Unitas

Unitas

Address: Diamond House, Vulcan Road North, Norwich, NR6 6AQ Unique reference number (URN): 2791027

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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 prioritise inclusive practices throughout their work with apprentices. They have designed their virtual learning environment so that it is accessible for all apprentices. Leaders have broken down activities into small chunks with features such as read aloud included throughout.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have suitable processes and systems in place to identify and meet apprentices' learning and support needs swiftly. They ensure that coaches receive training in approaches to support apprentices with potential barriers to learning, including special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders frequently review the effectiveness of the support put in place. Where required, they adjust their approach to meet apprentices' changing needs. When apprentices identify temporary barriers to learning, leaders and coaches promptly put support in place. This caring approach has helped to ensure that apprentices remain on their programmes.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff have systems in place to monitor carefully how apprentices are doing. However, leaders do not provide those responsible for governance with information about the ongoing progress and achievement of groups of apprentices such as those with SEND or other barriers to learning. Leaders and trustees do not monitor sufficiently the effectiveness of the actions that they take to support these learners.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are highly reflective with a sharp focus on continual improvement. Since the new provider monitoring visit, they have worked diligently to make improvements to their provision. They have listened carefully to their apprentices and use this feedback to make decisions that are in the best interests of apprentices. Leaders have introduced peer network sessions. These forums enable apprentices to share ideas and provide feedback directly to senior leaders.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Those responsible for governance have an excellent understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the provider. They are supportive of leaders. Leaders have ensured that they have a good mix of trustees with both youth justice sector and educational expertise. Trustees provide effective challenge and hold leaders to account. They have ensured that the apprenticeship offer is sharply focused on the provider's charitable aims and areas of expertise in the youth justice sector.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are considerate of the workload of staff and their wellbeing. Staff feel valued. They have appropriate forums to discuss workload and share concerns.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have ensured that staff undertake targeted professional development that meets their needs. These include an in-house designed accredited coaching programme that all coaches complete when they start working for the provider. However, there is not an ongoing programme in place to continue to develop the pedagogical knowledge and skills of coaches.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices make excellent progress from their starting points. They remain on their programmes and achieve their apprenticeships in planned time scales. Apprentices produce work of a very high standard. Their work draws on theoretical models and includes well- thought-through critical analysis. Apprentices apply their academic and practical knowledge with confidence. They confidently justify the approaches taken when planning interventions with young people.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices develop the skills that they need for their future careers. They learn how to produce in-depth assessments and professional reports when working with their clients and their families. Apprentices fluently apply citation and referencing techniques in their work. They are able to adapt their writing style and approach to ensure that it is effective in meeting the needs of their audience. This prepares apprentices exceptionally well for their job roles and for studying at higher levels.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have worked closely with employers and sector groups to design an apprenticeship that fully meets the needs of practitioners working in the youth justice sector. Central to the apprenticeship programme is a high-quality and very well-used virtual learning environment (VLE). This VLE includes an extensive range of learning activities based on contemporary research and current evidence-based practice in the sector. The level of academic rigour included in the apprenticeship extends apprentices' learning and gives them an excellent understanding of the importance of evidence-based practice.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Coaches skilfully help apprentices to understand complex topics. They carefully tailor their approach to the individual needs of apprentices, including those who need extra help. They work with the apprentices to break down tasks into manageable elements. Coaches use a supportive yet challenging coaching style to help apprentices understand the links between concepts. Apprentices understand, retain and apply knowledge fluently and confidently.

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Expected standard

Coaches provide comprehensive, high-quality developmental feedback to apprentices. This clearly identifies what apprentices have done well and how they can improve the standard of their work. Apprentices use this feedback to improve and enhance their work to a high standard over time.

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Expected standard

Coaches work closely with apprentices and their workplace line managers to coordinate and plan their on- and off-the-job learning opportunities. This ensures that apprentices receive rich work-based learning opportunities. When apprentices learn about youth custody, coaches work with workplace line managers to organise for apprentices to work with different teams to learn about this. This enables apprentices to apply their learning in the workplace.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices receive the independent careers advice and guidance that they need to help them plan their next steps. Coaches use their extensive experience to support apprentices who wish to work in different areas of the youth justice sector. They help them with finding relevant job shadowing opportunities. However, while apprentices benefit from individualised careers advice and guidance, they do not receive sufficient information on the wide-ranging career routes that apprentices can take in the social justice field.

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Participation and development Expected standard

During coaching sessions, coaches help apprentices to apply concepts such as equality and diversity to their own professional practice. Apprentices know how to ensure that they respect and meet the needs of their clients and families. They know the importance of making reasonable adjustments in their own practice.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders and coaches provide apprentices with a range of wider development opportunities linked to their interests and needs. Apprentices can undertake additional units from the provider's wide suite of online learning courses. Coaches encourage apprentices to watch webinars and read professional journals on topics such as victim support. Coaches become members of professional networks such as the Youth Justice Board. They have free access to professional journals.

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

Apprentices value highly the experience and expertise of their coaches in the youth justice sector. Coaches bring learning to life by drawing effectively on their own practice and experience to contextualise key theories. They design case study-based assessments that draw on authentic work activities. Apprentices undertake detailed analyses of offender behaviour. They understand the best ways to support young people's rehabilitation into the community without relapsing into further offending. Apprentices develop an excellent understanding of relevant concepts, such as attachment theory. They confidently apply these concepts to their job roles. They swiftly develop their academic writing skills and take ownership of their learning. This prepares apprentices effectively in order to undertake ongoing professional development in their future careers.

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

Coaches take time to get to know their apprentices and their work and personal contexts. This creates a trusting relationship between coaches and their apprentices. Apprentices are keen to meet with their coaches and to attend sessions. If they fall behind, coaches swiftly intervene to support them. This ensures that apprentices remain on their courses and achieve their apprenticeships.

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Next steps

• Leaders should strengthen their professional development programme so there is ongoing development of coaches' teaching knowledge and skills. • Leaders and governors should improve how they monitor the progress of different groups of apprentices. They should use this data to monitor fully the impact of the actions that they put in place. • Leaders should develop further their careers education programme so that it is fully embedded across the apprenticeship and apprentices understand the full range of employment available to them in the sector.

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About this inspection

Following our updated 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 leaders, trustees, coaches, apprentices and employers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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About this inspection

Unitas is an educational charity based in Norwich specialising in training people who work in the youth criminal justice system. At the time of the inspection, Unitas had 17 apprentices studying the level 5 youth justice apprenticeship. Apprentices were all aged over 18 and worked in local councils across the country. All learning takes place online. None of the apprentices were required to study English or mathematics qualifications. Unitas started offering apprenticeships in 2023, and this was its first full inspection.

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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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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.

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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.

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Urgent improvement

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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 .

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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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