Securitas Security Services (UK) Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Securitas Security Services (UK) Limited Independent learning provider

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate Apprenticeships Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for learners Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings

 Leaders and managers have been too slow to deal with weaknesses identified at the monitoring visit. As a result, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and learner outcomes are inadequate.  Apprentices make inadequate progress. None has achieved their qualification.  Too few apprentices gain new knowledge and skills or develop appropriate occupational behaviours to achieve their learning goals or make progress at work.  Leaders and managers do not manage the apprenticeship provision effectively.  Apprentices receive insufficient training to develop new vocational skills.  Managers and assessors do not involve apprentices’ workplace managers sufficiently in planning and coordinating on- and off-the-job training.  Assessment practice is inadequate. Assessors do not check with apprentices that they are developing new knowledge and learning new skills.  Managers and assessors have failed to assess

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Summary of key findings

accurately apprentices’ starting points.  Leaders and managers do not have quality assurance processes in place to bring about improvement in the quality of the provision.  Apprentices do not receive appropriate impartial careers information, advice and guidance. As a result, many are on the wrong programme.  Too few apprentices achieve functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics.

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Summary of key findings

The provider has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings

 In recent months the new leaders and managers have started to improve the experience for the apprentices who remain on programme. Their actions are beginning to have a beneficial impact.  Apprentices are professional, courteous and respectful. The vast majority are developing their confidence in dealing with internal and external customers.  The majority of apprentices have a good awareness of diversity and know how to promote equality in the workplace.

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Information about the provider

 Securitas Security Services (UK) Limited (Securitas) is a large employer with around 10,000 staff. The company provides protective services to a wide range of employers across the UK.  At the time of the inspection, 270 apprentices, funded through the apprenticeship levy, were enrolled on a standards-based programme in customer service at level 2. All apprentices are employees of Securitas. They work in companies in finance and insurance, defence technology and national security, retail distribution, biopharmaceutical, and in universities, across the UK.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and managers should ensure that apprentices are developing new knowledge, skills and behaviours that will enhance their career prospects.  Leaders and managers should put in place effective quality assurance processes that will help them to monitor the quality of the provision and bring about improvements quickly.  Leaders and managers should improve the arrangements to determine apprentices’ starting points so that they can make sure that apprentices are appropriately selected for courses.  Leaders and managers should make sure that employees are given effective advice and guidance that will help them to make an informed choice about whether to enrol on the apprenticeship programme.  Leaders and managers should improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that it meets the needs of all apprentices and can support them to achieve their qualifications within the expected timescale.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and managers should improve the planning and coordination of on- and off-the- job training. Apprentices should be given enough time to complete the training and relate it properly to their job role.  Leaders and managers should improve the teaching and assessment of English and mathematical skills so that apprentices are able to apply any new skills in their work roles.  Leaders and managers should put in place impartial careers information, advice and guidance so that apprentices are informed fully about the career options available to them when they complete their programmes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders and managers have failed to deal with weaknesses identified at the monitoring visit. The newly restructured leadership and management team has made slow progress in improving the quality of the apprenticeship provision.  Poor leadership and management of the apprenticeship provision in the past year has resulted in large numbers of apprentices failing to achieve their qualifications. Most apprentices have made slow or no progress, and over a third have withdrawn from the apprenticeship programme since January.  Senior managers had not made themselves aware of the requirements of an apprenticeship programme until the appointment of a new learning and development manager at the end of last year. Until recently, assessors were trying to manage very large caseloads, did not understand how to support apprentices and spent too little time in the workplace. Assessors now benefit from smaller caseloads and meet with apprentices monthly, so that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

they can make better progress. Early indicators show that this is having a positive impact.  Leaders and managers have been slow to improve teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for apprentices. Managers do not use their evaluations of teaching, learning and assessment to plan staff development or training. They do not check whether assessors have dealt with the areas for improvement identified.  Managers do not take effective action where weaker practice is identified. Where managers do identify weaknesses, such as the recording of evidence or setting targets with apprentices, this has not resulted in sufficiently effective training or development.  Leaders’ and managers’ planning, application and monitoring of the provision are weak. Leaders and managers have not made sure that apprentices’ line managers and supervisors are committed and sufficiently involved in their apprentices’ training. As a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

result, too few line managers attend apprentices’ progress review meetings to make sure that they are able to support them to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours.  Managers and assessors do not involve employers and line managers sufficiently in the planning and coordination of on- and off-the-job training. There is no evidence that the off-the-job training that is recorded is relevant, or of good quality, or that apprentices can evaluate the benefit of it. Because of this, apprentices’ progress is slow.  Leaders’ and managers’ self-assessment of the quality of their provision does not focus on apprentices’ progress and outcomes and is not sufficiently evaluative. As a result, actions for improvement are not specific enough and do not have timescales and responsibility for completion. Leaders and managers are not able to measure improvement.  Apprentices do not develop and improve their English and mathematical skills beyond

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

what is required to achieve qualifications in functional skills. Leaders and managers do not have a clear English and mathematics strategy. As a result, managers and assessors do not focus sufficiently on developing apprentices’ skills further.  Since January of this year, leaders’ and managers’ interventions have started to improve the learning experience of the apprentices who remain on programme. However, nearly two thirds of those who started the programme have left early.

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The governance of the provider

 Leaders and managers have recently introduced suitable governance arrangements for the organisation. Because of this, leaders and managers now receive constructive challenge and scrutiny and are held accountable for the quality of training.  Governors can demonstrate that they have a clear oversight of the strengths and weaknesses within the training programme. They have worked closely with other providers to understand how to challenge and scrutinise documents and data. Managers provide detailed reports that governors use effectively to challenge improvements and the pace of change.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Apprentices are safe and feel safe. They demonstrate and adhere to safe working practices in learning sessions and in the workplace. Apprentices know how to keep themselves safe and to whom they should report any safeguarding concerns. The large majority of apprentices are aware of how to protect themselves from the dangers associated with radicalisation and extremism.  Managers make appropriate recruitment checks before employing new staff and check thoroughly the suitability of individuals to work in the security company. All staff complete safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty training so that they are clear about their responsibilities and know how to keep apprentices safe. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns. The designated safeguarding lead is suitably trained and provides appropriate support to staff and apprentices.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Managers’ and assessors’ planning for learning is inadequate. Not all assessors adequately plan and structure sessions to meet apprentices’ individual learning needs so that they make the most appropriate and rapid progress. Assessors do not prioritise and target support to ensure that apprentices develop a balance of knowledge, skills and behaviours. As a result, the vast majority of apprentices make slow progress towards completing their apprenticeship.  Assessors have limited teaching experience. Not all assessors have the expertise or experience to use an appropriate range of skills and strategies to successfully deliver high-quality learning. As a result, apprentices make slow or no progress towards achieving the required components of the apprenticeship programme.  Assessment practice is inadequate. Assessors do not check that apprentices are learning new knowledge and developing new skills and that they can apply these sufficiently well

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

in the workplace. Assessors do not routinely set targets, between assessment visits, to guide apprentices through small chunks of learning or to help them develop new skills. As a result, apprentices are not supported to make continual or more rapid progress.  Assessors do not involve line managers sufficiently in planning and reviewing learning. As a result, many line managers do not understand the priorities and requirements of the apprenticeship. Line managers are unaware of the time allowed to complete programme components and the need for the development of substantial new vocational knowledge, skills and behaviours.  Assessors do not make enough use of apprentices’ initial assessment results for English and mathematics to inform the further development of these skills from their starting points. As a result, apprentices are not improving their English and mathematical skills in the context of customer service, to help them progress in their job roles and future

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

careers.  The vast majority of assessors fail to develop apprentices’ reflective and independent thinking skills. A very few assessors use coaching skills effectively to develop apprentices’ reflective skills and independent thinking. As a result, small numbers of apprentices participate well in professional discussions and when responding to questions asked by the assessor.  Apprentices develop improved communication skills. They develop increased confidence to deal face to face with customers more effectively than before joining the programme. A minority of apprentices can also apply improved written skills to increase their professionalism when constructing formal written documents for their managers, such as incident reports.  Apprentices benefit from assessors’ appropriate vocational working experience. They appreciate the fact that their assessor understands the nature of their work and the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

operational demands of the businesses within which they work. For example, apprentices working as security officers in a goods distribution centre and those in banking premises have changing shift patterns. The assessors helpfully arrange assessment visits at times to suit both the apprentice and the employer.  Apprentices benefit from working in highly professional environments in a wide range of companies and organisations. Here they are exposed to a wide range of security and customer service functions as part of their job roles.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

 Apprentices do not receive appropriate impartial careers advice and guidance. As a result, the vast majority are unable to make informed choices about the next stage in their career. A significant proportion of apprentices do not know what options might be open to them if they achieve the apprenticeship, and do not have a clear career pathway.  Assessors do not develop the vast majority of apprentices’ English and mathematical skills beyond what is required to pass a functional skills test. As a result, apprentices do not learn how to contextualise the skills they are learning or use them effectively in their job roles. Assessors do not extend the skills of apprentices who hold higher-level qualifications in English and mathematics. Consequently, apprentices do not appreciate the importance of these skills in developing their career.  Most apprentices who remain on programme have a good attitude to their learning and

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

can see the relevance of the apprenticeship to their current job role. A minority of apprentices remain unconvinced by the relevance of the qualification to them now or in the future, and as a result they have less positive attitudes.  A large minority of apprentices complete additional activities and courses, for example in protective security, first aid and health and safety, to support them in their work, which makes them more employable.  Apprentices are professional, courteous and respectful. The vast majority develop their confidence in dealing with internal and external customers. As a result, apprentices are better able to deal with challenging situations and manage difficult conversations.  The majority of apprentices have a good awareness of diversity and know how to promote equality in the workplace. Apprentices can relate their learning in these areas to their job roles and can give good examples of where they have used their knowledge

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

effectively to sensitively support customers from different backgrounds and with different beliefs.

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Outcomes for learners Inadequate

 Apprentices make inadequate progress, and none has achieved their apprenticeship. Almost two thirds of apprentices have withdrawn from the programme early. Of those that remain on the programme, a further third have already passed their expected completion date.  Too few apprentices gain substantial new vocational knowledge and skills. Too few develop appropriate occupational behaviours to achieve their learning goals or make progress at work.  Managers and assessors have failed to assess apprentices’ starting points accurately or provide effective initial information, advice and guidance. As a result, too many apprentices are on programmes that do not meet their needs. Too many apprentices find the programme too difficult, and a few with higher-level qualifications find it too easy. Because of this, apprentices fall behind with their work and are unlikely to achieve or they become demotivated.  Despite some improvements, too few apprentices achieve their functional skills

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Outcomes for learners Inadequate

qualifications in English and mathematics.

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year Director Grainne Kelly

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships) 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

- - - - - - - - Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age Intermediate Advanced Higher

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ - 270 - - - - Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total - - - Number of learners aged 14 to -

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Number of learners for which the provider receives high- needs funding -

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors: -

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the learning and development manager, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous monitoring visit report. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

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Inspection team

Judy Lye-Forster, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Christine Blowman Ofsted Inspector 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 .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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