Extel Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

Extel Limited, trading as Care Through the Millennium (CTTM), is an employer provider based in Birmingham, specialising in training in care. Established in 1996 as a residential care home, CTTM now has 18 residential homes and supported living services, supporting up to 108 vulnerable adults with a learning disability and/or a mental health condition.

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Information about this provider

CTTM has held a contract to provide apprenticeships since May 2017. At the time of the visit, nine apprentices were in learning. All apprentices were following standards- based apprenticeships, of which, seven were studying adult care worker at level 2, one was studying lead adult care worker at level 3 and one was studying leadership and management for adult care at level 5. 21 to 23 June 2022

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices are highly motivated. Assessors and mentors support apprentices well to remain proactive in their studies. For example, apprentices on the level 2 adult care apprenticeship respond positively to the constructive feedback they receive on assignment work.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Assessors and mentors support apprentices to develop strong and respectful relationships with their peers and service users. For example, apprentices discuss and share ideas on how best to support their service users when developing personal care plans.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices learn the principles of equality and apply these well to the workplace. For example, apprentices work with the wider team to share their knowledge and develop an appropriate diet for Muslim service users in the house.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Assessors and mentors support apprentices to understand how to look after their levels of mental health when working in challenging environments. Assessors share suggestions on how to manage stress. Mentors conduct regular supervisions with apprentices, which provide an opportunity to express their concerns and ask for support if they need it.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices feel safe and can articulate well what to do if they need help. Leaders support apprentices well to ensure they can identify safeguarding concerns, particularly about supporting vulnerable service users. Leaders have ensured apprentices take service users’ concerns seriously and deal with them swiftly. Apprentices are confident that the provider will deal with any personal safety concerns appropriately.

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better?

Leaders have high ambitions for all apprentices. They are passionate about improving the health and social care sector, both for their apprentices and the vulnerable service users they support. Leaders articulate these ambitions and their vision well to the staff.

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better?

Leaders consider thoroughly the workload and well-being of their staff. They skilfully deploy initiatives to address work-related issues. For example, they maintain low caseloads for assessors. This ensures time is available to allow assessors to improve the effectiveness of their practice. As a result, apprentices make more rapid progress in their skills and knowledge development.

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better?

Leaders have not placed sufficient emphasis on assessors further developing their effective teaching skills. Leaders have not ensured assessors can deploy a variety of teaching techniques to ensure apprentices know and remember more. 21 to 23 June 2022

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Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their apprenticeships. They effectively reflect upon their current practices and strive to improve. In most cases, the quality improvement plans they produce clearly identify the key areas for development. For example, leaders recognise the need to improve external scrutiny and have recently identified a suitably competent practitioner to provide this. However, this person has yet to undertake this role and as a result, currently, there is no external oversight to hold leaders to account.

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Leaders have selected a curriculum that supports apprentices to develop the skills they need to work in the care sector. They match optional units to apprentices’ job roles, which supports apprentices to gain the skills they need to work with specialist service users, such as adults with mental health issues.

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Assessors teaching adult care standards at all levels have the knowledge and skills to teach apprentices effectively. The assessors have key subject expertise which is regularly updated to ensure apprentices can deliver high-quality care. Apprentices are supported through thorough review conversations which detail skills development well.

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Teaching focuses on discussing theory and legislation and their application in the workplace. However, sessions are at times too teacher-led and have too great a reliance on presentation slides, lacking variety to support higher levels of engagement.

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Most apprentices have access to well-planned, off-the-job training. In addition to being given appropriate time to complete their work, they are also supported to develop their skills by their mentors. For example, they undertake ‘walk-throughs’ to discuss the care of service users beyond their normal duties.

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Most apprentices are developing new knowledge, skills and behaviours and are using these well to become more effective in the workplace. For example, apprentices develop effective communication skills specific to the service providers they work with. As a result, relationships with service providers are maintained and improved.

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Most care home managers where the apprentices work recognise the skills the apprentices are developing and support them to take on additional responsibilities. For example, apprentices quickly progress from a support worker role to a keyworker role, where they are now reviewing and updating personal care plans, rather than merely implementing them.

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Apprentices understand the requirements of the end-point assessment and the grades they can achieve. Assessors make clear links between the skills development and the end-point assessment as they move through their apprenticeship and encourage apprentices to aim for high grades.

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All apprentices are on track to achieve their apprenticeship on time. However, there is too great a reliance on the assessor’s knowledge of how well the apprentice is 21 to 23 June 2022

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progressing, and there are no milestones set to ensure this knowledge is accurate.

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Apprentices develop their English and mathematics skills well, particularly relating to duties at work. However, this development is on an ad-hoc basis and is not clearly targeted to specific skills gaps identified at their starting points.

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Leaders do not have a clear strategy to ensure apprentices are fully supported to achieve their English and mathematics functional skills. The small number of apprentices who have to take functional skills are directed to online materials following initial assessment, and there is no clear plan on how their skills will be developed to support them to progress toward the test. As a result, a few apprentices disengage from these subjects.

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Apprentices are developing the skills they need to move to the next level of qualification and work. Most of the apprentices progress with their employer. However, where apprentices have expressed other career ambitions, such as nursing or entering full-time study for mental health, they are guided to achieve these goals and understand how the current qualification can support them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers place a strong focus on the safeguarding of all apprentices. There is a well-established culture of safeguarding across the organisation. They have developed strong relationships with relevant local organisations, such as the police, regional ‘Prevent’ duty coordinators and other safeguarding organisations.

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Safeguarding

Leaders recognise the potential safeguarding concerns apprentices may face in the workplace. As a result, apprentices undertake a range of additional training, including health and safety and personal protection, to help them stay safe when working with service users who may behave in a physically threatening way.

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Safeguarding

Apprentices have a sound understanding of safeguarding and the risks associated with radicalisation and the ‘Prevent’ duty. They can recognise how the behaviours their service users present may change in circumstances, should radicalisation or safeguarding issues present themselves.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders must improve the monitoring of apprentices’ progress to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the progress apprentices are making towards their expected completion date.  Leaders must ensure that assessors provide a consistently high-quality teaching and learning experience, both online and face to face.  Leaders must ensure that all apprentices’ starting points in English and mathematics are considered when planning the development of these skills so 21 to 23 June 2022

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that apprentices make the progress of which they are capable. 21 to 23 June 2022

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Provider details

Address The Farm House Primrose Hill Farm Meadowsweet Avenue Kings Norton Birmingham West Midlands B38 9QW

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 21 to 23 June 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the human resources director & management representative, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Sharon Dowling, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Mark Parton Her Majesty’s Inspector 21 to 23 June 2022

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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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