University of Wolverhampton

University of Wolverhampton Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Rachel Clark, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2023

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Type of provider: Higher education institution

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Address: Wulfruna Street Wolverhampton West Midlands WV1 1LY Monitoring visit: University of Wolverhampton, 25 and 26 January 2023

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Context and focus of visit

The University of Wolverhampton was inspected in November 2021. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the visit, there were 924 apprentices on a range of apprenticeships between levels 5 and 7. Apprentices were enrolled on apprenticeships in sectors such as business management, construction, nursing, law, product design and management and property management.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have put in place suitable processes to track the currency of staff Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and mandatory safeguarding training. The processes in place now allow line managers to notify staff to renew their DBS well in advance of the renewal date. Managers and staff understand their responsibilities to ensure that they keep their disclosures and training up to date, and they are familiar with the escalation process and consequences if they fail to do so.

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Reasonable progress

Staff are suitably informed and aware of the risks to themselves and their apprentices. They become more aware of their personal safety in public spaces and can recognise the signs of abuse, extremism and radicalisation. Staff are better equipped to support their apprentices to become more vigilant, both at work and in their personal lives. For example, level 5 nursing associate apprentices become more alert to patient-visitor interactions to identify any signs of abuse or coercion. Apprentices know to whom to raise any concerns, both at work and at the university.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders create regular opportunities for staff to receive training and information on recent safeguarding updates and localised risks from relevant external speakers and partner agencies. However, the tracking of attendance to these additional sessions is not closely monitored to ensure that all staff receive the information that these sessions provide. Monitoring visit: University of Wolverhampton, 25 and 26 January 2023

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have taken appropriate steps to ensure that apprentices receive careers information, advice and guidance across all curriculum areas. Apprentices benefit from regular opportunities throughout their apprenticeship to explore and consider how the knowledge and skills they are developing could be used in different career paths.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders work with employers in careers events to show apprentices the career opportunities and the range of employers recruiting in the sector. Level 5 nursing associate apprentices receive regular career talks from the university nursing degree team, the university careers department and student ambassadors. As a result, most apprentices understand the range of career options available to them outside of their current employer.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have plans in place to develop the careers advice that apprentices receive further. For example, they are developing an online apprenticeship careers toolkit. However, apprentices have not yet benefitted from these planned developments.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have restructured their accountability reporting to ensure joint working across departments at the university. Leaders monitor the progress that curriculum areas are making against key actions and hold staff at all levels to account. Through these meetings, leaders have developed new systems to support the monitoring of apprentices’ progress. Staff and managers access live data on progress, attendance, completion of on- and off-the-job training and module achievement. This information is used to inform discussions within teaching teams, faculty meetings and the apprenticeship board to identify at-risk learners. However, this is a recent initiative, and, as such, it is too soon to see any significant impact.

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Reasonable progress

Lecturers identify the starting points of apprentices at the start of the apprenticeship and use this information to plan learning. Skills coaches support apprentices to align the theories they are learning with their practice in the workplace. As a result, apprentices gain a deeper understanding of the purpose of the activities and are able to complete complex tasks at work. Monitoring visit: University of Wolverhampton, 25 and 26 January 2023 Lecturers assess the academic experience and level of apprentices effectively and put appropriate support in place to develop English and mathematics skills, including academic writing. Level 5 nursing associate apprentices’ academic study skills have now been integrated into the taught sessions. As a result, there is early evidence of improvement in the number of apprentices who pass their modules first time.

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Reasonable progress

Skills coaches and employers meet regularly to discuss the progress of apprentices and to plan opportunities for the development of skills in the workplace. Apprentices use these opportunities to practise their theory and knowledge learning in the workplace. For example, level 6 chartered surveyor apprentices who would not normally work with building foundations are supported to shadow and contribute to a local authority building project to gain experience in this area. However, not all skills coaches set specific targets for apprentices at reviews of progress. As a result, there is too much reliance on apprentices to identify and rectify the skills gaps seen in their skills scan. Monitoring visit: University of Wolverhampton, 25 and 26 January 2023 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

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Reasonable progress

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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