Rove Limited

Name of lead inspector: Andrea Shepherd, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

A6 Kingfisher House Kingsway Team Valley Trading Estate Gateshead NE11 0JQ Monitoring visit: Rove Limited, 9–10 March 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Rove Limited received a new provider monitoring visit in February 2019. At that time, inspectors made progress judgements under three themes.

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit focused on the extent to which leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to provide education and training in the current circumstances. It was undertaken as outlined in the operational note on visits carried out from January 2021 and with reference to the further education and skills handbook.

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Context and focus of visit

These visits are to help learners, parents, employers and government understand how providers are meeting the needs of learners in this period, including those with high needs and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Context and focus of visit

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, inspectors carried out this monitoring activity remotely. As a result, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would be the case during an on-site inspection. Therefore, this report provides a more limited level of assurance.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgement below. Inspectors did not evaluate leaders’ response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer of 2020, when the provider was not open to all learners and there were no national expectations regarding remote education.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and tutors do not work well enough with apprentices’ managers to plan a curriculum that provides meaningful integration of on- and off-the-job training. Leaders create a learning plan for each apprentice. This includes an allocation of off- the-job learning hours for apprentices to write assignments, attend online classes, and carry out activities in workbooks for the completion of taught units. However, leaders and tutors do not identify time for apprentices to complete tasks in the workplace. They rely solely on apprentices’ written work to identify the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices develop, and do not take enough account of feedback from the employer. As a result, leaders and tutors are not able to identify Monitoring visit: Rove Limited, 9–10 March 2021 adequately the extent to which apprentices develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours in the workplace .

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and tutors do not use apprentices’ starting points well enough to plan programmes that meet the needs of individual apprentices. They ask apprentices to rate their expertise and confidence when they apply to join the programme, but do not use this information to plan learning that helps apprentices to develop significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours. For too many business administration apprentices who are existing employees, the apprenticeship merely confirms and accredits knowledge, skills and behaviours that they already have.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders carefully monitor apprentices’ submission of work, and have implemented a system for apprentices to record their off-the-job training. However, they do not use this information quickly enough to intervene when apprentices do not receive the off- the-job training to which they are entitled. This means that too many apprentices studying the level 4 business administration framework do not get enough time away from their job role to complete their off-the-job training.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders provide employers with helpful reports that identify apprentices’ progress towards the completion of their programme. They inform employers when apprentices do not submit their work on time. Employers identify positive action to help apprentices, such as allowing them to work in different departments when they struggle to complete their programme while working from home. However, the support that apprentices receive to catch up is often not provided quickly enough. As a result, too many apprentices make slow progress.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors provide apprentices with comprehensive feedback on what they have done well in their written work. When apprentices have not met the required standard, tutors provide useful guidance on how their work can be improved. However, tutors do not routinely provide apprentices with advice on how strong assignments could be even better.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and tutors continue to adapt their practices as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Tutors have moved to a remote teaching model as a result of not being able to attend employers’ premises due to COVID-19 restrictions. Tutors deliver live teaching sessions to groups of apprentices and provide workbook-based activities. Apprentices benefit from effective tutor and peer support during the online learning sessions. Tutors of functional skills mathematics skilfully support apprentices to work together to correctly answer increasingly complex questions on mean, median and mode.

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Insufficient progress

During the pandemic, leaders have supplied additional information and guidance to support apprentices to look after their mental health. Leaders provide links to specific sources of support, put regular articles in the newsletter, and check on apprentices’ well-being during reviews and welfare calls. Leaders consider that, as a result, they have a better understanding of apprentices’ personal circumstances. Monitoring visit: Rove Limited, 9–10 March 2021 Since the previous monitoring visit, leaders have taken meaningful steps to increase apprentices’ knowledge of how to keep themselves safe. Apprentices complete online training at the start of their programme that includes topics such as radicalisation and online safety. Leaders now ask apprentices further questions in their reviews throughout the programme to check their understanding. Apprentices studying the level 3 business administration standard recall learning about perceptions of

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Insufficient progress

Leaders work well with employers, at a strategic level, to identify apprenticeship programmes that meet employers’ business needs. Employers value the way that leaders involve them in the selection of new apprenticeship standards to replace the business administration frameworks. Leaders support employers to match apprenticeship standards to the specific workplace knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers require.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Insufficient progress

 work more closely with apprentices’ managers to plan a well-coordinated programme of on- and off-the-job training for apprentices  make better use of the information that they have about apprentices’ starting points to plan programmes that meet the needs of individual apprentices  ensure that they provide swift support for apprentices who fall behind so that they can catch up quickly. Monitoring visit: Rove Limited, 9–10 March 2021 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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Insufficient progress

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

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Insufficient 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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