3 Spirit Enterprise UK Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of 3 Spirit Enterprise UK Limited

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

3 Spirit Enterprise UK Limited is an independent learning provider based in Hemel Hempstead. They specialise in providing health care apprenticeships. Apprentices work as care workers, supervisors and managers in residential and domiciliary care settings. These settings include a residential care home for clients with dementia, a nursing home for clients with dementia and learning disabilities, and a drugs and alcohol misuse recovery service.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 58 apprentices. All apprentices are adults. Currently, 24 study the level 3 lead adult care worker and 22 study the level 5 leader in adult care apprenticeship standards. The remainder study the level 2 adult care worker and level 4 lead practitioner in adult care standards.

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Information about this provider

There are no apprentices in receipt of high-needs funding. The provider does not work with any subcontractors. 22 to 24 May 2024

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

Development coaches are very supportive and understand apprentices’ needs well. They foster a culture of compassion and empathy for apprentices working within the care industry. Apprentices, who work in high-pressure care environments, rightly value the flexible support they receive, and the training provided around their shift patterns.

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

Apprentices develop new knowledge and skills which they use to confidently develop person-centred care plans. Development coaches skilfully support apprentices to learn the intended curriculum.

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

Development coaches frequently check on apprentices’ welfare and discuss strategies to help support their physical and mental health. For example, they remind apprentices, who work on night shifts, about the importance of getting good rest between shifts and eating healthily. Apprentices have a good understanding of how to manage work-related stress and anxiety. They understand their professional responsibility to look after their own health.

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

Apprentices feel safe at work and in training. They know who to contact if they require any safeguarding or welfare support.

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better?

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum for apprentices. They have a clear rationale for the healthcare apprenticeship offer. Leaders have positive relationships with key employers which they use to inform the development of career pathways from level 2 to level 5. They provide apprenticeships that meet the skill shortages of care workers, supervisors and managers in the care sector.

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better?

The curriculum content is well designed to prepare apprentices for their different roles in the care sector. For example, the level 2 curriculum focuses on learning about the role of the care worker and developing the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours for providing person-centred care. The level 3 curriculum develops this further, introducing the concepts of team leadership, developing and supervising others undertaking care work.

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better?

Development coaches plan and sequence the curriculum in a logical order. They have used feedback from employers and apprentices to teach the communication topic first so that apprentices swiftly develop their professional verbal and written communication skills. This helps apprentices further build effective communications in more-complex topics, such as managing and resolving conflict.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have taken effective action to ensure that all development coaches have appropriate teaching and assessor qualifications. Most development coaches are now better equipped to use formative and summative assessment strategies to check and reinforce apprentices’ understanding. They 22 to 24 May 2024

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frequently revisit topics from previous sessions and, where necessary, appropriately group related topics from different modules together.

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Development coaches have appropriate sector expertise working in care homes, domiciliary or residential care settings. They draw on their practical experience to provide context and examples which support apprentices to understand key concepts and gain new knowledge.

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Apprentices are well supported and motivated to learn. Development coaches provide flexible one-to-one learning sessions outside of normal working hours to accommodate apprentices’ shift patterns.

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Development coaches accurately identify and support apprentices with additional learning needs well. Apprentices receive one-to-one support to explain key course content which helps them retain new knowledge. Further support includes suitable adjustments such as coloured overlays, extra study time and headsets for apprentices with hearing impairment. Most apprentices with additional support needs make good progress and feel well supported.

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Apprentices benefit from appropriate careers advice and guidance to support them with their next employment steps. Most gain promotion with their current employer or within the care sector. However, leaders do not yet plan wider careers advice and guidance to consider further or higher education.

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Most apprentices demonstrate the acquisition of significant new knowledge and skills with fluency and at the required level. Many produce work that meets the standards expected of the level they are studying. For example, level 3 apprentices can explain how to safely administer various types of medication, and their associated side effects. Level 5 apprentices have a thorough understanding of health and safety, and risk management policies and procedures.

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Development coaches do not sufficiently support apprentices to develop their wider academic skills. For example, they do not consistently ensure that apprentices use citations or referencing within their work. As a result, those who aspire to become qualified practitioners and undertake higher education study are not sufficiently prepared for this type of learning.

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Most apprentices who complete their training achieve well. Around half achieve distinction grades. Most pass their English and mathematics qualifications on the first attempt.

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Around a quarter of apprentices leave their course early. Leaders accurately analyse the reasons and have taken appropriate action. Early signs show that leaders’ actions are largely positive.

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Leaders undertake an array of appropriate activities to monitor the quality of teaching. This includes observations of teaching sessions. Outcomes from these observations are used to identify pedagogical themes and plan relevant training for 22 to 24 May 2024

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staff. For example, leaders challenge staff to include articles about major challenges and updates facing health and care in England in their lessons. Apprentices therefore benefit from lesson content that is relevant and based on current practices and expectations within the sector.

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Leaders closely monitor the progress that apprentices make. They have weekly meetings with relevant staff to monitor the progress that apprentices make. This gives leaders a robust oversight of the progress that apprentices make to complete their course.

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Governance arrangements are effective. Governors have a good understanding of the health and social care sector. They meet frequently with leaders to support them to take effective action to improve the quality of education and training that apprentices receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that apprentices receive wider careers advice and guidance to support them to progress to higher education should they wish.  Ensure that development coaches develop apprentices’ wider academic skills.  Continue to reduce the number of apprentices who leave their course early. 22 to 24 May 2024

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Provider details

Address 14 Maylands Business Centre Redbourn Road Hemel Hempstead Dacorum HP2 7ES

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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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 managing director, 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

Michael Worgs, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Ann Minton Ofsted 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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