The Sandwell Community Caring Trust

Sandwell Community Caring Trust Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Harmesh Manghra HMI

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Address:

West Plaza 144 High Street West Bromwich B70 6JJ Monitoring visit: Sandwell Community Caring Trust, 16-17 January 2019

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Context and focus of visit

From October 2018, Ofsted undertook to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision which began to be funded from April 2017 or after by ESFA and/or the apprenticeship levy. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the Further education and skills inspection handbook, especially the sections entitled ‘Providers newly directly funded to deliver apprenticeship training provision’ and ‘Monitoring visits’. The focus of these visits is on the three themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Sandwell Community Caring Trust (SCCT) employs around 600 staff, who provide care services to the elderly and those with learning and physical disabilities in Sandwell and the surrounding area. SCCT is a social enterprise and a registered charity. SCCT Training is a division of the trust that provides training and development for staff, both existing and new, in the health and social care field. After gaining approval from ESFA to run apprenticeships in July 2017, SCCT Training has been providing learning to apprentices at levels 2 and 3. Of the 16 apprentices in learning, nine are on frameworks, and the rest are on standards-based apprenticeships. Eight apprentices are on level 3 programmes, and the others are on level 2 apprenticeships, including one apprentice in business administration. From its head office, managers provide off-the-job training through a number of self- employed trainers. The apprenticeship team is based at the Sandwell Valley School.

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Context and focus of visit

This is an independent school for hard-to-reach young people, those excluded or at risk of exclusion, and new arrivals to the country. The principal of the school is responsible for the delivery of apprenticeships supported by an apprenticeship manager, a part-time assessor, and several staff from the school.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers did not fully appreciate the challenges of setting up as a new training provider. The trust had useful experience of working as a subcontractor for five years with a Midlands-based consortium of training providers. Senior leaders of the trust and the principal did not fully evaluate the skills and capacity of their staff to enable SCCT Training to establish itself as a successful provider of high-quality learning. Staff replicated most of the training processes relevant to their former status as a subcontractor, without having a due regard to their new responsibilities as a prime contract holder. Senior leaders put too much faith in the ability of their staff to adapt to the new responsibilities and did not check the quality of training delivery. Monitoring visit: Sandwell Community Caring Trust, 16-17 January 2019 Performance management is weak. Senior leaders do not hold staff to account and

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Insufficient progress

do not check the quality of their work with apprentices. The staff job descriptions are vague and do not reflect their changed job roles and responsibilities. Managers do not have a clear and accurate overview of the progress of their apprentices. Apprentices make slow progress. Managers’ claim that more than 80% of their apprentices would complete their framework/standards within planned timescales is not based on reliable evidence.

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Insufficient progress

Governance is weak. Senior leaders use an informal approach to check the delivery of the apprenticeship provision. Senior leaders of the trust do not seek written reports on the performance of the apprenticeship provision, including any issues such as staffing or quality assurance. They were not fully aware of the scale of the poor practice.

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Insufficient progress

SCCT do not have a sufficient number of experienced and well-qualified staff to ensure that they provide high-quality training to apprentices. For example, the team has lost two members of staff in the last six months, including the quality coordinator. No one has checked the quality of progress reviews and the progress of apprentices. Senior leaders have not filled these vacancies, although in recent weeks a new team member with substantial experience and skills has joined the workforce.

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Insufficient progress

Senior leaders and managers do not routinely promote the requirement to provide the full off-the-job training to apprentices and their employers. A few employers are not aware whether their apprentices are undertaking an apprenticeship programme. Senior leaders have not provided clear guidance about what constitutes off-the-job training. As a result, managers do not monitor apprentices’ off-the-job training, and apprentices are not aware of their right to paid study time for training. A few apprentices complete their studies in their own time. However, all apprentices attend frequently well-planned workshop sessions for English and mathematics in Sandwell Valley School as well as all mandatory training at the trust’s offices.

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Insufficient progress

The arrangements for quality assurance are weak. Observers undertake frequent observations of staff interactions with apprentices at various stages such as induction, teaching, progress and exit reviews. The observers use a tick-box approach to check whether staff have completed certain activities. The purpose of these observations is unclear, since managers do not identify any improvements that staff should make that will benefit their apprentices. The evidence of the ongoing professional development of staff in coaching and teaching skills is slight.

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Insufficient progress

Internal quality assurance is ineffective. For example, internal verifiers do not identify assessors’ poor practice. Managers did not provide any evidence of external verifier reports. The standard of apprentices’ written work is poor and limits their ability to carry out their job roles to the highest levels. However, senior leaders observe the quality of external training and respond effectively to weaknesses that employers or apprentices identify. Monitoring visit: Sandwell Community Caring Trust, 16-17 January 2019 In recent weeks, managers have finalised the arrangements for the end-point assessment of standards-based apprentices. Managers have gone beyond their own deadline to establish this arrangement. Consequently, they have not made apprentices and their employers aware of the impending assessment arrangements. Apprentices who are to take their assessment soon have not had adequate time to

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Insufficient progress

Senior leaders have ensured that school staff provide effective tuition and support in English and mathematics. As a result, apprentices who need qualifications in these subjects, to complete their apprenticeship programme, achieve them. Many apprentices use helpful online learning resources in English and mathematics and other mandatory training to enhance their knowledge. Apprentices use a valuable care diploma booklet that contains essential knowledge for care workers.

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Insufficient progress

Senior leaders ensure that they employ only apprentices who are fully committed to care work. For example, before apprentices start work, leaders require them to undertake 30 hours of voluntary work to demonstrate their interest and commitment. Staff recruit apprentices in consultation with employers. Apprentices are aware of their next steps in learning or in their careers.

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Insufficient progress

Staff do not conduct a thorough initial assessment to identify apprentices’ existing knowledge, skills and behaviours, since many of them have been working in care for a long time. For example, over half of the apprentices have worked in the care sector for three years or more. Apprentices and staff are unable to quantify what new knowledge, skills and behaviours apprentices have developed and what value the apprenticeship programme adds to apprentices’ careers.

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Insufficient progress

The standard of apprentices’ written work is low for the level of study, both at levels 2 and 3. Staff do not set clear expectations for apprentices’ assignments. For example, in an assignment on communication, a level 3 apprentice did not mention written communication.

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Insufficient progress

Staff do not provide effective feedback to apprentices on their written work. Their marking is often just a tick. Staff do not comment on the quality of the work that apprentices produce and often accept a poor standard of work. As a result, apprentices are unclear about the quality and standards of their work.

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Insufficient progress

The quality of progress reviews and subsequent target-setting is weak. Staff conduct progress reviews frequently with apprentices and, in a few cases, with employers, to assess apprentices’ overall progress. However, they do not set precise and measurable objectives for apprentices. All objectives are very general and too imprecise to enable staff to establish apprentices’ progress. For example, many Monitoring visit: Sandwell Community Caring Trust, 16-17 January 2019 progress reviews have identical comments for different apprentices, such as ‘continue to improve letter writing and fractions’. These comments recur over several months.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices use their English and mathematical skills well in the workplace to carry out their duties. For example, they record their residents’ daily logs accurately, including fluid intake and medicine administration records. Apprentices do not develop their digital skills to an appropriate level. Several of the apprentices, particularly mature apprentices, are not confident in using information technology.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices enjoy their programmes of study and work alongside experienced colleagues. Employers support apprentices well through mentoring and pairing them with more experienced workers. This helps apprentices to enhance their skills, confidence and communication skills.

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Insufficient progress

A few of the apprentices develop new knowledge and skills or refresh their knowledge. For example, apprentices improve their care practice by making better use of care plans and understanding the implications of relevant legislation, infection control, and administering medication.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices provide a good standard of care to residents and clients using good levels of empathy and sensitivity. They display professional standards of practical care, including appropriate attitudes and behaviours. For example, a young apprentice, while working in a care home for the elderly who have dementia, took great care to know the background of her residents. She used quizzes to stimulate their memories.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices develop a sound understanding of the principles of equality and diversity. They provide effective person-centred care, bearing in mind the diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints. Apprentices respect residents’ views and learn how to improve their personal skills, based on their experiences.

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Reasonable progress

Safeguarding is very high on the agenda of the SCCT, school and governors. The culture of safeguarding permeates through the school and the employers’ workforce. Leaders reflect safeguarding well in the trust’s values.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders conduct thorough background checks on staff, their identity and their right to work, to ensure that only suitable staff work with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

The school principal and her deputy take responsibility for safeguarding. The designated safeguarding officer and her deputy have sound knowledge that they frequently update. They have highly effective links with all the relevant agencies. Monitoring visit: Sandwell Community Caring Trust, 16-17 January 2019 Managers conduct thorough investigations of incidents and take appropriate steps to ensure that apprentices learn in a safe environment.

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Reasonable progress

Staff attend relevant training to stay abreast of the developing and expanding field of safeguarding. For example, staff have an up-to-date understanding of topics including the ‘Prevent’ duty, extremism, radicalisation, gangs, knife crime, drugs, female genital mutilation, grooming, cyber bullying, and harassment.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop their knowledge of the above topics through induction training and by completing a useful online programme. Apprentices use their knowledge to protect themselves. They use safe working practices, such as using hoists to lift the residents, and know how to look after them if they have a fall.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and work in safe environment. Lone workers know how to keep themselves safe and take appropriate precautions.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices recognise that deprivation of personal liberty of the residents is a safeguarding matter. They use this knowledge to put health and safety, including residents’ physical and mental well-being, at the heart of all the care they provide. Monitoring visit: Sandwell Community Caring Trust, 16-17 January 2019 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 www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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 children looked after, 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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Reasonable progress

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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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