Jarrold & Sons Limited

Jarrold & Sons Ltd Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Gerard McGrath, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

St. James Mill 12-20 Whitefriars NR3 1SH Norwich Monitoring visit: Jarrold & Sons Ltd, 24-25 March 2021

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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

Jarrold & Sons Limited is an independent learning provider based in Norfolk. It provides apprenticeship programmes to levy-paying employers. At the time of the monitoring visit they had 16 apprentices in learning, all are aged 19+, and are working towards Level 3 standard qualifications in supervisor and team leader apprenticeships. Since the start of current government restrictions, all apprentices who work in the Civil Service work from home. Those in manufacturing roles work from home for part of their working week. All training is currently provided online.

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Context and focus of visit

All apprentices who work in the Civil Service were re-deployed or seconded outside of their substantive job roles for part of 2020. This is approximately half of all apprentices.

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Context and focus of visit

The impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) has been taken into account in the findings and progress judgements below.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders ensure that all aspects their provision meet the requirements of a successful apprenticeship programme. For example, they ensure that the curriculum matches closely to the business needs of the employers, including branches of the Civil Service and medical equipment manufacturers, as well as the development needs of apprentices. However, they have not yet ensured that quality improvement activities are used effectively to evaluate staff performance or inform staff development.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors involve apprentices’ workplace supervisors appropriately in monitoring and planning apprentices’ training. As a result, apprentices understand how their theory learning applies to their job roles and employers know what skills and knowledge Monitoring visit: Jarrold & Sons Ltd, 24-25 March 2021 they can help apprentices gain through their work-related activities. Tutors ensure that apprentices understand what they need to do to pass their final exams. Most apprentices achieve high grade passes.

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Reasonable progress

Governance arrangements are effective. An employer representative provides advice and challenge to the board. The managing director has a good working understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in the provision. However, additional expert support is needed to challenge the board to improve further the quality of the apprenticeship programme.

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Reasonable progress

Quality improvement activities are not used to evaluate staff performance or to support staff development planning. Tutors are unaware of how they could improve their teaching skills further. For example, tutors do not build on apprentices previous learning and experience when providing online teaching. Senior leaders have ensured that tutors who provide training and support are very well experienced in management and industrial production and that they have sufficient formal teaching qualifications. This enables tutors to provide effective one-to-one coaching and mentoring.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders did not ensure that apprentices continued to make good progress in their re-deployments during the national pandemic. Tutors did not successfully match the work apprentices were undertaking to their apprenticeship programme. Tutors are now working with managers closely to plan training effectively, so that the curriculum matches what the apprentices are doing at their workplace. Tutors communicate regularly with managers, to identify relevant workplace scenarios to include in their training sessions and help apprentices to catch up. Tutors receive regular feedback from managers on how apprentices apply their learning in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Managers ensure that apprentices receive a thorough initial assessment of their prior learning and skills. Tutors use these results to accurately identify the starting points of the apprentices and plan appropriate support to meet their learning needs.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors use effective strategies to stretch more able apprentices, based on their prior academic knowledge and experience. For example, tutors encourage apprentices with higher degrees to research specific topics, such as time management, in greater depth, and to then apply their findings in their workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop relevant and appropriate new knowledge, skills and behaviours throughout the programme and apply them in their work. For example, they apply their reflections on theories about emotional intelligence to better manage conflict Monitoring visit: Jarrold & Sons Ltd, 24-25 March 2021 within their team. Employers identify the business benefits arising from the programme.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices have a clear oversight of their potential career opportunities on completing their apprenticeship. Most have appropriate career plans in place.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors do not always provide sufficiently detailed feedback to apprentices. Those apprentices with lower previous academic attainment are not always helped to understand what they can do to improve further the quality of their written work.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders and managers have established a culture of safeguarding apprentices. They ensure that effective safeguarding processes are in place. They are well informed of all safeguarding issues through detailed verbal reports during their frequent meetings. Although formal records of safeguarding cases to date are insufficiently detailed. Recording of management actions are very brief.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and know how to report safeguarding incidents and concerns if needed. They can explore their understanding of how safeguarding relates to their everyday work activities via an online forum and when they review their learning with tutors.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead has a good overview of the very small number of ‘causes for concern’. They accurately identify the vulnerable apprentices, such as those who have previously been children looked after. Monitoring visit: Jarrold & Sons Ltd, 24-25 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 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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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