The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire

The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire

Address: Carr Gate Training Complex, Bradford Road, Carr Gate, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 0QD Unique reference number (URN): 2654146

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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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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

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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.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders, staff and those responsible for governance foster a welcoming culture where difference is valued and celebrated. Apprentices share openly their needs or barriers to learning and are supported well to achieve and thrive in training and at work.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders identify any additional needs which apprentices have early in the programme. They screen apprentices for dyslexia and dyspraxia and explore any adaptations in place during previous employment or education. They identify proactively any barriers that emerge while apprentices are in training. For example, line managers monitor the frequency of traumatic incidents that apprentices experience in their job roles and action effective support.

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Inclusion Expected standard

A team of qualified assessors identifies and implements appropriate adaptations for apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work closely with apprentices, trainers and line managers to review the effectiveness of these adaptations. Together, they ensure adaptations comply with force policy so these can be used lawfully both in training and at work. For example, police community support officer apprentices with dyslexia use body-worn cameras to record, rather than write, lengthy text when on duty. Leaders recognise the need to further develop trainers’ knowledge and skills in SEND so support can be implemented swiftly and consistently.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have made targeted improvements to deliver high-quality apprenticeship provision. They track apprentices’ progress effectively and put in place timely support which enables a high proportion of apprentices to achieve in the planned time frame. Leaders have recently made changes to recruitment processes to support emergency contact handler (ECH) apprentices to understand fully the demands of the role prior to starting their apprenticeship.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have appropriate measures in place to assure themselves of the quality of training. They plan sensible actions to improve the quality of training. They share their sound understanding with those responsible for governance and escalate matters quickly to make changes where needed. For example, leaders and board members recruited additional coaches to support more ECH apprentices to remain on their programmes and achieve well.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure staff receive helpful training so that they remain current with their industry knowledge and skills. They provide precise feedback to trainers to enable them to improve their teaching practice. Leaders rightly recognise the need to ensure staff receive a coordinated plan of professional learning to improve their teaching skills and their knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and managers are attentive to the workload of staff. They provide extensive wellbeing support through, for example, access to trauma informed practitioners and peer mentoring.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and barriers to learning, achieve well. Since the previous inspection, the proportion of emergency contact handler (ECH) apprentices who complete their training and achieve has rapidly increased and is now high. Around a third of apprentices achieve distinction grades.

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Achievement Expected standard

Trainers very successfully develop the written and oral communication skills that apprentices need to be highly effective in their front-line roles. The small number of apprentices working towards functional skills English qualifications achieve very well. However, leaders recognise the need to support more apprentices working towards functional skills mathematics qualifications to achieve, particularly those who struggle with examinations.

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Achievement Expected standard

Supervisors value apprentices’ contributions at work. ECH apprentices respond to emergency calls quickly and with professionalism.

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Achievement Expected standard

Almost all apprentices remain in the organisation on completion of their apprenticeship. A significant proportion progress to higher level roles, such as despatch operators and police constables.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that training is of a high standard and meets the demand for swifter response times and increased neighbourhood policing in the region.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Expert trainers use their operational experience to plan the curriculums coherently. They use effective teaching strategies that build apprentices’ knowledge and skills in simulated, risk- free environments. For example, trainers use real-world scenarios to develop apprentices’ ability to problem-solve in time-sensitive situations. Apprentices later apply their skills confidently in the workplace.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers use a range of effective assessment strategies to check apprentices’ knowledge and understanding. They complete knowledge checks at the start of sessions and observe apprentices applying their knowledge and skills in role-play situations. They review apprentices’ workbooks accurately and provide helpful feedback that apprentices use to improve the quality of their written work. Workplace mentors work closely with coaches to plan on- and off-the-job training. Apprentices shadow staff in force incident management and district crime prevention teams. This enhances apprentices’ knowledge and ensures they practise their skills alongside staff working in the wider functions of the organisation.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers teach effectively the English and digital skills which apprentices need to succeed at work. Emergency call handler apprentices communicate professionally with callers and create accurate digital records. However, in a few instances, police community support officer trainers do not revisit frequently enough apprentices’ digital skills before they progress to the workplace.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff identify the support needs of most apprentices quickly. Where apprentices do not disclose needs initially, staff respond quickly and put appropriate support in place.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices have high attendance and are punctual to training. Staff monitor apprentices’ attendance carefully. When apprentices do not attend, staff arrange additional sessions so that apprentices do not fall behind.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff are attuned to the needs of their apprentices. They provide access to specialist support when apprentices experience traumatic incidents on shift. They use ‘wellbeing passports’ to track the adaptations in place for apprentices. This avoids the need for apprentices to repeat sensitive information to new supervisors when moving between districts.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices are well informed about the risks they may face in their job roles. They receive frequent updates from counter-terrorism teams about the risks posed by radicalisation and extremism. They are kept alert about local and national initiatives, such as strategies to reduce violence against women and girls.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders provide a range of opportunities for apprentices to contribute to the communities where they live and work. Apprentices can volunteer and contribute to equalities networks, such as women in policing. They understand the importance of social responsibility and proactively challenging discrimination through active bystander training.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices receive useful careers information to enable them to plan their next steps. Trainers and coaches discuss progression routes to more specialist or senior roles.

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

Apprentices are proud of the contributions that they make to their communities as emergency contact handlers (ECHs) and police community support officers (PCSOs) in West Yorkshire Police. They uphold the high standards of behaviour and conduct set for them by leaders and quickly become valued members of the workforce.

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

Apprentices, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and barriers to learning, achieve well. They develop the knowledge, skills and resilience to succeed in often demanding roles. PCSO apprentices work effectively alongside community teams to reduce anti-social behaviour in the neighbourhoods in which they work. ECH apprentices develop the resilience to sustain shift work, responding swiftly and professionally to emergency calls from members of the public.

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

Leaders ensure apprentices have time to focus on their training away from the demands of the workplace. Apprentices train in a dedicated, well-resourced training complex where they have access to a gym, wellbeing support, prayer facilities and social spaces. Leaders provide laptops to those who need equipment to study and quiet areas where apprentices can work independently or with their peers.

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

Apprentices thrive in their roles due to the care and consideration of staff. They work in a culture that celebrates diversity and promotes the wellbeing of all, irrespective of starting points and prior experience. This enables apprentices to share any barriers to learning that they may experience and communicate any challenges that they face in their often physically and mentally demanding roles.

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

Apprentices understand well the fundamental British values that underpin their work. They know to treat peers and members of the public with respect and dignity and to be tolerant of the diverse communities that they encounter in their job roles. For example, PCSO apprentices draw on the expertise of interpreters when speaking to citizens who speak English as an additional language.

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Next steps

• Leaders should implement a coordinated plan of professional learning to further develop trainers’ teaching skills and their knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities. • Leaders should improve support for the small number of apprentices working towards level 2 qualifications in mathematics so that they are prepared and confident to succeed in their examinations. • Leaders should ensure that all potential apprentices are aware of the demands and requirements of the apprenticeships they offer, so that a higher proportion remain on their programme and achieve.

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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.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with apprentices, line managers, trainers, coaches, leaders and those responsible for governance during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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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.

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national average

2021/22 S 53 S The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire is an employer provider based in Wakefield. Leaders provide apprenticeship training for employed staff in level 3 emergency contact handler and level 4 police community support officer. Training takes place at the provider's dedicated training complex in Wakefield. Apprentices are employed at police headquarters, contact centres and local police stations across the county. At the time of the inspection, there were 36 level 3 emergency contact handler apprentices and fewer than 5 level 4 police community support officer apprentices in training. All apprentices were over the age of 18.

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national average

Chief Constable of West Yorkshire: Sir John Robins 'This provider' and 'national average' figures are taken from the publicly available DfE achievement rates. Where the DfE have supressed the figures, usually due to small cohorts, this has been mirrored in the Report Card and will be shown by an 'S'.

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Year This provider National average

'This provider' and 'national average' figures are taken from the publicly available DfE achievement rates. Where the DfE have supressed the figures, usually due to small cohorts, this has been mirrored in the Report Card and will be shown by an 'S'.

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Exceptional

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

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Strong standard

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

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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.

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Needs attention

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

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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