Lite (Stockport) Limited

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Jackie Shopland-Reed Managing Director Lite (Stockport) Limited 23 Fletcher Street Stockport Cheshire SK1 1DY

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Short inspection of Lite (Stockport) Limited

Following the short inspection on 19 and 20 June 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The inspection was the first short inspection carried out since the provider was judged to be good in June 2015.

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Short inspection of Lite (Stockport) Limited

You and your staff have high ambitions for your apprentices and are passionate about their future employment prospects in the veterinary and animal-care sectors. Your tutors and assessors have a good knowledge of individual apprentices. They support them very effectively to develop the knowledge, skills and the confidence they require to work in animal-care settings.

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Short inspection of Lite (Stockport) Limited

You have made good progress towards eliminating the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. You have also developed aspects of your provision, for example by using social media to communicate with your apprentices. You have a clear understanding of the provision and are determined to ensure that it meets your high expectations.

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Short inspection of Lite (Stockport) Limited

You and your staff know the reasons that only around seven in every 10 apprentices completed by their planned end date in 2016/17. Your actions to improve completion times are not yet effective. In the current year, your data indicates that the improvement in the proportion of apprentices who are likely to complete by their planned end date is marginal. You recognised the developments that are required to improve the learning facilities in St Helens and are at an advanced stage of making these improvements.

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Short inspection of Lite (Stockport) Limited

You and your staff have ensured that policies and procedures to keep apprentices safe are up to date, fit for purpose and implemented appropriately. Staff are confident to report any incidents or safeguarding concerns. They work with external agencies effectively to reduce risks to apprentices, for example when an apprentice is at risk of becoming homeless.

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Short inspection of Lite (Stockport) Limited

Apprentices benefit from lessons, appropriate activities and useful discussions that extend their knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard themselves in different settings, for example, when using social media. Apprentices feel safe and know how to report their concerns. All staff are aware of their responsibility to protect apprentices from the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. However, assessors do not record apprentices’ knowledge and understanding of extremism and radicalisation during their reviews.

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Inspection findings

 You and your staff take effective action to ensure that good or better practices in teaching, learning and assessment are shared and implemented across the sites in Stockport and St Helens and between veterinary-nursing and animal- care apprenticeships. Your staff have increased significantly the range of resources for animal-care apprentices in the virtual learning environment. Animal-care apprentices use these resources effectively to enhance their learning.  Partnership working with employers is particularly effective. It ensures that most apprentices receive high-quality on-the-job training and develop good veterinary and animal-care skills. The booklet that your staff have developed for animal-care employers is excellent and supports employers in their delivery of good and effective training of their apprentices.  Veterinary-nursing apprentices receive high-quality on-the-job training from clinical coaches in veterinary practices. Clinical coaches work very effectively with

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Inspection findings

tutors to prepare apprentices for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ assessments. As a result, the proportion of apprentices who are successful in this assessment is high.  Tutors and assessors produce and use high-quality and relevant resources to stimulate apprentices’ interest in, and extend their understanding of, fair treatment, diversity and British values. In-depth and meaningful discussions and debates on topical ethical, political and social issues, such as Ramadan, the royal wedding, fly-tipping and General Data Protection Regulation, help to prepare apprentices for life and work in modern Britain.  Tutors and assessors are highly dedicated and responsive to apprentices’ pastoral and learning needs. They work collaboratively with apprentices’ employers to resolve any issues and remove barriers to apprentices’ success, for example when they experience personal difficulties.  Tutors use their good knowledge of veterinary nursing and animal care in lessons

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Inspection findings

to ensure that apprentices have a sound understanding of relevant aspects of veterinary and animal-care practices. Most tutors check apprentices’ understanding of key topics effectively, for example through questioning. As a result, apprentices, particularly veterinary-nursing apprentices, apply their theoretical knowledge to improve their clinical practice effectively. Apprentices who have significant experience within the sector prior to enrolment demonstrate good development of a wide range of new knowledge and skills as a result of their apprenticeship training.  A minority of tutors and assessors are not proficient in helping apprentices to develop their writing skills further. For example, they wrongly correct apprentices’ accurate use of apostrophes.  The assessors’ review of apprentices’ progress is not consistently good. Assessors visit apprentices regularly in their workplace to review their learning and set them

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Inspection findings

learning targets and tasks. The targets are not always sufficiently challenging to match the apprentices’ abilities and potentials; they merely relate to achievements of units of qualifications and their assessments rather than extending their knowledge and skills. Assessors use a wide range of documents to monitor apprentices’ progress. However, the complexity of the documents means that apprentices cannot always gain a clear understanding of their overall progress. For example, assessors use percentages as measures of apprentices’ overall progress on review documents, but other documents do not indicate the same percentages of progress. During review meetings, assessors’ checking of apprentices’ concerns about bullying and harassment at work is not specific enough and requires improvement.  In 2016/17, the proportion of veterinary-nursing and animal-care apprentices who completed their qualification successfully was high. However, the proportion

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Inspection findings

who completed by their planned end date was not high enough. This was because staff did not always use apprentices’ starting points and barriers to plan their programmes sufficiently. For example, apprentices, regardless of their ability and experience, were allocated the same length of time to complete their apprenticeships while a few needed a longer time to do so. In 2017/18, changes made to improve the proportion of apprentices who complete by their planned end date are not yet effective.  Apprentices receive appropriate impartial information, advice and guidance about their apprenticeship and progression opportunities. Most apprentices continue in their employment after they complete their programme. Many veterinary-nursing apprentices gain additional responsibilities, for example they become clinical coaches. Animal-care apprentices achieve their career plans, for example to gain experience in animal-care settings for a few years.

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Next steps for the provider

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the provider

 the proportion of apprentices who complete by their planned end date is increased as quickly as possible by ensuring that their starting points are used effectively to plan their learning and the length of their programme  reviews of apprentices’ learning and progress always provide apprentices with an accurate understanding of their progress. I am copying this letter to the Education and Skills Funding Agency. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

The inspection team consisted of one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one Ofsted Inspector. You assisted us in your role of nominee. We held discussions with you and members of your staff. We observed teaching and learning sessions at your venues and on employers’ premises and spoke to apprentices and employers. We inspected key documents, including those related to safeguarding, self-assessment, and quality assurance. We also scrutinised apprentices’ work and analysed achievement and progress data.

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