Seymour Davies Ltd

Seymour Davies Ltd Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Ruth Harrison HMI

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Inspection date(s): 12–13 September 2018

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: 12 Ramsay Court Hinchingbrooke Business Park Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE29 6FY Monitoring visit: Seymour Davies Ltd, 12–13 September 2018

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of a series of monitoring visits to a sample of new apprenticeship training providers that are funded through the apprenticeship levy. Ofsted’s intention to carry out monitoring visits to these new providers was first announced by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector in November 2017. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Seymour Davies Ltd has provided adult learning and apprenticeship training over a number of years as a subcontractor to a further education college and an independent learning provider. In 2017, the company gained registration to receive public funding for the delivery of training in its own right.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit the provider was working with 39 apprentices. Almost all are enrolled on the new standards apprenticeships. Most apprentices work in the care sector, and the majority are studying to achieve lead adult care worker or adult care worker apprenticeships. A few are enrolled on business administration apprenticeships. In addition, the company offers diploma and short courses funded through the adult education budget, predominantly to those working in the adult care sector.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a clear vision to provide high-quality apprenticeships and adult education courses to serve the adult care sector. They intend to create sustainable job outcomes and to enhance existing workers’ knowledge and skills. Leaders use their considerable previous experience of providing such provision, as a subcontractor, as a platform for managing their direct contract.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work effectively with employers to ensure that the training they offer meets employers’, apprentices’ and learners’ needs. They focus on developing programmes to reduce skills shortages and to further the careers of those working in the adult care sector. For example, residential managers who run homes for adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities study mental-health awareness to help them to identify symptoms of depression in their clients. As a result, they now have a greater understanding of local support services available to their clients.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices and adults enrol onto learning at the correct level and that they receive an effective induction to their studies. Consequently, most Monitoring visit: Seymour Davies Ltd, 12–13 September 2018 learners have realistic expectations of the commitment required for successful completion. Leaders and managers have developed sound processes that enable them to effectively monitor the progress of all apprentices and learners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their provision. They monitor some aspects of the provision and intervene appropriately to secure improvements. However, they have yet to secure sustainable and continual improvement in the quality of the provision. Staff who are new to the company do not receive sufficient training during their induction to ensure that they provide effective teaching and assessment to enable apprentices and learners to make rapid progress. Too many staff are not sufficiently aware of the outcomes of observations of their teaching and assessment or how they will be supported to rectify identified weaknesses and ensure that their practice improves.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices receive their on- and off-the-job learning entitlement. Where apprentices are taught by experienced staff, they make good progress in acquiring new knowledge, skills and behaviours. They are enthusiastic to learn and to make a positive contribution to their employers’ businesses. For example, some apprentices enrolled on business administration programmes seize opportunities to make their organisation’s invoicing and payment systems more efficient or devise revised processes to calculate the use of stationery and meeting room facilities.

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Reasonable progress

Most trainers enable their apprentices to develop good work-related knowledge, skills and behaviours. Most apprentices are visited regularly by their trainers. At progress reviews and assessments, most trainers ask searching questions that challenge apprentices effectively to deepen their knowledge and hone their industry-specific skills and behaviours.

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Reasonable progress

The majority of trainers provide incisive feedback that stimulates apprentices to improve their work. As a result, the majority of apprentices produce good standards of practical and written work. These apprentices fully understand what they need to complete and study to meet the demands of their end-points assessments. However, not enough trainers take their apprentices’ starting points into account when training and assessing them. Too many adopt a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that impedes the most-able apprentices from making more rapid progress. A few apprentices do not receive sufficient contact from their trainers or benefit from challenging progress reviews underpinned by precise targets that demand the very best of them. As a consequence, they do not know what they need to do to make good progress and achieve high grades. Monitoring visit: Seymour Davies Ltd, 12–13 September 2018 Leaders and managers place a high priority on the improving apprentices’ English

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Reasonable progress

and mathematical knowledge and skills. All apprentices undergo effective assessment to determine their starting points. Leaders ensure that apprentices in need of additional support receive individual tuition. As a result, they make good progress and achieve their functional skills qualifications, many at their first attempt. However, vocational trainers seldom promote these important skills and, as a result, too many apprentices do not make the progress of which they are capable. Not enough apprentices value the contribution that English and mathematics make to their job roles.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that most apprentices receive appropriate information, advice and guidance to help them make informed choices as to their next steps in achieving their career aspirations. A high proportion of apprentices have aspirations to secure promotion in their employers’ businesses.

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Reasonable progress

The majority of learners make good progress in improving their knowledge, skills and understanding relevant to their work settings. For example, learners studying dementia care demonstrate a greater understanding of the impact of environmental factors on dementia patients’ welfare. They can now articulate how they use their new knowledge to ensure that their clients are supported sensitively and appropriately in risk-free settings. Most learners are very enthusiastic to learn and are keen to improve their contributions in the workplace. However, too many learners do not make swift progress. They do not make the progress of which they are capable because trainers do not challenge them to deepen and consolidate their learning.

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Reasonable progress

In the majority of lessons, trainers provide stimulating tasks that motivate their learners to apply themselves fully and develop their higher-level thinking skills. Trainers build on most learners’ high levels of enthusiasm and keenness to improve by providing thought-provoking activities that spark further interest. This results in good gains in knowledge. Most learners, particularly those who speak English as an additional language, improve their understanding and use of technical vocabulary relevant to the care or business sectors.

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Reasonable progress

Some trainers do not provide demanding teaching and assessment to challenge their learners to extend their understanding and apply it in the workplace. They dominate lessons, rush through subject matter and do not provide learners with enough opportunities to think independently and arrive at solutions and answers. At times, these trainers move too swiftly from topic to topic without ensuring that their learners understand fully what has been taught. Monitoring visit: Seymour Davies Ltd, 12–13 September 2018 Most learners produce written work of a good standard because their trainers challenge them diligently to hone their knowledge, increase their understanding and improve their work. These trainers monitor the quality of their learners’ work assiduously and provide good prompts that motivate learners to reflect more deeply and write with clarity. However, some trainers do not promote high expectations.

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Reasonable progress

They are content that their learners work to achieve only the minimum standards in their qualifications. A few learners copy text from course handbooks without analysing the content critically and applying learning to their work roles and settings.

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Reasonable progress

Some trainers’ feedback is cursory and does not challenge their learners to reflect fully and excel in the work they produce. Not enough trainers ensure that their learners improve their writing skills sufficiently. These learners’ misspellings, poor structuring, and incorrect grammar and punctuation are seldom corrected. As a result, they continue to repeat errors. A few learners do not attend their lessons punctually.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers place a high priority on safeguarding arrangements, particularly those pertinent to apprentices and learners working in the care sector. They have established effective safeguarding policies and procedures which they review regularly.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that all staff receive training appropriate to their roles and responsibilities. Leaders keep an accurate up-to-date single central register and all relevant staff have appropriate enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Leaders ensure that learners and apprentices working in care homes are appropriately checked and authorised to work in such environments.

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Reasonable progress

Staff undertake appropriate ‘Prevent’ duty and ‘staying safe online’ training. They make good use of this training to ensure that apprentices and learners know what to do if they are worried about anybody’s safety or well-being and how to report any concerns they may have. Trainers ensure that learners and apprentices have a good awareness of the dangers associated with radicalisation and extremism and how these issues relate to their workplaces.

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Reasonable progress

Most trainers effectively promote the welfare and safety of learners and apprentices. However, a few trainers do not know which procedures to follow in the event of a fire or ensure that learners and apprentices register their attendance at the care homes where the learning sessions take place. Leaders ensured that this specific concern was rectified fully during the monitoring visit. Monitoring visit: Seymour Davies Ltd, 12–13 September 2018 the guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . Learner View Learner View is a website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too. To find out more go to

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Employer View Employer View is a website where employers can tell Ofsted what they think about their employees' college or provider. They can also see what other employers think about them too. To find out more go to www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to

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the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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