Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group

Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Andrea Machell, Ofsted Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider Address: Kennedy House 31 Stamford Street Altrincham WA14 1ES Monitoring visit: Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group, 4 and 5 October 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

Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group is an independent learning provider based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. It has been training directly funded apprentices since May 2022. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 27 apprentices enrolled on the level 4 apprenticeship in anti-social behaviour and community safety officer. All apprentices are aged over 19. The provider currently works with 18 employers. Of these, nine are local authorities and nine are community housing providers.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers offer one apprenticeship standard that has been developed with employers to reduce staffing shortages and to meet the development needs of staff who work in the social housing sector. For example, the curriculum includes the development of apprentices’ conflict resolution skills and how to compile a case for a court hearing.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that the tutors they recruit have the appropriate qualifications to teach their subjects. Tutors have extensive experience of working in the social housing and local authority sectors. Staff benefit from appropriate professional training, including for safeguarding. However, leaders do not provide training that helps tutors to develop their teaching skills further.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that tutors plan a curriculum with employers so that on- and off-the- job training are well aligned. This helps apprentices to consolidate their learning and improve their effectiveness in the workplace. For example, they learn about legislation relating to anti-social behaviours and how to apply for court injunctions.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders have an appropriate oversight of individual apprentice’s progress. Senior leaders meet with tutors monthly to discuss apprentices’ progress. As a result, Monitoring visit: Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group, 4 and 5 October 2023 most apprentices make at least their expected progress towards developing substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders do not use all the information available to them to rigorously assess the quality of education. Leaders’ plans to improve the quality of education do not always include clear and measurable improvement targets to monitor progress against.

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Reasonable progress

Governors have extensive experience of working in the social housing and local authority sectors. However, they do not have experience of apprenticeships to provide sufficient challenge to senior leaders about the quality of the apprenticeship curriculum.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors plan the curriculum in a logical way to build apprentices’ knowledge, skills and behaviours over time. This helps apprentices to recall their learning and apply it at work. For example, apprentices learn about the fundamentals of anti-social behaviours and safeguarding agencies before becoming competent in referrals and incident investigation.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop useful new vocational knowledge, skills and understanding and take on additional responsibilities at work. For example, apprentices independently deal with ‘cuckooing’ cases and put appropriate actions in place to ensure the safety and welfare of residents.

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Reasonable progress

Managers and tutors accurately assess at the start of the apprenticeship what apprentices already know and can do. However, tutors do not always use this information well enough to individualise apprentices’ learning. A few apprentices do not make the rapid progress they could.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors ensure that apprentices develop English and mathematics knowledge and skills and apply these to their job role. For example, they can write witness testimonies to a professional standard, a key aspect of their job.

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Reasonable progress

Most apprentices’ work is of a high standard. Apprentices receive useful feedback from tutors on their written work. They know what they have done well, and most know how to improve. However, feedback is not sufficiently developmental for a level 4 apprenticeship. For example, tutors do not encourage apprentices to develop their academic writing and referencing skills.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide information and training on the requirements of final assessments early in the apprenticeship. As a result, most apprentices know what they need to do in their final assessment. However, tutors’ feedback to apprentices following Monitoring visit: Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group, 4 and 5 October 2023 assessment does not always help them to know how to improve their work to achieve a higher grade.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders ensure that members of the safeguarding team are suitably qualified. They ensure that there are appropriate safeguarding policies and processes in place to keep apprentices safe.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders complete a range of appropriate checks when appointing new staff to make sure they are suitable to work with apprentices. All staff receive appropriate training on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders make appropriate records of safeguarding concerns raised. They record concerns about apprentices’ well-being and ensure that apprentices receive the appropriate support they need, including from external agencies.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe. They know who to go to if they have any concerns. Apprentices demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding topics, including the local risks from radicalisation and extremism and how it applies in their job role, for example, knife and hate crime. Monitoring visit: Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group, 4 and 5 October 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 looked after children, safeguarding

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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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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