The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire

The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Malcolm Fraser, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Address: Carr Gate Training Complex Bradford Road Carr Gate Wakefield WF2 0QD Monitoring visit: The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, 14 and 15 August 2024

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Context and focus of visit

The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire was inspected in July 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

Leaders place new staff onto a number of different apprenticeship standards to provide the training needed for their jobs. All but two of these standards are delivered for the force by other training providers. The force has a direct funding contract to deliver the level 3 emergency contact handler (ECH) and the level 4 police community support officer (PCSO) apprenticeship standards.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders immediately established a ‘gold’ oversight board, chaired by an Assistant Chief Constable, to oversee the implementation of an action plan to address the weaknesses identified at the inspection. A key action was to establish more effective governance and accountability procedures. This has ensured that senior leaders now have access to timely and accurate information about weaknesses in the provision.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders have taken action to address a self-assessed weakness in organisational attitudes towards apprenticeships. With a senior leader from the Chief Officer Team now overseeing the apprenticeship provision at a strategic level, leaders of the apprenticeship provision are better able to ensure that leaders in operational teams within districts and departments where apprentices learn and work understand their responsibilities relating to apprentices’ learning and progress. However, this remains an ongoing challenge, with a few operational team leaders on the PCSO standard regarding apprentices only as an additional resource.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have increased the number of trainers and provided all trainers with additional training to support them in their roles. Training and quality assurance of trainers’ and assessors’ work is carried out by the force’s central training and quality team. Trainers’ development needs are swiftly communicated to leaders of the apprenticeship provision so that necessary support can be provided. Monitoring visit: The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, 14 and 15 August 2024 To address weaknesses in the progress that apprentices were making, leaders established five full-time apprentice coach positions for the ECH standard and allocated eight assessors from the force’s central assessment unit to support PCSO apprentices. These staff have added significant capacity to ensure that apprentices receive the support they need to make good progress. They quickly identify any apprentices who are struggling with the programme and ensure that leaders are

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Reasonable progress

Since the inspection, leaders have taken a range of actions to support apprentices more effectively and to maintain a closer overview of the progress that apprentices make in gaining the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to achieve. As a result, the proportion of apprentices who have remained on the programme and passed the end-point assessment (EPA) on the ECH apprenticeship has increased substantially in the year since the inspection. Just over a third of those who passed the EPA achieved a distinction. At the time of this monitoring visit, none of the PCSO apprentices had reached their planned end date, but a high proportion have remained on the programme and a few have made sufficient progress to begin preparing for the EPA.

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Reasonable progress

The establishment of the roles of apprentice coaches and assessors has improved the support available to apprentices in their workplace. Coaches and assessors lead apprentices’ progress reviews and identify and put in place any actions necessary to support apprentices who fall behind target or experience personal or learning-related issues that impact negatively on their progress or lead to them dropping out of the programme.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers now have access to timely and accurate data about apprentices’ start and planned end dates, those who have gone beyond the planned end date and the proportion who achieve the apprenticeship. They receive detailed information from coaches and assessors about apprentices who are receiving additional support or targeted intervention because they are at risk of falling behind. However, leaders do not yet have access to timely data to assure themselves that the proportion of apprentices who achieve within the planned timeframe is improving. They have plans in place to address this through the purchase of a proprietary apprenticeship management information system. Monitoring visit: The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, 14 and 15 August 2024

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Reasonable progress

Leaders implemented a much more comprehensive process for tracking apprentices’ progress following the inspection. Mentors and assessors review and assess the progress that apprentices are making on a weekly basis. If apprentices are at risk of falling behind schedule or are struggling with aspects of their learning, staff agree actions necessary such as providing apprentices with additional time to study while at work with the apprentice and their supervisors. They update tracking records so that leaders are aware of actions being taken and any risks to apprentices’ progress.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have strengthened the procedures for apprentices’ formal progress reviews, emphasising to apprentices and their managers that these are an important tool to assess and confirm apprentices’ progress. Mentors and assessors ensure that reviews focus well on assessing progress and that the apprentice and their supervisor are aware of any actions required to support further progress. In a few cases, supervisors of PCSO apprentices do not attend progress reviews due to operational commitments. However, staff ensure that they contribute their views and confirm that they are aware of actions that they need to take.

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Reasonable progress

As a result of the increased numbers of apprentice coaches and assessors that leaders have recruited, apprentices have much-improved access to face-to-face support in their workplace. Coaches and assessors have a good understanding of the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need to gain. They assess apprentices’ progress in gaining these on a regular basis. They ask probing questions, providing apprentices with helpful feedback so they know how to improve and make progress. On the PCSO apprenticeship, assessors challenge apprentices to use the specialist knowledge and skills they are gaining by explaining their decision- making process in challenging scenarios. On the ECH standard, coaches assess how well apprentices act ethically and professionally when dealing with the public.

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Reasonable progress

Since the inspection, leaders have reinforced with trainers the importance of supporting apprentices to improve their written English skills. They have also provided training to help staff to be more effective in providing this support.

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Reasonable progress

Staff now pay more attention to spelling and grammar when reviewing and assessing apprentices’ written work, whereas they previously focused primarily on the content. They highlight errors to apprentices and support them to make improvements. Monitoring visit: The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, 14 and 15 August 2024 Staff reinforce with apprentices that good written English is an essential professional skill needed for their future roles in the force. Staff support apprentices on the ECH standard to improve the quality of their written English when writing call logs and email responses to members of the public, their supervisors and colleagues. During the initial 12-week training block for apprentices on the PCSO standard, trainers teach apprentices to produce well-written, accurate statements to the standards that would be required in a court of law.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have taken effective steps to ensure that staff now follow up swiftly on the outcomes of apprentices’ initial assessments if these highlight any additional support needs, such as for apprentices who have dyslexia. Staff put support plans in place at the start of apprentices’ programmes. The recruitment of new staff has reduced the number of apprentices that each member of staff is allocated to support, which has contributed to enabling support plans to be developed more quickly. Support plans identify actions and reasonable adjustments, including those that would help apprentices to make improvements in their written English. Monitoring visit: The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, 14 and 15 August 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

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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