The Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development

The Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Paul James, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection dates: 30 and 31 August 2022

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider Address: Old Fire Station Salt Lane Salisbury SP1 1DU Monitoring visit: Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development, 30 and 31 August 2022

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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 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

At the time of the monitoring visit, The Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development (RACPD) had 19 apprentices studying the equine groom apprenticeship standards. Sixteen apprentices were studying at level 2 and three at level 3. Seventeen of the apprentices were aged 16 to 18.

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Reasonable

Leaders develop positive relationships with the employers they select to work with. They consider carefully the needs of employers and the differences in working environments, such as apprentices working in stables and yards, when developing the content of the curriculum. Staff and employers have high expectations of and are ambitious for their apprentices. Managers routinely revise the content of training that coaches provide apprentices to ensure it reflects employers’ business demands well. As a result, apprentices learn highly relevant curriculum content and experience teaching that links the on- and off-the-job training effectively. Apprentices receive their full entitlement to time at work to complete their studies. As a result, the vast majority develop substantial new skills and knowledge at the planned pace.

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Reasonable

Leaders have established useful processes for monitoring and improving the quality of the apprenticeship provision. They hold monthly team meetings with managers and coaches to discuss and identify remedies to any barriers that apprentices have to learning the curriculum. Leaders also hold quarterly review meetings with managers, where they discuss feedback from coaches and apprentices on the quality of training. Leaders use the findings from these discussions to provide trustees with information, at the quarterly board meetings, on the quality of training being delivered. As a result, trustees are generally well informed and challenge leaders well to continuously improve the learning experience for apprentices. However, leaders do not systemically review the progress that apprentices make towards achieving their broader curriculum goals, such as the development of important positive behaviours Monitoring visit: Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development, 30 and 31 August 2022

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Reasonable

and the improvement of their oral and written communication skills. Consequently, leaders’ and trustees’ oversight of how well apprentices have learned the full range of skills, knowledge and behaviours requires improvement.

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Reasonable

Coaches share leaders’ high aspirations for their apprentices. Coaches develop effectively apprentices’ motivation to achieve their potential. As a result, most apprentices produce coursework which is well written and of a high standard. Coaches also support apprentices to make effective use of the videos they produce, which demonstrate the new skills they have developed, as evidence in their coursework. This helps apprentices to reinforce and recall the new knowledge, skills, and behaviours they have developed over time.

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Reasonable

Leaders ensure coaches are well-qualified teachers and have the specialist equine knowledge and experience they need to train apprentices effectively. Coaches use their previous experience of the industry well to plan training which is effective and meets most apprentices’ needs. However, coaches do not explain in sufficient depth how topics such as British values and the dangers associated with extremism and radicalisation relate to apprentices’ personal and professional lives. For example, coaches do not sufficiently explore the values of respect and tolerance in the context of a stable’s diverse staff and customer base. As a result, apprentices’ knowledge and understanding of these topics are underdeveloped.

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Reasonable

Coaches assess most learners’ prior knowledge and skills well at the beginning of the programme. They use the information to plan the content and sequence of the curriculum and to provide effective and aspirational training. However, leaders do not identify swiftly enough the support required by the few apprentices who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, these apprentices do not receive the timely support necessary to ensure that they make good progress in learning the content of the curriculum within the planned timescales.

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Reasonable

Coaches provide employers with regular information on the new knowledge and skills that apprentices develop as a result of studying the curriculum. Coaches provide apprentices with helpful reviews linking the new skills they have developed to their workplace duties, and identifying further opportunities for them to apply their new knowledge at work. Employers regularly participate in the reviews, are well-informed of the progress apprentices make and help them to support apprentices to find opportunities to deepen their knowledge further at work. For example, apprentices use their improved communication skills at work when taking on additional duties, such as interacting positively with children who visit the yard. As a result, the apprentices develop further and improve their communication skills and become more valuable employees. Monitoring visit: Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development, 30 and 31 August 2022

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Reasonable

Leaders’ effective safeguarding processes are used well by staff to support the safety and well-being of their apprentices. The designated safeguarding lead and designated safeguarding officer are well qualified and have an appropriate understanding and knowledge of safeguarding. Coaches teach apprentices topics such as how to safely prepare horses for travel, and they check their knowledge of health and safety regularly, using a range of assessment activities. As a result, apprentices’ knowledge of health and safety practices is secure, and is implemented appropriately in the workplace.

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Reasonable

At the time of inspection, leaders had revised the processes used by coaches and managers for the timely and appropriate sharing of important information on vulnerable apprentices. Leaders’ revisions now ensure that this information is captured accurately at the start of apprentices’ programmes and shared in a timely manner with the training team staff. Leaders have also revised the procedures for the oversight of the use of accommodation, such as the risk assessment arrangements, for the very small number of apprentices who choose to live on site at their employers’ premises so that they can access their training. Monitoring visit: Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development, 30 and 31 August 2022 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

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Reasonable

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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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