Ensis Solutions Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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Information about this provider

Ensis Solutions Limited (Ensis) is an independent learning provider based in Leigh, Greater Manchester. It provides apprenticeships at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5, mostly for the health and social care sectors.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 164 apprentices in learning. There were 66 apprentices on the level 2 adult care worker, 64 on the level 3 lead adult care worker, nine on the level 4 lead practitioner in adult care and 20 on the level 5 leader in adult care. Fewer than five apprentices were following the level 3 team leader or supervisor, and the level 3 business administrator apprenticeships. Leaders plan to discontinue offering the level 3 team leader or supervisor and the level 3 business administrator and to only offer apprenticeships in health and social care. 22 to 24 October 2024

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

Apprentices demonstrate positive and professional attitudes to their workplace roles. They are passionate about, and committed to, providing person-centred care. This is because skills coaches teach apprentices the ‘6Cs’ of compassionate care. Apprentices adhere to the standards required in the care sector. Employers value the contributions that apprentices make to their organisations.

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

Apprentices are proud of the new knowledge and skills they gain to help them to look after people in their care. They learn how to conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation and what to do if a person is choking. Apprentices understand the importance of remaining calm and following procedures closely in emergency situations.

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

Too many apprentices fall behind in their training. Where apprentices fall behind, they do not receive the support that they need to help them to catch up swiftly. Too few apprentices achieve their apprenticeship.

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

Apprentices gain the confidence that they need to be proficient in their workplace. Level 3 lead adult care apprentices become confident users of digital software to record and share information about service users. Level 2 adult care apprentices gain self-assurance to take adults in residential care on day trips.

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

Apprentices feel safe and know how to keep others safe. They complete risk assessments when visiting service users in their homes. Apprentices wear gloves and aprons to protect themselves, and the persons that they care for, from contamination and cross infection.

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better?

Leaders have been too slow to rectify the areas for improvement from the previous two inspections, when inspectors judged the provision to require improvement. They have presided over a continued decline in the quality of education. This has led to very low achievement in the previous year. Leaders’ self-assessment of the provision is too positive. They do not identify accurately the reasons for apprentices leaving their apprenticeships early, nor do they put in place appropriate actions to stem the decline in quality of the apprenticeship provision. Leaders have not remedied weaknesses that have existed for several years.

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better?

Leaders and skills coaches do not ensure that apprentices make good progress in their studies. This is because they rely on apprentices teaching themselves for most of their apprenticeship. Skills coaches provide apprentices with assessments before they have been taught key concepts or topics. Apprentices rely on their own research to enable them to answer questions. Although skills coaches discuss these questions with apprentices in progress reviews, misunderstandings and gaps in knowledge are not always rectified. Apprentices make slow progress. 22 to 24 October 2024

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Leaders and skills coaches sequence apprenticeship learning effectively to prioritise the fundamental knowledge and skills that apprentices need to be proficient in their workplaces. Leaders and skills coaches provide masterclasses in equality and diversity, safeguarding, and restrictive practices with the intention of teaching apprentices these key principles. However, leaders’ expectations for attendance at these sessions is too low and too few apprentices attend. Leaders do not monitor apprentices’ attendance at these sessions or whether they have watched the online webinars. Therefore, leaders cannot assure themselves that apprentices have gained these skills.

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Skills coaches do not sufficiently plan and coordinate apprentices’ training in the workplace. Most employers are invested in helping apprentices to gain the knowledge and skills that they need to be competent in their roles. Level 3 lead adult care worker apprentices learn about local mental health services and how to ensure adults with limited movement are comfortable. However, skills coaches do not plan opportunities for apprentices to link theory to their workplace practice, or to further practise their skills.

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Leaders and skills coaches do not ensure that apprentices benefit from help to support them to stay in learning. At the time of the inspection, over eighty apprentices had paused their learning. Leaders and skills coaches do not ensure that apprentices benefit from help to support them to return to learning. This means that too few apprentices complete their apprenticeships on time or at all. Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of how many apprentices intend to return to their apprenticeship. Many apprentices contacted by inspectors during the inspection stated that they would not be returning to their apprenticeship.

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Leaders do not ensure that apprentices make sufficient progress in improving their English and mathematical skills. While more apprentices now achieve their English and mathematics qualifications on their first attempt, only half of apprentices achieve on time. Almost one third of apprentices are past the date by which they should have completed their apprenticeship, many of these because they have English and mathematics qualifications still to achieve.

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Leaders do not ensure that apprentices have a thorough understanding of fundamental British values. While leaders provide apprentices with a range of resources, including a monthly newsletter, they do not ensure that apprentices access this information. While level 3 lead adult care worker apprentices can recall the British values, level 2 adult care worker apprentices have a limited understanding of how these relate to their work and wider lives.

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Leaders do not ensure that apprentices receive structured careers information, advice, and guidance on the broad range of career options available to them within the care sector. Apprentices rely on advice and guidance from their skills coach or information from the newsletter. This remains an area for improvement from previous inspections. 22 to 24 October 2024

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Governance is ineffective. Leaders are not sufficiently challenged to bring about swift improvements to the quality of education that apprentices receive or increase the proportion of apprentices who successfully complete their apprenticeship.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Take immediate action to identify which apprentices intend to return to their learning and provide targeted support to enable them to continue with their apprenticeship.  Increase the proportion of apprentices who remain on the apprenticeship and successfully achieve.  Design and implement an appropriate functional skills English and mathematics curriculum and ensure that apprentices who require these qualifications achieve them in a timely manner.  Put in place effective quality assurance processes to improve rapidly the quality of education.  Ensure that apprentices benefit from structured and careers information, advice, and guidance.  Provide appropriate support for apprentices who fall behind with their studies.  Strengthen governance arrangements so that scrutiny and challenge leads to rapid improvements to the quality of education. 22 to 24 October 2024

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Provider details

Address Oakland House 21 Hope Carr Road Leigh Lancashire WN7 3ET

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Stuart Crosby

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 2 to 5 August 2022

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 22 to 24 October 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the 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

Zoe Ibbotson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Maria Rayworth Ofsted Inspector Emma King Ofsted Inspector 22 to 24 October 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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