Parkdean Resorts UK Limited

Parkdean Resorts UK Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Cath Jackson, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Address:

1 Gosforth Park Way Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8ET Monitoring visit: Parkdean Resorts UK Limited, 21–22 April 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

Parkdean Resorts UK Limited began to provide apprenticeships to its own employees from January 2020. Currently, the company has five apprentices on standards-based programmes in hospitality team member at level 2, customer service practitioner at level 2, and business administrator at level 3. Apprentices work either in the company’s head office or in holiday parks across the country. All apprentices are over the age of 18.

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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 a clear rationale for the apprenticeship programmes that they provide. Their strategy is to build on the company’s experience in the hospitality industry and meet the demand for skilled staff in holiday park settings.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders acted swiftly to protect apprentices’ jobs when some work roles were made redundant due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apprentices secured new roles in areas of the business which interested them, and which have allowed them to continue their training.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that training officers and line managers provide apprentices with training that develops the skills and behaviours that they need to carry out their job roles and achieve their apprenticeship standards. Managers and training officers benefit from training to update and maintain their professional and vocational knowledge and skills. Training officers hold suitable teaching qualifications, and managers with responsibility for assuring the quality of apprenticeships have appropriate qualifications and experience. Monitoring visit: Parkdean Resorts UK Limited, 21–22 April 2021 Managers use information about apprentices’ starting points to ensure that apprentices are on the most appropriate programme for their job role and their development needs. Staff accurately identify gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and skills at the start of the programmes and devise a logically sequenced plan of learning for each apprentice.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers maintain appropriate oversight of the progress that apprentices are making. Training officers monitor their apprentices’ development and report any concerns to managers. Where apprentices have fallen behind, for example, due to the impact of COVID-19 or breaks in learning, managers ensure that training officers help apprentices to catch up.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices receive their full entitlement to time for off-the-job training. However, managers and training officers do not evaluate closely enough the quality of apprentices’ off-the-job training. In a few cases, staff do not prepare apprentices well enough for what they need to do, and apprentices do not make the best use of their study time.

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Reasonable progress

Line managers provide high quality on-the-job training to apprentices in holiday parks and at the head office. Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge, skills, and behaviours as a result of this training. Business administration apprentices use their new knowledge and skills to plan effective social media campaigns, and hospitality team member apprentices train colleagues in reception skills. Apprentices become effective and valued employees and take on extra responsibilities.

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Reasonable progress

Training officers ensure that apprentices benefit from workplace experiences that enable them to meet the requirements of their apprenticeship standard. Training officers liaise closely with line managers to make sure that hospitality team member apprentices have an appropriate balance of customer-facing work and administration tasks.

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Reasonable progress

Training officers check how well apprentices can relate their new knowledge to their job roles and workplaces. They accurately identify any emerging gaps in apprentices’ understanding and skills. Training officers inform line managers promptly about any issues and set actions for apprentices to take if they fall behind.

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Reasonable progress

Staff train apprentices to use the digital skills that they need for the apprenticeship and their job roles. This enables apprentices to become adept in using their employer’s systems. Staff help apprentices to improve their communication skills. For example, hospitality team member apprentices develop their confidence in dealing with the public, such as when greeting customers as they check in to holiday parks. Customer service practitioner apprentices learn how to adapt communication to different audiences through, for example, composing accurate and professional emails to customers and less Monitoring visit: Parkdean Resorts UK Limited, 21–22 April 2021 formal emails to colleagues. Training officers are less effective at helping apprentices to develop their knowledge and skills in mathematics.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices produce work that meets the level required for their qualification and a few apprentices exceed that level. Training officers encourage apprentices to undertake independent research to develop their knowledge. However, a few apprentices lack the study skills that they need for independent research, and struggle to link their findings to their job roles.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and staff promote a culture of working safely across the organisation. Managers ensure that safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and that staff and apprentices are aware of these.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead and designated safeguarding officers are appropriately qualified. Leaders ensure that staff are subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks to ensure that they are suitable to work with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have established links with police forces in the regions in which holiday parks are situated and are aware of local issues and risks. They ensure that apprentices and staff have a suitable understanding of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe. They know how to report issues if they have any concerns about their safety. Apprentices have a basic understanding of safeguarding and of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism, but little awareness of any local risks. Monitoring visit: Parkdean Resorts UK Limited, 21–22 April 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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