Mercia College Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection dates: 28 June to 1 July 2022

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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Information about this provider

Mercia College Limited (MCL) is based in Derby. It started to provide apprenticeship training in January 2018, focusing mainly on apprentices in the adult care sector. It also, currently, trains a small number of apprentices in a diverse range of other subjects. At the time of the inspection, there were just under 300 apprentices, of whom 17 are aged under 19. There were 110 level 3 lead adult care workers, 65 level 2 adult care workers, 17 level 2 funeral team members, 16 level 4 lead practitioners in adult care, 16 level 5 leaders in adult care and 11 level 3 digital marketers. The remaining 56 apprentices were spread over 19 other apprenticeship standards. 28 June to 1 July 2022

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

Most apprentices enjoy their experiences with MCL. They believe that the training they receive is of a good standard.

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

Apprentices develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to the level expected for their job roles. However, this is mostly because of their day-to-day experiences in the workplace rather than the result of carefully planned and well-taught off-the-job training. They do not receive enough tuition, and skills coaches do not plan individual study activities well enough.

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

MCL staff do not work closely enough with apprentices’ employers, and as a result, they do not tailor programmes so that they match the specific job requirements of apprentices. Skills coaches do not involve employers in progress review meetings, meaning that on- and off-the-job training are not well coordinated.

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

Skills coaches help apprentices to develop their understanding of the world around them and to enhance their personal qualities. They provide apprentices with information about topics such as healthy living and healthy relationships.

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

Apprentices feel safe. Skills coaches help them develop a good understanding of safeguarding topics they can apply to themselves and those they care for. Apprentices know to whom they should report any concerns and are confident that staff will deal with them promptly and effectively.

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better?

Leaders and managers have not given enough thought to the precise knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need to be effective in their roles. For example, they do not elicit from employers information about the specific things that apprentices need to know or be able to do. Staff do not do enough to establish apprentices’ prior skills and knowledge. Therefore, the extent to which they take this into account when planning activities is limited.

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better?

Leaders and managers do not plan courses well enough. Training plans lack detail and only consider the sequencing of materials in a very broad way. Courses only include around two hours of direct tuition per month, and skills coaches occasionally attempt to provide far too much information in this time. Skills coaches do not plan carefully what apprentices do between lessons. They rely heavily on apprentices finding things out for themselves, often providing very limited guidance about what apprentices should research or where they might find information. As a result, apprentices do not develop a good enough grasp of the material and often cannot recall key information.

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better?

Skills coaches do not always understand what excellent performance looks like or the standards apprentices must reach to gain high grades. As a result, courses focus too much on meeting the minimum requirements of qualifications and 28 June to 1 July 2022

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apprenticeship standards, and skills coaches do not demand the highest quality of work from apprentices.

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Staff undertake a range of thorough assessments to establish any additional learning needs that apprentices may have. These assessments result in clear action plans that help skills coaches provide appropriate support in lessons. However, managers and staff do not review the impact of this work well enough.

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The effectiveness with which skills coaches check that apprentices understand what they are taught varies. A few use questioning and recap activities well to ensure that apprentices understand the material, while others do not check apprentices’ understanding to the depth required.

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Skills coaches do not provide apprentices with enough opportunities to practise the skills they have learned or the knowledge they have gained. They do not work closely with employers to ensure that apprentices have opportunities to practise their skills in the workplace. Nor do they provide frequent activities that help apprentices to strengthen their recall of the topics that they learned earlier in their courses.

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Apprenticeship programmes have been substantially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of which persist in the adult care sector. Around half of all apprentices successfully complete their courses. Too few apprentices achieve merit or distinction grades.

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Apprentices develop their skills and knowledge during their courses. However, much of this is attributable to the learning they gain in their day-to-day jobs, rather than as the result of good training. Most apprentices produce written work that meets the expected standard. A large majority remain in employment on completion of their studies.

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Managers have produced a clear code of conduct for apprentices and set clear expectations in relation to attendance at coaching sessions and reviews. Apprentices are generally well motivated, and their behaviour is good. However, they cancel training session appointments too often and, given that these are already infrequent, this hampers progress.

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Leaders, managers and staff pay good attention to their apprentices’ personal health and well-being. Coaches frequently discuss with apprentices how they are feeling, show concern for their welfare and check they are setting appropriate boundaries to help achieve a healthy work-life balance. They promote healthy relationships well. For example, they provide apprentices with access to an online course on sexual consent which apprentices find useful.

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Apprentices do not always receive a good standard of careers advice and guidance. Coaches provide clear information to those apprentices who wish to remain with their employers, but their advice for those who want to progress into different disciplines is not as helpful. The very few younger apprentices do not benefit 28 June to 1 July 2022

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sufficiently from a well-defined programme of impartial careers education.

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Most of the quality assurance tools that leaders use focus too much on compliance with administrative processes and not enough on the quality of education. As a result, their assessment of the quality of education is not accurate, and they have not taken enough of the right actions to resolve weaknesses. However, they have done a few things that have led to improvements for apprentices. For example, they have recently worked with skills coaches to help them develop their understanding of the requirements of merit and distinction grades, and this has led to a slight increase in the number of apprentices who achieve them.

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The actions of the board have not yet led to substantial improvements in the quality of education. Although board members have begun to provide greater challenge to managers, it is too early to see any significant benefits.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously and endeavour to go beyond statutory requirements. They follow safer recruitment practices and ensure that staff receive suitable initial training on safeguarding topics. They ensure that safeguarding is a theme in staff meetings and provide frequent updates on a range of topics, including radicalisation, sexual harm and mental health. They ensure that skills coaches discuss these topics with apprentices and, as a result, apprentices become able to apply their knowledge of safeguarding in their workplaces.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Managers should work with employers and other stakeholders to identify the precise knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need.  Managers should ensure that apprentices receive enough direct instruction and that the activities they complete on their own are well planned and well resourced.  Managers and skills coaches should ensure that apprentices’ line managers are closely involved in apprentices’ courses so that they are able to provide them with workplace activities that help them practise what they learn in off-the-job training.  Managers should help skills coaches to improve their use of assessment so that they effectively check understanding, use further assessment to help apprentices practise their skills and strengthen their recall of topics and provide tasks that help apprentices develop their skills and knowledge further.  Managers should work with skills coaches to provide better careers education,

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

information, advice and guidance to the younger apprentices and to adults who wish to change direction. 28 June to 1 July 2022

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 Managers should review quality assurance processes so that they focus much more on the quality of education and lead to effective improvement actions. 28 June to 1 July 2022

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Provider details

Address Unit 9 Prime Business Centre Aspen Drive Spondon Derby DE21 7SS

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 28 June to 1 July 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the new provider monitoring visit 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

Russ Henry, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector Alison Whatsize Ofsted Inspector Karen Green Ofsted Inspector Angela Twelvetree Her Majesty's Inspector Alison Loxton Ofsted Inspector Vicki Locke Her Majesty's Inspector 28 June to 1 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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