Dianthas Ltd

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Apprenticeships Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Information about this provider

Dianthas Ltd is an independent learning provider based in Birkenhead on the Wirral. It specialises in education and training for apprentices who work in the care sector. All apprentices are based in the North West of England. At the time of the inspection, there were 93 apprentices on six standards-based apprenticeships at levels 2 to 5. There were 15 apprentices on the level 2 adult care, 21 on the level 3 lead adult care worker, 23 on the level 4 children, young people and families practitioner (CYPFP), 15 on the level 4 lead practitioner in adult care, and 13 on the level 5 leader in adult care apprenticeships. Less than 5 apprentices follow the level 5 children, young people and families manager apprenticeship. Most apprentices were aged over 19 years. 22 to 24 May 2024

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

Most apprentices are motivated to achieve their apprenticeship. They develop substantial new knowledge skills and behaviours and enjoy applying new learning to the workplace. CYPFP apprentices learn about risk assessment. They review and amend the risk assessments in the workplace to mitigate risks to children and young people.

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

Apprentices develop their confidence and resilience because of the training that they receive. Level 3 adult care worker apprentices develop the confidence to become advocates for their residents. They swiftly report issues to their line managers if residents’ care plans are not correct. Apprentices develop the confidence to encourage their clients to become more independent. For example, they encourage clients to carry out household tasks such as washing up instead of completing this task for them.

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

Apprentices do not benefit from wider personal development opportunities. The curriculum does not extend beyond the apprenticeship. Leaders do not ensure that apprentices have access to opportunities that will support their wider interests or talents.

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

Apprentices feel safe in learning and in the workplace. They take their safeguarding duties at work very seriously. Apprentices know the signs to spot if their elderly clients are at risk of financial or physical abuse. For example, they monitor the use of elderly residents’ bank cards by their relatives to ensure that residents are making decisions over what they buy, if they have the capacity to do so.

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better?

Since the monitoring visit, leaders have had a high turnover of staff. Most of the tutors employed at the time of the visit have now left the organisation. Where leaders identified issues with a few tutors’ performance, they used performance management systems to support and improve tutors’ skills. However, leaders were too slow to take appropriate steps when performance did not improve. This means that a few apprentices did not experience a high quality of education for a period of time.

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better?

The curriculums are planned in a logical order. Apprentices first learn about the importance of their own personal development in care settings and the responsibilities of care workers. They then move on to more challenging topics such as safeguarding and protection, equality and inclusion and, person-centred care. This helps to build apprentices' confidence over time, particularly those apprentices who have been out of education for some time.

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better?

Tutors do not use information gathered at the start of the apprenticeship to design an ambitious curriculum. Tutors do not consistently use the results of assessments to inform the content of the curriculum, assessment or feedback. For example, most 22 to 24 May 2024

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lead adult care apprentices choose to complete the least challenging assignments. This means that they do not develop their academic writing skills to prepare them for their next steps. Apprentices that need to develop aspects of their writing, such as sentence structures, are not given sufficient feedback on their written work to improve. This means that apprentices continue to make the same errors.

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Apprentices do not attend their training regularly enough. They do not always attend sessions due to staffing pressures in the workplace. Although apprentices can catch- up on their missed learning by watching workshop recordings, leaders do not formally monitor this or check that apprentices have understood the lesson content. This limits the progress that apprentices make on their apprenticeship.

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Tutors do not sufficiently plan and coordinate apprentices’ on- and off-the-job training. They do not always involve employers in planning apprentices’ training in the workplace. Most employers do not know the progress that their apprentices are making. As a result, apprentices do not always swiftly apply what they learn during their training in the workplace.

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Tutors present information clearly and work effectively with apprentices on an individual basis to improve their confidence and aptitude with mathematics. They set relevant, well-contextualised examples suitable for adults. For example, apprentices practise subtractions and additions with data from a fictional bank account. CYPFP apprentices benefit from bi-weekly functional skills maths sessions. They apply their mathematical skills well in the workplace, for example, ensuring they provide the correct dosage of medication. Most apprentices achieve their English and mathematics qualifications at their first attempt.

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Tutors' written feedback to apprentices following assessment varies significantly. Feedback is often generic and does not inform apprentices of what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. Apprentices do not always improve their work to the highest standard that they could

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Apprentices who have additional learning needs are supported effectively. Apprentices with dyslexia have additional support sessions and tutors use coloured paper so that they can read materials more easily. Apprentices find the extra support they receive to be very beneficial and motivational.

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Apprentices receive useful careers information, advice and guidance from their tutors. They learn about their next steps such as progression to a team leader, residential care home manager or moving into social work. Apprentices know about opportunities for further education and training. They discuss alternative roles such as supporting care workers in a coordinators role and progressing to higher level qualifications.

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Leaders’ quality systems and improvement processes are not rigorous or robust enough to enable them to identify or quickly rectify areas for improvement. Leaders have not accurately identified some of the weaknesses identified by the inspection 22 to 24 May 2024

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team. Most of the weaknesses from the last inspection remain. As a result, there is too much inconsistency in the quality of education that apprentices receive.

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Where leaders have made improvements, this has had a beneficial impact on apprentices. For example, leaders have introduced new onboarding processes that has improved the recruitment of apprentices and reduced the number of apprentices leaving their apprenticeship early.

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Senior leaders do not provide governors with useful reports. Governors identified that the reports they receive do not provide them with sufficient information to provide effective scrutiny and challenge on all aspects of the quality of education that apprentices receive. As a result, improvements have been too slow.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Improve attendance to workshop sessions.  Use information on apprentices’ starting points to plan an ambitious curriculum.  Ensure that employers are routinely involved in the planning and coordination of on- and-off-the-job training to support apprentices to apply the skills they have developed in the workplace.  Improve feedback following assessments so that apprentices know what they need to do to improve their work.  Strengthen quality assurance and improvement processes so that leaders make swift progress to improve apprentices’ learning experience.  Provide accurate and useful reports to the board so that the board can provide effective scrutiny and challenge.  Ensure that apprentices benefit from a wider curriculum that extends beyond their apprenticeship. 22 to 24 May 2024

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Provider details

Address Unit 62-64 Woodside Business Centre Birkenhead CH41 1EL

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Mandy Connick

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 29 November–1 December 2021

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 22 to 24 May 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the development manager 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

Alison Humphreys, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector Helen Whelan His Majesty's Inspector Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones His Majesty's Inspector 22 to 24 May 2024

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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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