Inspire Middlesex College Ltd

Inspire Middlesex College Ltd Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Steve Lambert, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

4-5 Neals Corner 2 Bath Road Hounslow TW3 3HJ Monitoring visit: Inspire Middlesex College Ltd, 23–24 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

Inspire Middlesex College Ltd is a training organisation based in west London. They specialise in teaching pharmacy apprenticeships for chemists in the local area. Having previously been a subcontractor, the provider started training apprentices under its own contract in 2020. At the time of this monitoring visit 80 apprentices are on level 2 or 3 standards-based apprenticeships. Due to national restrictions leaders and managers moved training sessions and reviews to be carried out remotely

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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

Leaders have an appropriate rationale for providing pharmacy assistant and pharmacy technician apprenticeships to individuals wanting to work in chemists. They have taken care only to offer apprenticeships in the sector in which they have the experience to offer high-quality training. They consult effectively with employers to ensure that the curriculum remains relevant to changing professional practices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work effectively with local chemists to recruit potential apprentices. Staff and employers carry out thorough interviews with apprentices to make sure they are suited to the programme. They make good use of their assessment of apprentices’ existing knowledge and experience to plan an apprenticeship that is pertinent to each individual. Apprentices are new in their roles and learn substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours from their training sessions, which they apply and improve upon in their job roles. Employers value the contribution of apprentices in the workplace. They report that they make their existing employees demonstrate good practice and consistently work to a high standard. Monitoring visit: Inspire Middlesex College Ltd, 23–24 March 2021 Leaders have recruited tutors who have considerable experience in the pharmaceutical sector. They provide effective staff development so that tutors are up

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Reasonable progress

to date, for example in their knowledge of medicines. However, they do not have an effective enough process for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. Consequently, leaders do not support tutors well enough to make further improvements in the quality of training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have worked with employers to ensure that they are fully aware of the expectations of employing an apprentice. Apprentices all receive one day per week to attend lessons and complete their work. Through regular contact with the apprentices’ employer, leaders and managers jointly plan the apprentices’ learning, so that they can work with more independence as their skills develop.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors sequence the curriculum in a logical order. They teach topics that build on each other and become more complex as the weeks go on. For example, apprentices first learn about the treatment of common ailments, such as verrucas, before moving onto increasing complex topics, culminating in knowledge of medications to treat conditions such as cardiovascular illnesses. This knowledge has also contributed to apprentices being able to better manage their own health.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices are highly motivated and value the opportunity to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours that are relevant to their job roles. Tutors help apprentices develop their knowledge specifically as it relates to their job. For example, apprentices speak positively about the skills they gain in helping patients manage their conditions and how to prepare medicine for dispensing. At work, employers ensure that apprentices develop suitable behaviours, for example in customer service when working at shop counters, as well as practising their dispensing skills.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors question apprentices effectively on their learning from previous sessions to check they understand topics and correct any misunderstandings they may have. When apprentices struggle to understand topics in preparation for their examinations, tutors offer additional support and revision sessions. As a result, apprentices quickly gain the knowledge they need.

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Reasonable progress

When assessing apprentices’ work, tutors identify where apprentices have made mistakes and correct these. Apprentices mostly receive feedback that helps them to improve their work further. However, at times where apprentices make errors, assessors do not make sufficiently clear why an answer was incorrect and apprentices do not always understand what they need to do to improve their work. Monitoring visit: Inspire Middlesex College Ltd, 23–24 March 2021 Tutors do not provide apprentices with sufficient support to improve their knowledge and use of English and mathematics. Apprentices are reliant on the limited resources available to them. As a result, they are slow in developing further their skills in these subjects.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers ensure that safeguarding arrangements are effective. They have suitable policies in place, including in relation to the ‘Prevent’ duty, which they review frequently. Leaders have put in place staff who are suitably trained to oversee and manage safeguarding, and apprentices have access to support when needed. Through their recruitment process, leaders ensure that staff are safe to work with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices receive appropriate safeguarding information from their employer, and through the unit they study on safeguarding. For example, apprentices are aware of action they should take if a customer requests an excessive supply of certain medications.

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Reasonable progress

While apprentices that inspectors spoke with say they feel safe, tutors do not check in enough detail apprentices’ knowledge of safeguarding during reviews. Too often, tutors only check whether there have been any safeguarding incidents at work, rather than an apprentice’s understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Monitoring visit: Inspire Middlesex College Ltd, 23–24 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

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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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