Care Int Limited

Care Int Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Jane Hughes, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Lex House 1–7 Hainault Street Ilford Essex IG1 4EL Monitoring visit: Care Int Limited, 27 and 28 July 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

Care Int Limited is an independent learning provider based in East London. They are also a recruitment agency for the health and social care sector. They gained a direct contract to teach apprenticeships in March 2020. At the time of the monitoring visit, Care Int limited had nine apprentices enrolled on the healthcare assistant practitioner standard level 5, 50 apprentices on the healthcare support worker standard level 3, five apprentices on the healthcare support worker standard level 2, and fewer than five apprentices on customer service specialist level 3, team leader level 3, recruitment consultant level 3, financial services administrator level 3 and senior leader level 7 standards. All apprentices were over 19 years old.

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Context and focus of visit

The provider does not work with subcontractors. They teach apprentices online.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not ensure that apprentices are employed appropriately. A large majority of apprentices work for staff agencies, and most are on zero hours contracts. Too many apprentices do not work the required hours in order to meet the principles of the apprenticeship programme. A few apprentices do not recognise that they are on an apprenticeship programme with the provider.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have not ensured that apprentices have sufficiently detailed commitment statements in place. They do not accurately record on the commitment statements the hours that apprentices work, nor do they detail how the apprentices’ training is to be completed. Employers have signed these statements. However, leaders do not check that employers meet their responsibilities.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not ensure that employers give apprentices sufficient time to complete their training. The vast majority of apprentices complete their studies in their own Monitoring visit: Care Int Limited, 27 and 28 July 2022 time. Leaders have not set high enough expectations with employers about their responsibilities to their apprentices.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not complete adequate checks on the quality of the programme. They do not have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses, nor do they have sufficient oversight of the programme. They do not use their systems effectively to check that apprentices have received the required online learning to contribute to their off-the-job training.

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Insufficient progress

Tutors who teach apprentices have appropriate qualifications and experience. They have completed teaching and assessing qualifications. Those teaching health and social care apprentices have relevant knowledge in this area.

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Insufficient progress

Employers with whom inspectors spoke were able to provide examples of improvements in apprentices’ work practices. For example, apprentices have a better understanding about client care and how to treat clients from different backgrounds with respect.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not check what apprentices already know and can do before they start their apprenticeship. They assess apprentices’ knowledge in English and mathematics. However, they do not consider apprentices’ work experience or prior qualifications. They do not plan or teach a curriculum to ensure that apprentices gain substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours during their programme.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices do not receive clear enough information about their programme. They do not know how their programme is structured. Too many are unsure when they started, when they will complete or what level of programme they are on. Apprentices are either not aware of their final assessment or do not know what to expect in their assessment. Around a third of apprentices are past the time when they should have taken their final assessment.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices do not benefit from frequent or effective enough progress reviews with their tutors and line managers. In a few instances, apprentices have not heard from their tutor for a significant amount of time. They do not know how much progress they have made. Apprentices’ line managers are not sufficiently involved in the programme.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and tutors do not have high enough expectations of apprentices to complete work. Apprentices on the level 5 learning and skills teacher programme are not set any work by tutors. Apprentices on the level 3 senior healthcare support worker programme, who should have completed, have very little work submitted. Monitoring visit: Care Int Limited, 27 and 28 July 2022 Tutors do not give apprentices helpful feedback on their written work. They do not routinely mark apprentices’ work. Apprentices are not guided to make improvements to their work. Nor are apprentices given advice on how to gain high grades in their final assessment. Leaders and tutors do not check apprentices’ work for plagiarism. In one-to-one sessions, tutors do not check apprentices’ understanding of new topics sufficiently.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not consistently follow their own safeguarding policy and procedures. For example, they do not always carry out the recruitment checks on tutors who support apprentices, despite stating that they will carry out these checks. The policies are not sufficiently detailed and clear.

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Insufficient progress

The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) understands their role. The DSL has completed appropriate training and ensures that tutors complete relevant training. However, apprentices are not clear on who specifically to report any concerns to.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices have access to a range of safeguarding information online. However, it is not clear whether they access this. Leaders do not check apprentices’ knowledge around safeguarding and the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation. Apprentices do not have a secure understanding about how to keep safe online. Monitoring visit: Care Int Limited, 27 and 28 July 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 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

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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

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