been rated good after its first full inspection.
Functional Skills UK (FSUK), which runs vocational courses including construction and in workplace English from its HQ in Gordon Close, was visited by Ofsted in June.
The report, published this week, rated it outstanding in behaviour and attitudes, with tutors offering “high quality, flexible learning opportunities which help [learners] to meet their own needs and goals.”
The report identified areas for FSUK to improve, including development of students’ awareness of the Prevent duty, effective measures of apprentices’ progress and specific targets for students’ education, health and care plans.
The inspectors carried out “deep dive” assessments into four areas from 14 to 17 June, including the maths and English courses, the mental health first aid course and the leadership course.
Luke Hardy, operations manager at FSUK said: “It was the first time FSUK has had a full inspection.
“I’m really proud of the process and our result. It was a massive team effort and all of the FSUK staff played their part.
“It has hopefully put our name on the map as one of the leading providers in adult learning in the city.”
Ofsted sent four inspectors due to the large number of adult learners, and its wide range of specialisms including apprenticeships as well as English and maths.
They also visited the apprentices on the leisure team member and duty manager courses in Medway, Kent.
FSUK’s last monitoring visit, which Ofsted gives to new publicly funded providers, was in 2021.
The monitoring visit identified that the team had made significant improvements to their effective safeguarding arrangements since they began training apprentices in 2019.
FSUK provides education and training to adults and apprentices and works with key local employers including Sussex and Surrey Police and the local NHS trust.
The training provider has almost doubled its staff since 2019, from eight to 18 including the hiring of Ukrainian English-speakers to help teach newly settled refugees in Brighton and Hove.
