St George's Hospital Medical School

Further education and skills inspection report

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St George’s Hospital Medical School Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Claudia Harrison, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Higher education institution

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Address:

Cranmer Terrace Tooting London SW17 0RE Monitoring visit: St. George’s Hospital Medical School, 7 and 8 June 2023

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Context and focus of the visit

St George’s Hospital Medical School was inspected in April 2022. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of the 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 the visit

Since the previous inspection, leaders have appointed and redeployed staff to increase management capacity and have established a new apprenticeship oversight committee. At the time of the monitoring visit, the provider had 13 apprentices enrolled on the level 7 advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) integrated degree apprenticeship, and six apprentices enrolled on the level 6 healthcare science practitioner (HCS) integrated degree apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers acted quickly to improve the systems they use to monitor apprentices’ progress following the previous inspection. Staff can now separate apprentices’ progress data from that of other students and they use this information well to plan their teaching. This has been particularly beneficial for apprentices on the ACP programme. Tutors for individual modules have clear oversight of apprentices’ overall achievement and progress. Administrative staff track overall progress well. They work effectively with academic staff when concerns over ACP apprentices’ performance arise. The systems that tutors and managers use for monitoring the progress of HCS apprentices are less effective. As a result, tutors are slower to recognise and support level 6 apprentices who are at risk of failing modules. Leaders and managers have implemented effective and sustainable quality assurance processes specific to their apprenticeship provision. For example, a new degree

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Reasonable progress

apprenticeship steering group meets frequently to evaluate the quality of education apprentices experience. The group’s members have a high degree of expertise. They follow up on actions swiftly and to good effect. The evaluation of the quality of the HCS apprenticeship is not yet as well developed as that of the ACP programme. As a result, there is too much variation in the pace of the improvements that leaders have made to the different standards. Monitoring visit: St. George’s Hospital Medical School, 7 and 8 June 2023 Leaders and managers have developed effective methods for reporting on the quality of apprenticeship provision. Curriculum leads and quality assurance leaders share with governors the good-quality, high-level apprentice progress information that they monitor and collect. Governors have the appropriate expertise to use this information effectively to inform strategic decisions about apprenticeship provision. Governors

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Reasonable progress

now have a sound, proportionate understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the provider’s apprenticeship provision.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, managers and tutors have developed better systems for ensuring that apprentices understand the components of their final assessments. For example, staff have added useful EPA resources to the university’s online learning platform. Apprentices on the ACP apprenticeship understand the requirements of – and feel well prepared for – their EPA. However, staff managing the HCS programme do not check often enough that apprentices understand the requirements of their EPA. A small minority of level 6 HCS apprentices remain unaware of the full requirements of their EPA. Staff use effective assessment strategies to help apprentices develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their EPA. For example, tutors teaching the ACP apprenticeship include practice assignments in each module. Tutors provide apprentices with helpful feedback so that they can improve their work rapidly as they

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Reasonable progress

approach their final EPA submissions. Tutors teaching the HCS programme conduct observations of apprentices’ practice in the workplace, giving apprentices constructive feedback that helps them to improve their clinical skills as they approach their final assessments. Apprenticeship staff do not reinforce apprentices’ understanding of the grades they can achieve consistently well. For example, ACP apprentices are aware of the high grades available, know what they need to do to meet the criteria for the top grade and can challenge themselves to achieve it. The vast majority of level 7 apprentices who have completed their final assessments have attained the highest grade possible. However, not all HCS apprentices are aware of the grades they can achieve.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have developed a more effective process of assessing apprentices’ existing knowledge and experience. This includes appropriate assessment and support for apprentices with additional learning needs such as dyslexia. As a result, tutors plan work that is suitably challenging for Monitoring visit: St. George’s Hospital Medical School, 7 and 8 June 2023 most apprentices. Occasionally, staff do not accurately assess the skills and experience that apprentices need to gain direct entry to the second year of the HCS apprenticeship. As a result, a very small minority of apprentices are on an apprenticeship that is too difficult for their level of knowledge and understanding. Consequently, they risk failing modules and not completing their apprenticeship. Tutors use their understanding of apprentices’ existing experience well to plan both classroom and work-based training. For example, tutors know which HCS apprentices

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Reasonable progress

do not have prior experience in respiratory care. They use their good relationships with employers to find appropriate placements in respiratory clinical settings for these apprentices. Apprentices thus learn relevant new skills and knowledge that have a beneficial impact on their professional lives. Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have developed a more challenging curriculum. For example, on the HCS apprenticeship where there are two pathways (cardiac and respiratory), apprentices learn about the pathway that is not their specialism. As a result, apprentices gain new knowledge and skills beyond their existing expertise. Leaders and managers plan to introduce an improved process for assessing apprentices’ knowledge and skills before they start an apprenticeship. There has been no recruitment onto either programme since the previous inspection, so the impact of this change on the quality of education that new apprentices receive

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Reasonable progress

cannot be evaluated. Monitoring visit: St. George’s Hospital Medical School, 7 and 8 June 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 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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