Agincare Group Limited

Agincare Group Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Sue Hasty, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Admiralty Buildings Castletown Portland DT5 1BB Monitoring visit: Agincare Group Limited, 30 June–1 July 2021

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Context and focus of visit

Agincare Group Limited was inspected in January 2020. 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

Agincare Group Limited is a privately owned care provider based in Portland, Dorset. The company delivers a wide range of domiciliary, live-in and residential care services to adult clients in 40 care settings in the south of England.

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Context and focus of visit

Training Now is Agincare Group Limited’s apprenticeship delivery team. It offers apprenticeships predominantly in adult social care and business administration. At the time of the monitoring visit, 277 apprentices were studying with Training Now. Most apprentices study adult social care qualifications at levels 2 and 3.

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Context and focus of visit

COVID-19 (coronavirus) has had a significant impact on Agincare Group Limited’s adult social care apprenticeship programme. Twenty-two apprentices are taking a break in learning, mainly for health reasons. During the pandemic, many apprentice’s workloads increased along with periods of self-isolation. As a result, a large proportion of apprentices have fallen behind with their course work and have not received their full off-the-job training entitlement.

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Context and focus of visit

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

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that employers understand fully their commitment to their apprentices. Leaders carefully select employers that support their apprentices well. Leaders have stopped recruiting new apprentices with the minority of employers that do not provide apprentices with sufficient time for their off-the-job training. Since the previous inspection, leaders track more rigorously apprentices’ off-the-job training activity. Leaders have introduced a new system for apprentices to log their off-the-job training time and activities. As a result, the proportion of apprentices that receive their full entitlement to off-the-job training has increased. However, a few Monitoring visit: Agincare Group Limited, 30 June–1 July 2021 apprentices report that they complete their coursework in their own time. Leaders do not ensure that all employers understand how to process payments for apprentices’ off-the-job training time.

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Reasonable progress

Training and Learning Coaches (TALCs) hold useful monthly meetings with apprentices and employers. They identify opportunities at work for apprentices to develop the skills and knowledge they have learned in lessons. Most apprentices undertake high-quality activities in their off-the-job training. The majority of TALCs use review sessions well to help apprentices identify useful off-the-job training tasks. TALCs provide apprentices with valuable guidance on how to record their learning, for example keeping a notebook to log learning taking place at work. TALCs also support apprentices to identify which additional training sessions they could attend. Apprentices now benefit from a wider range of specialist off-the- job training, such as in infection control.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that most apprentices receive constructive careers advice and guidance towards the end of their training. Staff support most apprentices to think about their longer-term careers. They discuss thoroughly with apprentices the steps they need to take to achieve their career ambitions. Staff provide useful information about job opportunities in, and related to, the care sector. As a result, a few apprentices progress into graduate career pathways in nursing. Staff make good use of web-based resources, such as skills health checks. They use these to help match apprentices with appropriate and realistic job and career opportunities. Apprentices rightly appreciate the effective careers coaching they receive from staff. Apprentices develop their confidence to apply for promotion into roles such as senior care workers. Apprentices studying business administration benefit from employers who are keen

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Reasonable progress

to support their career progression. TALCs and employers plan carefully so that apprentices gain worthwhile work experiences in a wide range of roles. For example, apprentices aiming to become office managers gain valuable experience of team leadership roles and responsibilities. Consequently, most business administration apprentices progress well towards their career goals. In a minority of cases, leaders and managers do not check thoroughly enough apprentices’ long-term suitability for roles in care. A few apprentices, new to the care sector at the start of the pandemic, left their training early to return to their previous jobs in hospitality and retail. Monitoring visit: Agincare Group Limited, 30 June–1 July 2021

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, senior leaders have reviewed thoroughly the skills, experience and qualifications they require of managers and teachers. As a result, leaders recently recruited a quality manager. Leaders ensure that new TALCs have appropriate higher-level teaching qualifications. Leaders support existing TALCs to study for teaching qualifications at level 5. TALCs now gain from valuable training in English and mathematics so that they can teach apprentices this knowledge. Due to COVID-19, some planned improvement actions are not fully in place. For example, feedback on how apprentices can improve their work further is not yet consistently good enough in all coursework. Apprentices’ progress towards completing their qualification is improving, but too few achieve their qualifications within the expected timescales. Leaders ensure that TALCs support each other well in their teaching and coaching

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Reasonable progress

roles. For example, TALCs share their curriculum plans and good-quality teaching resources with one another. This helps TALCs set apprentices well-sequenced and appropriately challenging knowledge and skill development tasks. TALCs plan lessons in a clear order. They first review what apprentices remember from previous lessons. They link this knowledge appropriately to their work setting. TALCs then use helpful questions to check learning, before introducing new topics. As a result, apprentices develop substantial new knowledge and understanding. For example, apprentices confidently give examples of how they apply the principles of care at work. Leaders and TALCs set high expectations by ensuring apprentices receive useful feedback on their coursework. Apprentices generally produce coursework of a suitable standard. Apprentices use appropriate technical terminology. They show good knowledge of theories and concepts of adult care practice. Apprentices apply

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Reasonable progress

their skills and knowledge well in the workplace.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have introduced the use of a useful online teaching resource for English and mathematics. TALCs identify apprentices’ starting points more accurately. TALCS use this information effectively to design an Monitoring visit: Agincare Group Limited, 30 June–1 July 2021 appropriate English and mathematics curriculum for each apprentice. TALCs signpost apprentices to specific learning tasks and activities, which focus on individual apprentices’ identified gaps in knowledge. Apprentices rightly appreciate the new online resources. They work ably through activities and ask their teacher for help when needed.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices receive helpful support in developing their mathematical skills for work from TALCs. In lessons, TALCs plan carefully mathematical tasks that focus on apprentices’ job roles. For example, apprentices learn the calculations needed for measuring clients’ fluid intake and output. As a result, apprentices are able to effectively apply their mathematical knowledge at work.

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Reasonable progress

TALCs carefully consider apprentices’ development of English and mathematical skills in teaching sessions and progress review meetings. Employers have a good understanding of the English and mathematics skills apprentices need to develop. Employers routinely help apprentices practise these skills at work.

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Reasonable progress

Additional learning needs (ALN) staff support apprentices effectively to improve their public speaking skills. For example, ALNs expertly guide apprentices through the steps they need to take to prepare effective presentations. As a result, apprentices gradually build their confidence and speak knowledgably in team meetings, such as about relevant legislation.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices’ achievement of English and mathematics qualifications is too slow. While some of the delay is due to the impact of COVID-19, leaders have not been quick enough to put alternative measures in place for apprentices to take their examinations.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have not yet recruited a qualified and experienced teacher of English or mathematics. This means that a few apprentices do not receive the specific help they need. Consequently, a minority of apprentices do not develop their English and mathematics skills as expected. Monitoring visit: Agincare Group Limited, 30 June–1 July 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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