Serco Holdings Limited

Serco Holdings Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Ann Monaghan, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Address:

Enterprise House Hook RG27 9XB Monitoring visit: Serco Holdings Limited, 24–25 June 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 the Education and Skills Funding Agency (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

Serco Holdings Limited began offering apprenticeships as an employer provider in April 2020. At the time of this monitoring visit, there were 369 apprentices studying on 21 different standards-based apprenticeships from level 2 to level 7. There are 17 apprentices aged 16 to 18. Most apprentices are studying on level 3 business administration, level 3 team leader or level 5 operations and departmental manager apprenticeships. The remainder are studying on a range of other qualifications, including 32 studying the level 6 chartered management degree apprenticeship and 40 studying the level 7 senior leader apprenticeship. The level 6 degree apprenticeship is validated by the University of Gloucestershire.

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Context and focus of visit

There are 127 apprentices studying functional skills English and 134 are studying functional skills mathematics as part of their apprenticeship.

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Context and focus of visit

Apprentices work in a broad range of settings across the country, such as local authorities, prisons and a range of government agencies. At the time of the visit, off- the-job training is generally conducted remotely through live videoconferencing software.

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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 have refined the apprenticeships they offer to focus on developing management capacity at all levels across the organisation. They liaise with managers across the many employment settings to ensure that they meet different sector Monitoring visit: Serco Holdings Limited, 24–25 June 2021 needs. Almost all apprentices are existing employees who have successfully applied for one of the supervisory or management apprenticeships.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices are carefully recruited so that they are ready for the level and specialism of their apprenticeship. They benefit from good-quality on-the-job training that training and assessment officers (trainers) ensure is aligned closely with relevant off- the-job training. Apprentices develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours quickly. Apprentices, who work in very diverse business settings, see the relevance of their learning at work at an early stage of their training. Trainers ensure that apprentices have a good awareness of the final assessments and the grade they aspire to achieve.

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Reasonable progress

Managers ensure that trainers benefit from good-quality continuing professional development. For example, one trainer is being supported to gain the skills and experiences of wider business functions, such as finance and human resources, across the organisation to enable her to contribute more to curriculum development. Others have attended training to develop coaching skills so they can encourage apprentices to think through their work challenges and reflect on their skills and progress. Managers recognise the need to maintain this focus so that all trainers have the ability to teach an aspirational curriculum.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders monitor business-critical data, such as the number of new apprentices recruited. However, they do not focus sufficiently on the quality of the apprentices’ experience and the effectiveness of the provider’s quality improvement plans. This means that identified improvement priorities have been slow to have an impact. For example, one priority was to introduce external ‘critical friend’ scrutiny a year ago, but this is still not in place.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers assess thoroughly apprentices’ skills and experience at the start of their training. They provide detailed information about the apprenticeship, including the career pathway that could follow successful study. Apprentices find this early advice and guidance very helpful.

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Reasonable progress

Curriculum leaders have planned learning to ensure that apprentices acquire relevant business skills and knowledge in a logical manner. Apprentices make a positive contribution in their roles at work. For example, an apprentice working in a waste- management depot has shown considerable initiative and demonstrated his newly acquired learning to improve deployment schedules for 120 staff and vehicles.

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Reasonable progress

Experienced and knowledgeable trainers support their apprentices effectively. Most apprentices benefit from high-quality training sessions followed by one-to-one coaching sessions. Trainers make good use of probing questions to encourage Monitoring visit: Serco Holdings Limited, 24–25 June 2021 apprentices to reflect on and deepen their learning. This helps apprentices to apply their new learning at work confidently. For example, team leader apprentices develop their skills in staff performance management, such as managing underperforming team members.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers provide effective support for apprentices who struggle with English or mathematics. For example, apprentices benefit from opportunities to improve their understanding of a personal mathematical challenge. One apprentice improved her understanding of place value in a one-to-one session. The trainer encouraged the apprentice to think through solutions by good use of questioning and working through work-based examples.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices have a good understanding of their progress to date. They benefit from comprehensive spoken feedback during their one-to-one sessions with tutors. However, the feedback they receive on written work is often scant. It does not help apprentices know how they can improve their work.

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Reasonable progress

A few apprentices are not making good progress. Owing to high staff turnover, a minority of level 3 business administration and level 5 operations or departmental manager apprentices have had their training interrupted.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have ensured that all staff benefit from relevant annual training. Staff also value the frequent opportunities to share support strategies within the team to help focus on apprentices’ well-being. Trainers have a good awareness of how to keep their apprentices safe and develop resilience, for example for those learners who are experiencing heightened anxiety due to COVID-19.

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Reasonable progress

Although leaders have introduced a raft of measures to ensure that safeguarding is effective, there is a lack of senior manager scrutiny or challenge to ensure that these are having an impact. For example, senior leaders do not review the risk assessment produced as part of the ‘Prevent’ duty. This means that they are not aware of whether sufficient actions are in place to mitigate identified risks.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices demonstrate a good awareness of looking after their own well-being and resilience. They are confident to raise concerns with staff. Monitoring visit: Serco Holdings Limited, 24–25 June 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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