Sapphire Logistics and Consultancy Ltd

Sapphire Logistics and Consultancy Ltd Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Steve Kelly, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent Learning Provider

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Address: Office 3–3a, First Floor Old School House Church Road Dudley DY2 0LY Monitoring visit: Sapphire Logistics and Consultancy Ltd, 23 and 24 April 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Sapphire Logistics and Consultancy Ltd was inspected in September 2023. 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 70 apprentices studying apprenticeships from level 2 to level 5. Fifteen of the apprentices were aged under 19. There were 43 apprentices studying on apprenticeships relating to childcare and education, 26 studying apprenticeships in health and social care and one apprentice was studying on a business administration apprenticeship.

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Context and focus of visit

There were 44 learners studying on adult learning programmes, including level 2 and level 3 certificates and diplomas in adult care work.

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Insufficient progress

Although leaders and managers have considered the recommendations from the previous inspection through their quality assurance processes, they have not made sufficient progress to rectifying these. For example, leaders and managers have not taken swift enough action to ensure that governors receive timely and detailed information about the quality of education that apprentices and learners receive. The information that governors receive is not sufficiently detailed enough for them to appropriately challenge leaders to drive improvements.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders rightly identify that they need to improve their use of information with regard to the progress that apprentices and learners are making in their studies. Leaders have recently appointed an appropriately skilled and experienced governor to help them to develop their information systems. Reports can now be easily produced to enable managers and staff to monitor apprentices’ progress. However, it is still too early to see the full impact of these actions. Monitoring visit: Sapphire Logistics and Consultancy Ltd, 23 and 24 April 2024

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Insufficient progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have not sufficiently reduced the proportion of apprentices that leave their apprenticeship early. Leaders have recently started to put measures in place, including a new process for tracking apprentices’ progress. They meet with development coaches frequently to ensure they implement action plans to support apprentices who are falling behind. However, although improving, too many apprentices do not successfully complete their apprenticeship.

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Insufficient progress

Staff have improved the way early years apprentices are prepared for their end-point assessment (EPA). Staff inform early years apprentices about the requirements of their EPA at the start of their apprenticeship and regularly revisit this in lessons. Staff provide apprentices with mock assessments and detailed feedback as to how they can achieve merit or distinction grades. As a result, early years apprentices are now better prepared and are able to manage their workload in preparation for their assessment. However, health and social care apprentices have not yet benefited from these changes due to staffing issues in the subject. As a result, too many health and social care apprentices fall behind with their studies or do not achieve on time.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have made insufficient progress in ensuring learners and apprentices benefit from high-quality education. Leaders rightly recognise that they have been too slow to ensure that the health and social care apprentices benefit from regular and well-planned teaching. Too often, apprentices experience changes in teaching staff. Health and social care apprentices go too long without receiving any teaching in their main subject area. As a result, too many apprentices leave their apprenticeship early or fall behind in their studies.

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Insufficient progress

Development coaches gather information about what early years apprentices already know and can do at the start of their apprenticeship. They then use this information to tailor the curriculum to meet individual apprentices’ learning needs to build upon their prior knowledge and skills. However, this improvement has yet to extend to health and social care apprentices or adult learners to enable them to track and demonstrate their individual progress. Monitoring visit: Sapphire Logistics and Consultancy Ltd, 23 and 24 April 2024 Since the previous inspection, leaders have taken action to improve the quality of the teaching that early years apprentices receive. They have recently employed staff who are experts within their subject, and this has led to improvements in the quality of teaching and the work that early years apprentices complete. Apprentices demonstrate a deeper understanding of child psychology and demonstrate their

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Insufficient progress

newly acquired knowledge in the workplace, including how positive reward systems are used to reinforce children’s behaviour and how classroom environments affect those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Insufficient progress

Development coaches provide apprentices studying early years with feedback that tells them what they have done well and how to improve. Apprentices use this information to develop their understanding further. For example, development coaches’ feedback on mathematical equations helps apprentices to improve their problem-solving skills. However, adult learners and health and social care apprentices do not receive timely developmental feedback to help them to improve their work.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to ensure that younger apprentices learn about healthy relationships outside of their workplace. Development coaches have recently updated learning resources to include further guidance on coercive control and abuse, as well as signposting apprentices to helplines. However, development coaches do not regularly recap and check apprentices’ understanding. As a result, apprentices cannot confidently recall any training they have received on how to identify and manage unhealthy relationships.

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Insufficient progress

Early years apprentices recognise that they have been taught how to maintain and develop healthy relationships with the children and parents they work with; however, they cannot relate this to their personal lives. Monitoring visit: Sapphire Logistics and Consultancy Ltd, 23 and 24 April 2024 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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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient 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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