His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

Name of lead inspector: Jonny Wright, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection date(s): 26–27 September 2019

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Address:

Langley House Benton Park View Newcastle upon Tyne NE98 1ZZ Monitoring visit: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, 26–27 September 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 ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) began to deliver apprenticeships in October 2017. At the time of the monitoring visit, 434 apprentices were on level 4 standards-based apprenticeships in professional accounting/taxation technician. HMRC works with apprentices in centres across the country.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for delivering professional tax apprenticeships. They respond to the demand for taxation professionals within HMRC by providing apprenticeships that develop the relevant skills and knowledge of staff who are recruited to programmes both internally and externally.

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Reasonable progress

Managers ensure that apprentices are recruited into the right programme. They check apprentices’ prior knowledge effectively in order to ensure that apprentices are able to complete and benefit from a level 4 apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers make sure that staffing resources are appropriate to deliver apprenticeships. Tutors and assessors have good industry experience and are appropriately trained to carry out training and assessments.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have established good arrangements to assure the quality of apprenticeship delivery. They accurately identify weaknesses and take prompt actions to make improvements that benefit apprentices. For example, managers designed a skills checker to identify apprentices’ starting points more accurately.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and tutors provide apprentices with an effectively planned and sequenced curriculum that is clearly linked to the apprenticeship standard and to the apprentices’ job role. Apprentices benefit from carefully planned off-the-job training that enables them to apply and practise their newly acquired skills in the workplace. Monitoring visit: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, 26–27 September 2019 Managers ensure that apprentices develop the English and mathematics skills that they need in their job role. Apprentices improve their report writing and mathematical skills to professional standards, with support from their manager. Managers make sure that tutors successfully support apprentices who need to gain English and mathematics qualifications. Apprentices follow learning programmes that help them to improve their skills in these subjects, and most apprentices pass their examinations at the first attempt.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have sufficient oversight of the progress that individual apprentices make. If apprentices fall behind, managers ensure that they receive support to improve. However, managers do not pay sufficient attention to the progress of the whole cohort of apprentices. This impedes their ability to develop the curriculum in response to an evaluation of how apprentices are progressing.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours. Mentors provide good on-the-job training that enables apprentices to develop knowledge, skills and behaviours that are relevant to their job roles. For example, apprentices improve their communication and teamworking skills.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors ensure that apprentices develop their English and mathematical skills throughout their programmes. Consequently, apprentices produce accurate reports and carry out complex tax calculations confidently.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from a wide range of teaching strategies that help them to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours. For example, they attend classes, access e-learning, shadow colleagues in the workplace and carry out self-study.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors carefully plan a curriculum that ensures that apprentices swiftly develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours. This enables apprentices to build on their previous experience and apply their knowledge and skills more effectively. For example, apprentices know how to check tax returns, how to undertake investigations and how to ask the most effective questions when interviewing a client.

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Reasonable progress

Assessors provide helpful guidance and support that motivates apprentices well. Apprentices have frequent meetings with their assessors to review the progress that they make and to help them to catch up if they fall behind. As a result, most apprentices are on target to complete their programmes within the planned timescale. Monitoring visit: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, 26–27 September 2019 Managers and assessors prepare apprentices for end-point assessment well. They provide a well-planned programme, including awareness raising, practice assessments and revision. Consequently, apprentices understand the arrangements for end-point assessment and how they need to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and assessors do not use the outcomes of the assessment of apprentices’ starting points well enough to address gaps in knowledge, skills and behaviours. All apprentices have the same length of stay on the programme. As a result, a few apprentices are not challenged to achieve their potential.

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Reasonable progress

Managers ensure that policies, procedures and reporting mechanisms are in place to keep apprentices safe. Where safeguarding issues arise, managers take quick and clear actions to keep apprentices safe.

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Reasonable progress

The national safeguarding lead and regional designated safeguarding officers (DSOs) are experienced and appropriately trained. All staff and apprentices are trained in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that staff undergo thorough background checks to ensure that they are suitable to work with apprentices, including a civil service security check.

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Reasonable progress

The national safeguarding lead accesses national information regarding safeguarding, radicalisation and extremism risks and cascades this to regional DSOs. However, local risks in different parts of the country are not consistently communicated to apprentices by DSOs.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from a helpful online safeguarding portal where they can improve their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding, radicalisation and extremism. Consequently, apprentices feel safe and know how to report issues should they arise. Monitoring visit: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, 26–27 September 2019 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.

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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