BioGrad

BioGrad

Address: 61, L13 1HN Unique reference number (URN): 2761347

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have established an open and inclusive culture where most learners feel empowered to talk about any barriers to their learning. Lecturers use information from interviews, assessments and skills scans to quickly identify these barriers. They then plan bespoke support to reduce or remove them. Learners mostly get the help that they need to achieve their learning goals. For example, lecturers provide voice recording equipment and mobile phone applications to assist leaners who find note-taking difficult. Learners with physical barriers benefit from adapted resources to carry out vital practical laboratory work.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and lecturers have an accurate oversight of the progress that learners make. Leaders provide staff with suitable training that helps them review and adapt their teaching to provide the support that learners need, and reduce or remove it when no longer required. Learners mostly feel confident that they can overcome any barriers that they encounter.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders know the strengths and areas for development of their Skills Bootcamps. They have cultivated a culture of continuous improvement that means learners mostly benefit from a high-quality learning experience. Leaders have high standards and expectations for their learners to develop the key knowledge, skills and protocols that they need to be successful in laboratory environments across the science industry.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Since the new provider monitoring visit, leaders have established effective governance. Governors have an increasingly accurate oversight of the quality of the provision. They use their sector expertise astutely to provide the support and challenge that senior leaders need to secure a high standard of teaching and training for their learners.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders recruit scientists who are highly qualified sector experts. Lecturers hold degrees, postgraduate degrees and doctorates in biosciences across different specialisms. They benefit from individualised professional development that keeps their knowledge and skills relevant and at the cutting edge in their field. Lecturers new to the organisation shadow peers to gain role insight. They benefit from taking part in the Skills Bootcamps as learners before teaching on them so that they know what is expected. Lecturers mostly benefit from useful training to enhance their teaching skills.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders value staff highly. They routinely check on staff welfare and wellbeing and work hard to develop a caring and collaborative workplace culture. Leaders manage staff workload thoughtfully to promote a positive work-life balance. Staff are passionate about their work and proud to work at BioGrad.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Most learners complete their studies and achieve their learning goals. Most of those who are seeking work successfully gain employment in related fields. Many other learners progress to further study at postgraduate level.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Learners typically make significant progress from their starting points. They quickly develop new skills and confidence as they work towards the goals they set at the start of their Skills Bootcamps. However, in a few cases, the progress that learners make is limited because of their substantial prior knowledge.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Learners complete laboratory work to a high standard. Lecturers make sure that the work learners produce demonstrates the level of expertise expected in the sector. They establish and embed industry-standard health and safety expectations and protocols to supplement the professional laboratory skills that they help learners to develop. Learners are well equipped and well prepared for their next steps in education and employment.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders work with industry partners to design curriculums that develop in-demand skills in laboratories, specialising in stem cell research and genetic disease prevention. Learners are taught by highly qualified experts. Lecturers hold doctoral degrees and participate in ongoing professional development to stay up to date in their field. Learners benefit from lecturers’ insight and experience.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders accurately assess what learners know and can do at the start of their studies. However, in a few instances, lecturers do not use this information to plan teaching. In a few cases, highly qualified learners, with secure prior knowledge of parts of the curriculum, do not make rapid or substantial progress.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Learners mostly develop and enhance their knowledge and skills logically. They learn the protocols of safe laboratory practices that underpin industry standards. Learners gain an understanding of the theory behind essential laboratory techniques used for specific research and diagnostic purposes, such as polymerase chain reaction and pipetting. They learn how this relates to working with DNA samples and the potential consequences of inaccurate results. Lecturers provide learners with ample opportunities to practise and refine their practical skills.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Lecturers mostly help learners to enhance and improve their knowledge and skills. They break down complex topics into smaller, manageable parts. Lecturers use recap effectively to help learners remember what they teach. They consistently embed industry-specific terminology to prepare learners for the workplace. Lecturers provide learners with feedback on their work so that they know what they have done well and how to improve.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders and lecturers provide a welcoming and safe learning environment where learners feel valued and comfortable. Learners come from diverse backgrounds, including various professional, academic, and cultural experiences. Staff and learners celebrate these differences, fostering an inclusive atmosphere.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Most learners attend lessons well. Leaders have introduced processes to ensure high attendance. Staff contact learners on the day of absence to offer support, decrease the frequency of absences, and reschedule missed sessions. However, leaders rightly recognise that they need additional work to gain comprehensive oversight of attendance, identify any absence patterns and routinely share performance on this key indicator with governors.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Learners complete useful learning on safeguarding, the 'Prevent' duty, welfare and fundamental British values. They have a sound understanding of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. Learners benefit from contextualised learning about the potential dangers of the misuse of laboratory equipment and resources. They know how to report any concerns that they may have.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Staff provide learners with both generic sector and personalised careers advice and guidance. This helps learners gain a clear understanding of the opportunities available to them after completing their studies. Learners are typically well informed about their potential next steps and future career pathways.

p.4

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Most learners enjoy their studies. They learn useful knowledge and practical skills that prepare them well for what they want to do next, whether that is laboratory work or further study at postgraduate level.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners benefit from industry-standard laboratories, kit and equipment at both training sites. Lecturers are highly qualified scientists. They are diligent in preparing learners for a range of career pathways in, for example, stem cell research or genetic disease prevention. They mostly teach the curriculum effectively. Most learners complete their studies and achieve their learning goals. Notably, most unemployed learners secure employment after their course.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners facing barriers to their learning are typically well supported. They mostly disclose any barriers to learning before starting the course so that lecturers can make suitable adaptations to make learning accessible to them. Lecturers provide responsive and appropriately tailored support to meet learners’ needs, including any challenges learners face in completing course activities. Learners with barriers to learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with specific learning difficulties achieve their learning aims in line with their peers.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners benefit from an inclusive environment where all, regardless of background, are treated with respect by staff and peers. They feel safe and are confident that, should there be any incidents of bullying or harassment, these would be dealt with quickly and appropriately. Learners say that staff create a positive environment for learning.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners are well supported to attend regularly, and on occasions of unavoidable absence, arrangements for them to attend catch-up sessions are organised swiftly.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners receive useful personalised guidance on how to achieve their employment and academic goals, including CV preparation and support for doctoral degree applications.

p.5

Next steps

• Leaders should ensure that teaching staff consistently benefit from high-quality training to further develop and enhance their teaching skills. • Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is consistently well tailored to meet learners’ needs and that learners, particularly those with prior knowledge, consistently make extensive progress from their starting points. • Leaders should routinely analyse their attendance data to identify patterns and prevent absence or put remedial action in sooner where appropriate. • Leaders should make sure that they consistently and systematically review and adapt the support that they provide for learners. • Leaders should further strengthen governor insight and oversight of the quality of the provision.

p.6

About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

p.6

About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with governors, leaders, lecturers, learners and employer partners during the inspection.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

p.6

About this inspection

BioGrad is an independent learning provider located in Liverpool. BioGrad provides science- based Skills Bootcamps at a main site in Wavertree Technology Park, Liverpool and at satellite facilities at the University of Bradford.

p.6

About this inspection

BioGrad’s first cohort started their studies in March 2023. The Skills Bootcamps are funded by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington, and Hull City Council.

p.6

About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 11 learners studying Skills Bootcamps in laboratory skills, biotechnology and mammalian cell cultures. Learners attend full-time over 10 days. Teaching and training is principally through face-to-face classroom and laboratory sessions, with a small number of online workshops. Learners are mostly unemployed science graduates, and all are aged over 19 years.

p.6

About this inspection

Chief Executive Officer: Dr Natalie Kelly

p.6

Lead inspector:

Alastair Mollon, His Majesty's Inspector

p.7

Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

p.7

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

p.8

Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.8

Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

p.8

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.8

Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.8

Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.8

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8