Emma Wright (trading as Certs4Care)

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Emma Wright (trading as Certs4Care)

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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Information about this provider

Emma Wright (trading as Certs4Care) is an independent learning provider based in Oswestry. They provide a range of apprenticeships to health and care-based employers including an orthopaedic hospital in the area. At the time of inspection, there were 93 apprentices studying one of 12 apprenticeships. Most apprentices study the level 3 lead adult care worker, level 3 senior healthcare worker or level 2 adult care worker apprenticeships. Other apprenticeships offered are in catering, customer service, team leading and cleaning within a hospital setting. A small number of apprentices study level 3 early years educator. The provider does not work with any subcontractors. 7 to 9 February 2023

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

Most apprentices enjoy their learning. They recognise the importance of achieving industry-specific qualifications that are compulsory for their current roles or to gain promotion. However, curriculums are focused too heavily on the completion of these qualifications. Consequently, apprenticeships have not been designed to help apprentices develop the substantive new knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need to succeed in their apprenticeship.

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

Most apprentices are motivated to learn. They increase their confidence throughout their apprenticeship as a result of the knowledge they gain from vocational short courses embedded within their apprenticeship. However, too many apprentices are frustrated by their lack of progress and the speed at which they have been able to reach their final assessment. Too many apprentices have failed to complete their apprenticeship on time.

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

Apprentices value the vocational knowledge of their assessors. They recognise the support they receive from assessors and how this is individualised to support additional learning and mental health needs. However, too much reliance is placed on independent learning, rather than teaching that excites and enthuses apprentices. Feedback provided to apprentices on their completed work is too slow and does not help them understand how to improve over time. As a result, too many apprentices find completion of work to be a chore.

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

Apprentices say they feel safe and know where to go if they need help. They have a strong knowledge of safeguarding practices, but are better able to explain this from the perspective of their service users rather than for themselves.

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better?

Leaders have a clear vision to provide inclusive apprenticeships that create a skilled workforce for the health and care industry. They have developed partnerships with local employers to ensure that gaps in their workforce are filled. Leaders are responsive to employer requests to provide additional apprenticeships, such as the level 3 team leader and level 3 customer service specialist, maintaining a healthcare focus on these apprenticeships.

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better?

Leaders’ quality assurance processes do not effectively identify areas for improvement. Where areas of improvement are identified, leaders do not ensure that these are acted on swiftly enough to support apprentices to make progress and succeed. For example, leaders have been too slow to ensure that assessors receive training to support their coaching, assessment and teaching skills. As a result, they use too few strategies to support apprentices effectively.

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better?

Leaders do not collect enough information about what apprentices already know and can do at the start of their programme. The information leaders collect is not used to plan learning based on apprentices’ starting points. As a result, some apprentices 7 to 9 February 2023

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duplicate the learning that they completed on previous apprenticeships or gained through working in the industry. They are not able to make the rapid progress of which they are capable.

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The curriculum that apprentices in health and care follow is designed in a logical way, starting with the key skills needed in the workplace. These include health and safety, and infection and control. However, these skills are not consistently taught in the order they have been planned. Training sessions are provided by assessors in the workplace and include colleagues who are not apprentices. As a result, the knowledge and skills developed are not linked to the apprenticeship or to future assessments; apprentices do not recognise that this training is part of their apprenticeship.

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Apprentices and employers do not have clear enough expectations of apprenticeship requirements at the start of their apprenticeship. Employers are not involved in reviews of apprentices’ progress or well enough involved in helping those apprentices who have fallen behind to catch up. As a result, apprentices do not have a clear understanding of the timescales for the submission of work, their off-the-job training entitlement, or the work involved in completing an apprenticeship.

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Assessors use teaching strategies that are ineffective in developing robust knowledge, skills and behaviours. Most teaching is through workbooks followed by written assessments. Where face-to-face training takes place, for example to deliver first aid, teaching is engaging and uses frequent practical activities and feedback to develop apprentices’ skills. Not all apprentices attend these sessions and can choose to work independently. As a result, not all apprentices develop skills to the same standard.

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Assessors do not plan and coordinate on- and off-the-job training with apprentices and employers effectively. While many employers offer additional training opportunities to apprentices, this is not recorded or linked to their apprenticeship. As a result, apprentices duplicate their work and make slow progress.

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Leaders and assessors have high expectations of apprentices in terms of their work, behaviour and progression. However, they do not have the same high expectation of apprentices’ attendance, which is not appropriately tracked. As a result, some apprentices miss a significant number of progress reviews and fall behind without any intervention.

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Assessors do not give clear enough feedback to help apprentices improve their work. Their feedback is too positive and does not identify areas for improvement in their work. For a small number of level 3 lead adult care workers, written work on the ‘Prevent’ duty and fundamental British values was left incomplete and assessors did not provide any feedback. Apprentices are left with gaps in their knowledge and are not able to explain how their work has improved over time.

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Where apprentices need to study functional skills of English and mathematics, assessors ensure that their ability and gaps in learning are assessed at the start of 7 to 9 February 2023

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their apprenticeship. Apprentices are signposted to specific resources to help fill those gaps and, in some cases, have individual training sessions when they are struggling with independent learning. For the remaining apprentices, there is too little focus on the development of English and mathematics throughout the apprenticeship. While skills are practised by apprentices, for example in the calculation of medication dose rates, their knowledge is not further developed with more challenging problems.

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Leaders do not effectively monitor the progress of apprentices who are at risk of falling behind. They do not use data effectively enough to be able to track individuals or cohorts. Leaders rely too often on assessor opinion on how well an apprentice is progressing, rather than the extent to which they are developing substantially new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Assessors are highly knowledgeable and have worked in several healthcare, early years and business roles. As a result, they can give careers advice to apprentices at progress reviews and when requested. Many apprentices progress on to higher qualifications or gain promotion following their studies. However, there is no impartial advice and guidance planned, and too many apprentices do not have a clear understanding of their next steps once they have completed their apprenticeship.

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There are no governance arrangements in place for apprenticeships. Leaders do not ensure that there is enough oversight of the provision to check that quality assurance is rigorous. As a result, key areas for improvement and updating have been missed.

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Leaders do not ensure that they have the relevant external contacts so that their knowledge and practice is kept up to date. For example, assessors have not had appropriate training on the requirements of end-point assessment. Their lack of confidence has resulted in delayed timely entry to final exams and, therefore, achievement for too many apprentices is low. Lack of safeguarding and prevent updates means that apprentices are not aware of current local risks.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all staff are qualified to support the safeguarding of apprentices. They have recruited a consultant to support the new designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and ensure that safeguarding remains a priority.

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Safeguarding

Staff benefit from appropriate training and development in all aspects of safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. The DSL ensures that there are appropriate policies and processes in place for the tracking of safeguarding and these are acted on rapidly. 7 to 9 February 2023

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Leaders have appropriate safeguarding practices in place. Leaders have put in place appropriate policies and procedures to ensure that staff know how to keep apprentices safe. They ensure that staff undergo enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks and that these are recorded in sufficient detail to assure staff’s suitability to work with younger apprentices.

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Apprentices know to whom they should report any concerns about their safety. They report feeling safe both in the workplace and with their assessors.

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Minor administrative errors in safeguarding documentation were rectified during the inspection.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders should develop robust processes to enable them to monitor the quality of education that apprentices receive and the progress that all apprentices make.  Leaders should ensure that there is sufficient opportunity for external scrutiny of quality assurance processes to ensure that systems, procedures and information are kept up to date.  Leaders should ensure that all teaching staff can develop their teaching skills through planned training.  Leaders should ensure that employers and apprentices have the same clear expectations about on- and off-the-job learning from the start of their apprenticeship.  Leaders should ensure that communication with employers to review apprentices’ progress is frequent and includes reviews of off-the-job learning.  Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is carefully planned and designed to ensure that all apprentices can develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

from their assessed starting points.  Leaders should ensure that the feedback that apprentices receive is effective in helping them to understand how to improve and is returned to them quickly.  Leaders should ensure that all apprentices have sufficient opportunities to help them develop their knowledge of healthy lifestyles, well-being and to understand local risks.  Leaders should ensure that all apprentices receive impartial careers advice on their next steps. 7 to 9 February 2023

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Provider details

Address The Fort Business Centre Artillery Business Park Oswestry Shropshire SY11 4AD

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Emma Wright

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 7 to 9 February 2023

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Information about this inspection

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

Helen Morgan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Debbie Whiston Ofsted Inspector Claire Beaman Ofsted Inspector 7 to 9 February 2023

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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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