Geoseis Consultant Limited

Geoseis Consultant Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Richard Deane, Ofsted Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address: Second floor 29 Waterloo Road Wolverhampton WV1 4DJ Monitoring visit: Geoseis Consulting Limited, 5 and 6 October 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

Geoseis Consultant Limited started providing apprenticeship training in the adult care sector in April 2020. At the time of the visit, there were 64 apprentices following standards-based apprenticeships between levels 2 and 5. Around 30 apprentices were on the level 2 adult care worker, six were on the level 3 business administrator, 13 were on the level 3 lead adult care worker, one was on the level 3 team leader, five were on level 4 lead practitioner in adult care and nine were on the level 5 leader in adult care.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have designed a curriculum that meets the needs of the health and care sector. They have developed effective links with employers to develop apprentices’ skills for the key roles in their employers’ businesses, including adult carers, team leaders and operational managers.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that the curriculum meets the requirements of an apprenticeship. They have ensured that end-point assessments (EPA) are in place for each apprenticeship. Most apprentices have a clear understanding and know the expectations of the EPA. As a result, all apprentices who complete their programme achieve their EPA; over half achieve high grades. However, leaders do not ensure that all employers provide apprentices with sufficient time off the job to complete their studies, slowing their progress.

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Reasonable progress

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders invested in additional resources to ensure that apprentices were able to access their learning online. They ensure that trainers and support staff hold appropriate teaching qualifications and have the skills and experience necessary to support apprentices effectively. Leaders encourage staff Monitoring visit: Geoseis Consulting Limited, 5 and 6 October 2022 to undertake additional professional development in areas such as safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. However, although leaders assess the quality of teaching, they do not develop teachers’ teaching skills sufficiently to ensure that they can effectively support apprentices to make the progress of which they are capable.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that apprentices who speak English as an additional language receive an appropriate assessment of their English skills at the start of the apprenticeship. They structure teaching so that apprentices receive the appropriate support to develop their English and mathematical skills so they can access new information fluently and make good progress on their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders check apprentices’ career goals, but they do not have enough information about apprentices’ next steps to demonstrate the extent to which apprentices achieve their career ambitions.

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Reasonable progress

Governance is not effective. Leaders have yet to identify sufficient external oversight to provide them with the support and challenge to ensure that their actions to improve the quality of education are effective.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices acquire substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours which they use in their job to make an effective contribution to their employers’ businesses. For example, adult care workers created a health and safety handbook to keep themselves and their service users safe and comfortable.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices benefit from on- and off-the-job training that helps them to develop new and highly relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours. For example, employers provide training in ‘moving and handling’, which links to their training in safeguarding.

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Reasonable progress

At the start of their programme, apprentices complete an assessment in English and mathematics to identify their skills in these subjects. Tutors use this information effectively to help most apprentices to develop and practise these skills in the workplace. However, tutors do not always ensure that apprentices develop their knowledge in these subjects well enough to achieve their qualifications in a timely manner, delaying their readiness for EPA.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors plan subjects and topics in a logical order so that apprentices build on their prior knowledge. For example, apprentices extend their basic knowledge of keeping themselves and others safe by learning about different types and signs of abuse, and how to report these through the appropriate channels.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors monitor the progress that apprentices make on their apprenticeship Monitoring visit: Geoseis Consulting Limited, 5 and 6 October 2022 effectively. They use this information to ensure that apprentices know how well they are developing their knowledge, skills and behaviours and what they need to do to stay on track. However, leaders do not ensure that employers attend these reviews routinely so that they can provide apprentices with the opportunities to practise and hone their skills in the workplace. This impedes apprentices’ progress on their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide apprentices with effective feedback to help them improve the quality of their written work. However, teachers do not always provide them with feedback on how to achieve high grades early enough slowing apprentices’ development of the skills needed to achieve the grades of which they are capable.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed a positive safeguarding culture. They have comprehensive safeguarding and health and safety policies and procedures, including for the ‘Prevent’ duty, safeguarding, the protection of vulnerable adults and manual handling. As a result, apprentices know how to work safely in their roles.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders use safer recruitment practices effectively. They ensure that new staff have the correct references, rights to work and disclosures necessary to work with apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have an established safeguarding team, three of which are well-trained designated safeguarding officers. Staff provide apprentices with comprehensive safeguarding information, including on the potential threats from extremist groups during their induction and throughout their apprenticeship. As a result, most apprentices know who to contact if concerned and know how to keep themselves safe from extremist threats both online and in their communities. In a few cases, apprentices do not understand well enough the threats posed in their local areas.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead responds sensitively and swiftly to apprentices’ concerns, including in areas such as mental health, providing the appropriate support and referrals to wider agencies where necessary. Monitoring visit: Geoseis Consulting Limited, 5 and 6 October 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 and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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