University of Staffordshire

Staffordshire University Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: William Baidoe-Ansah, HMI

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Type of provider: Higher education institution

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Address: University House Staffordshire University Leek Road Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2DF Monitoring visit: Staffordshire University, 14 January 2020

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Context and focus of visit

Staffordshire University was inspected in May 2019. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in addressing the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

All apprentices are taking standards-based apprenticeships. The university has 600 apprentices in total, of which 190 are currently enrolled on level 4 and level 5 apprenticeships. Of these, 112 are enrolled on healthcare apprenticeships. The focus of this visit is on the remaining 78 apprentices, as the areas for improvement at the previous inspection related to these programmes. Sixty-six are enrolled on management apprenticeships, seven are enrolled on business and five on information technology (IT) apprenticeships.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have taken decisive action to improve the quality of provision for management and IT apprentices since the previous inspection. Newly appointed staff have extensive experience of apprenticeships. They have reviewed and revised the delivery of programmes. They have made effective changes to initial assessment, progress reviews and feedback to apprentices. This is beginning to have a positive impact on the experience of apprentices. The initial assessment of apprentices is rigorous. For example, staff identify apprentices’ starting points precisely. They consider their background, barriers to learning, aptitude and expectations of the course. They also establish their existing knowledge, skills and behaviours and plan learning accordingly. Staff are beginning to use the findings of initial assessment to make learning more challenging and varied. However, it is too early to gauge the full impact of these changes.

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Reasonable progress

Progress reviews are more regular and meaningful. Employers contribute by evaluating apprentices’ application of knowledge and skills in the workplaces. All Monitoring visit: Staffordshire University, 14 January 2020 apprentices are making expected or better progress. Managers review and intervene to support those who are making slow progress. Staff have devised a more detailed template for providing structured feedback to apprentices. Most feedback is precise and developmental. As a result, apprentices are more confident and know how to produce higher standards of work. Apprentices have high aspirations. However, their progress towards achieving merits and distinctions is not consistently recorded in their learning plans. Staff and managers have made changes to the design of programmes in response to apprentices’ and employers’ feedback. This includes the order in which lecturers teach some modules. For example, a module on communication and self-awareness

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Reasonable progress

is now covered in a greater detail, and at an early stage of learning. This helps apprentices build on this knowledge in later modules. Lecturers now teach a finance module face-to-face over two days instead of one day, to ensure that apprentices have the secure knowledge to build on.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, governors have given the apprenticeship provision a much higher priority within the university. The university’s audit and risk committee has added apprenticeship provision to its risk register to monitor it more closely. Governors now receive a detailed dashboard on the performance of apprentices. They use the information they receive to challenge managers appropriately. As an example, in one meeting, governors received information on the frequency of progress reviews. They requested further information on the quality of the reviews carried out. This led to managers improving their monitoring of the quality of reviews. Since the previous inspection, governors have devised new key performance indicators (KPI). This allows governors to have a good overview of the numbers of learners staying on programme, and of timely completions. However, while monitored frequently, the KPIs are not very ambitious.

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Reasonable progress

Governors support the development of apprenticeship provision by ensuring that it is properly resourced. As a result, the university has recently appointed an associate dean for apprenticeships. Managers do not report enough on the quality of education. As a result, governors do not have a clear understanding of how well teaching enables apprentices to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to complete their programme. Monitoring visit: Staffordshire University, 14 January 2020

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Reasonable progress

Managers have improved the information employers and apprentices receive on the apprenticeship programme. The employer partnerships team has produced a new guide for employers. This clearly sets out expectations for them, including in relation to British values, diversity and the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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Reasonable progress

All apprentices receive a thorough induction which includes appropriate references to British values and diversity. Assessors reinforce these at the 12-weekly reviews. Managers have recently begun to evaluate the quality of these reviews. In business management reviews, safeguarding, fundamental British values and the ‘Prevent’ duty are discussed and recorded in detail. Assessors use prompts effectively to test, reinforce and extend apprentices’ understanding. As a result, these apprentices have a good understanding of safeguarding, diversity and the ‘Prevent duty within the context of their workplace. However, for the small number of IT apprentices there was little evidence of discussion or reinforcement of British values and the ‘Prevent’ duty in reviews. As a result, their understanding was less secure.

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Reasonable progress

Lecturers have had training on embedding British values and the ‘Prevent’ duty in the curriculum since the last inspection. As a result, there are increasing examples of these being well integrated into the curriculum. For example, in a primary research and ethics module, business apprentices were asked to consider how questions should be framed to take account of diversity, respect and tolerance. Monitoring visit: Staffordshire University, 14 January 2020 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

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Reasonable progress

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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