Semester Learning and Development Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Semester: Learning and Development Limited

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Information about this provider

Semester Learning and Development (Semester) is an independent learning provider that received its first publicly funded contract for apprenticeship training in April 2018. As a new provider of apprenticeships, Semester received a monitoring visit in February 2020. At that time, inspectors judged Semester to be making reasonable progress against the themes they explored.

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Information about this provider

Semester offers apprenticeships in engineering and protective services throughout England, teaching the curriculum to apprentices online. Semester provides apprenticeships in engineering technician, engineering operative, business fire safety adviser, compressed air and vacuum technician, drinks dispense technician, fire emergency and security systems technician, safety, health and environment technician and fire safety inspector. At the time of the inspection, 33 apprentices were studying apprenticeships at level 3 and four at level 4. All but nine apprentices were over the age of 18. 27 to 29 July 2022

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

The curriculum successfully enables apprentices to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to undertake a range of engineering and protective service roles. However, the small number of younger apprentices, who are new to the workplace, struggle to cope with the challenge of learning independently online and make slower progress than the majority of the adult apprentices.

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

Apprentices are motivated to succeed in and complete their courses. They have a positive attitude towards their learning and most demonstrate resilience in learning independently. Employers value highly the contributions that apprentices make to their business such as incorporating new procedures in fire safety into their organisational practice.

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

The guidance on careers that apprentices receive is too narrow in scope and lacks impartiality. Apprentices are clear about opportunities for advancement with their current employers. However, not enough apprentices are aware of the wider career paths and opportunities available to them on completion of their apprenticeship.

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

Apprentices feel safe. They know how and to whom to report any concerns about their own safety and welfare. Apprentices feel they are treated fairly and respectfully and demonstrate high levels of respect for their assessors and colleagues.

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better?

Leaders have developed and provide a broad curriculum to meet the needs of an emerging demand for a wide range of niche engineering roles. The curriculum subject content is carefully designed to include additional qualifications which prepare apprentices well with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective at work.

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better?

Leaders design courses that are highly personalised to meet the needs of the employers and apprentices. Assessors, in collaboration with employers, choose options of study carefully to ensure that apprentices develop the skills and knowledge that link well to the engineering equipment used in the workplace.

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better?

Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and many of the weaknesses of their apprenticeship programmes. However, they have not identified the need to plan for and provide additional curriculum content and support for the fewer younger apprentices who have developed limited skills for self-learning. As a result, a few of these apprentices are struggling with learning online and do not make sufficient progress in learning and remembering the academic content of the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders have sequenced the teaching of the curriculum content sensibly. Most courses begin with apprentices studying the health and safety requirements in the 27 to 29 July 2022

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workplace so that the apprentices are prepared to use safe working practices early in their programme.

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Engineering apprentices make good progress developing the practical skills required, ably supported by their mentors at work. They quickly gain skills and confidence in using a variety of hand tools effectively and can programme sophisticated engineering equipment such as programming cutting machines to shape plastic.

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Fire safety apprentices are enthusiastic about the quality of their training. They are articulate and have a clear understanding of the sequence of their learning and how to apply it at work. For example, an apprentice has developed a guidance manual on fire safety that will be published and used in the workplace.

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Senior leaders ensure that they employ highly qualified and vocationally experienced assessors. Apprentices value highly the support and training the assessors provide. However, leaders have found it difficult to recruit and maintain continuity in staff on the fire safety course, which has disrupted the support provided to apprentices and as a result slowed progress at times.

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Assessors do not provide apprentices with a consistently effective review of the progress they are making in learning the content of the curriculum. This is because their feedback to apprentices is not developmental enough. In reviews, assessors and employers record little content on what an apprentice has done well or could work on to improve further. As a result, apprentices are not clear about any targets that they are working towards to improve their performance. Leaders are aware of this weakness but have been slow to implement improvements.

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Most apprentices’ written work is comprehensive and detailed. Adult apprentices demonstrate their growing knowledge and understanding in their well-constructed assignments. The work contains useful content which is well referenced. In contrast, the fewer younger apprentices written work is not consistently of a good standard. Assessors provide them with insufficient feedback on English errors in this work to help them to identify and know how to improve. Also, where work closely resembles known text, there is a lack of referencing or footnotes to explain the jargon used.

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Apprentices’ understanding of life in modern Britain is not consistently secure. Although assessors teach this content briefly when apprentices begin their studies, they do not make sufficient links between topics such as British values and the vocational or academic topics that they teach to apprentices. This means that apprentices have only a limited understanding of these wider safeguarding topics within their work contexts.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Apprentices feel safe and know who to contact at work and at Semester if they have a concern. 27 to 29 July 2022

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Leaders have implemented appropriate policies and procedures that staff use effectively to safeguard apprentices. These includes ensuring that apprentices gain a good understanding of how to work safely early in their course. All staff are trained in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty and use this knowledge to inform their training of apprentices effectively. Appropriate safer recruitment checks are applied when appointing assessors for 16- to 18-year-old apprentices. The designated safeguarding lead is suitably experienced and has received appropriate training to carry out the role.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should ensure that they improve the planning and implementation of the curriculum and the support for the few younger apprentices so that they make the expected or better progress in learning the content of the curriculum.  Leaders should improve the quality of the apprentices’ reviews so that apprentices are very clear about what they need to do and how to improve their performance.  Leaders should ensure that apprentices receive sufficiently broad and impartial careers guidance so that they are fully aware of the career options and opportunities available to them after they complete their apprenticeships.  Leaders and managers should ensure that all assessors reinforce apprentices’ understanding of wider safeguarding topics such as life in modern Britain throughout their programme and understand them fully in the context of their work. 27 to 29 July 2022

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Provider details

Address 5 Howells Road Dunvant Swansea SA2 7SX

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 27 to 29 July 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the Chief Executive Officer, 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

Roger Pilgrim, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Steve Stanley Ofsted Inspector 27 to 29 July 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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