Dental Professional Education Ltd.

Dental Professional Education Limited Monitoring visit report

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

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Castle Mill Dudley West Midlands DY4 7UF Monitoring visit: Dental Professional Education Limited, 1 and 2 March 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision funded 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

Dental Professional Education Ltd (trading as Education for Dental) was established in January 2017. It provides commercial dentistry qualifications to local and regional dental practices. The company became an approved apprenticeship training provider in September 2021 and began providing its first apprenticeships in February 2022. The company has sites in Dudley, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. At the time of the visit, there were 34 apprentices, all studying the level 3 dental nurse (integrated) apprenticeship standard.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have developed an appropriate curriculum using their professional expertise and close contacts with local employers. Leaders recognise a need, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, for affordable and accessible training to meet the regional demand for qualified, registered dental nurses. As a result, local employers have a demand for qualified and skilled staff to meet their skills needs.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recruit appropriately qualified and experienced tutors, and they monitor the training that staff undertake to ensure that their knowledge and skills are current. Tutors use their expertise in dental nursing very effectively to provide well-planned learning activities that motivate and extend apprentices’ knowledge and interest.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put in place suitable governance arrangements. Governors are appropriately qualified and experienced in the education sector. Governors are aware of the key strengths and weaknesses of the provider. They hold leaders to account to ensure that the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship are met. Monitoring visit: Dental Professional Education Limited, 1 and 2 March 2023 Leaders and tutors routinely monitor apprentices’ progress. On the rare occasions when apprentices fall behind, tutors provide additional teaching to help them to catch up. As a result, almost all apprentices remain on track and make the expected progress on their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders do not ensure that employers and apprentices have a precise enough understanding of the requirements of the apprentices’ final assessments. As a result, they do not have a clear grasp of what they need to do to achieve their apprenticeship successfully.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors consider apprentices’ prior skills and experiences when they begin their apprenticeship. Assessment at the start of the apprenticeship is effective in identifying knowledge, skill levels and prior learning, which is used to plan the apprenticeship. However, assessment is not always used effectively to plan additional English and mathematics support.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers and employers have high expectations of apprentices. Apprentices are highly motivated. They confidently develop their knowledge and acquire a good range of clinical skills that are relevant to their job roles. For example, apprentices assist dentists to measure and record plaque indices and to take radiography images of a patient’s teeth while complying with oral hygiene standards.

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Reasonable progress

The standard of apprentices’ work is high. They quickly extend their vocational knowledge and develop the clinical behaviours and skills that employers value highly. Tutors and workplace supervisors provide comprehensive feedback, enabling apprentices to reflect on their learning effectively. For example, apprentices can confidently recognise the technical names and differences between good and bad bacteria and link this to oral healthcare.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors have strong links with employers, which ensures that apprentices receive very good support throughout their apprenticeship. Employers are closely involved in supporting apprentices’ skill development. They contribute well to the joint planning of learning for their apprentices. For example, they identify and plan opportunities for apprentices to shadow other healthcare professionals, such as oral hygienists and cosmetic and orthodontic surgeons, so that they experience the full range of dental nursing practice. As a result, apprentices quickly carry out more complex duties and responsibilities.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices routinely adopt effective safe working practices in their dental practice environment. For example, they use dental technology, such as the dental autoclave, to sanitise a range of dental equipment. Apprentices accurately complete safety logs Monitoring visit: Dental Professional Education Limited, 1 and 2 March 2023 and carefully adhere to biohazard protocols when disposing of hazardous clinical waste.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have not yet implemented detailed careers information, advice and guidance in the curriculum. Apprentices do not fully understand the options available to them at the end of their apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have suitable processes in place for reporting and dealing with safeguarding incidents. They have appropriate links with local external support agencies and understand the protocol for reporting safeguarding incidents or concerns. Leaders have appointed a designated safeguarding lead and deputy, both of whom are trained to carry out the role.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have suitable processes in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. Potential staff undergo appropriate vetting checks before commencing employment.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and well supported, and they know who to contact if they have a safeguarding concern, either at work or at the provider. Leaders and employers ensure that apprentices receive industry-standard training to adopt safe working practices in a dental surgery.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors embed safeguarding topics relating to the dental nurse profession into the curriculum effectively. Apprentices develop a sound understanding of their role and responsibilities. For example, they understand the need to report concerns about children with bruises and dental neglect, and they know how to recognise signs of coercion. However, most apprentices do not have a consistently well-developed understanding of localised risks to themselves and their patients. Monitoring visit: Dental Professional Education Limited, 1 and 2 March 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 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

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Reasonable progress

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

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