Averee Ltd

Averee Ltd

Address: 2nd floor, Titan House, Bishops Square Business Park, Bishops Square, Hatfield, AL10 9NE Unique reference number (URN): 2654171

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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 learnerss for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders and staff have created a positive culture where apprentices feel confident to disclose any barriers to learning or personal support needs at the start of the apprenticeship. Staff put reasonable adjustments in place to help apprentices overcome challenges, such as alterations to assessments for those who need assistance or extra time.

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Inclusion Needs attention

However, leaders do not have a clear process that enables them, or tutors, to respond to any new or temporary barriers to learning that apprentices may declare during their apprenticeship. In a few cases, tutors put in place informal support, such as for apprentices who require adjustments to their studies to help them manage symptoms of the menopause, but they do not routinely incorporate newly declared needs into support plans or arrangements.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not consistently monitor or record the impact of support interventions. This hinders their oversight of the effectiveness of the support they provide. They are not aware if support is having a positive impact on apprentices’ progress. They do not adjust support to enable it to be reduced or increased as apprentices’ needs change.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders ensure that staff receive appropriate training to understand what support is required for a variety of apprentices’ needs.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Since the previous inspection, leaders have not acted with the urgency required to secure rapid improvement to the quality of their apprenticeships. Actions that leaders have taken have been ineffective in addressing weaknesses of the provision.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders and those responsible for governance have a superficial understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They recognise the need to improve retention, achievement and the progress of apprentices who are beyond their planned end date. However, their lack of oversight leads to poor tracking of apprentices’ progress. Too many apprentices do not complete their apprenticeship in the planned time. Recent actions, such as providing extra mock tests, are too new to show any impact on apprentices’ progress and completion.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders have a vision to make learning accessible for the healthcare sector. They are currently rethinking their strategy and curriculum priorities, including if they continue to offer apprenticeship training in healthcare. Leaders' focus is to continue to support current apprentices' to undertake their training.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders are not held fully to account. The governance structure does not provide adequate support and challenge. Consequently, persistent weaknesses in apprentices’ training and the continued decline in achievement have not been addressed quickly enough.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders provide a range of professional development for tutors, but this is not sufficiently focused on improving teaching practice to improve tutors’ teaching skills.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders are considerate of staff's workload and wellbeing. Staff feel valued, benefit from fair caseloads of apprentices and appreciate flexible working arrangements.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of the quality of teaching. They do not check effectively that apprentices are receiving a high-quality learning experience. Leaders do not take effective action to secure improvements.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Tutors do not support apprentices effectively to help them catch up when they fall behind. Too many apprentices do not complete their apprenticeship on time. In a few cases, apprentices do not consistently receive their entitlement to off-the-job training. This slows their progress.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders work closely with a small number of employers to ensure that the curriculums are relevant to local, regional and national healthcare priorities. From employer feedback, leaders have introduced equality, diversity and person-centred care early in the course to support new apprentices in the care sector. This enables them to provide a positive contribution to the workplace early in their careers.

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Urgent improvement

Leaders provide useful resources, including self-study workbooks and podcasts to help apprentices learn. Tutors use monthly one-to-one sessions to check understanding and address gaps in knowledge.

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Urgent improvement

Tutors have suitable vocational experience. In lessons, they provide clear explanations and use effective questioning to help apprentices understand new topics. Tutors give detailed written feedback that supports most apprentices to improve their work. However, although tutors use accurate technical vocabulary, they do not consistently develop apprentices’ knowledge of technical terminology.

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Urgent improvement

Tutors do not provide sufficient training or support to apprentices to prepare them well for their final assessments. Too many apprentices do not fully understand what is expected of them and are, therefore, ill-prepared.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Tutors provide suitable careers advice at the start of the apprenticeship. Apprentices understand the next level of apprenticeship they could progress to. However, they do not consistently receive sufficient information about the wider range of roles available across the healthcare sector to help them make informed choices on other roles they could be interested in.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders set clear expectations for apprentices’ behaviour. Apprentices demonstrate appropriate conduct at work, including showing dignity and respect to service users. Although leaders monitor attendance to training, their actions to encourage and support those who fall behind to catch up are not consistently effective.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders provide access to a range of useful wider development resources, such as videos and podcasts on healthy relationships, healthy eating and sexual harassment. However, apprentices’ understanding of these topics is variable. Although they show a clear awareness of fundamental British values at work, including dignity and respect, a few apprentices are unclear on how they would work with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds or those with protected characteristics.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Tutors promote apprentices’ wellbeing well. They frequently check on apprentices’ wellbeing. They give helpful guidance on staying safe, recognising risks of stress, workplace demands and maintaining healthy boundaries.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Too many apprentices do not achieve their apprenticeship. In 2024/25, just under a quarter of apprentices achieved their qualifications. Apprentices make slow progress from their starting points, and many have not completed on time. Apprentices do not make sufficient progress in improving their English, mathematical and digital skills. Apprentices written English does not improve over time. Staff do not consistently correct errors, which means that many apprentices make the same mistakes in subsequent pieces of work. Staff do not consistently develop apprentices' spoken English, which limits their readiness for professional discussion at their final assessment.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Apprentices develop some vocational knowledge, skills and behaviours that contribute towards their roles. They write basic reports, record daily activities and read care plans to adapt support when client needs change. Apprentices’ work is generally acceptable for their level of study.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Most of the small number of apprentices who complete their apprenticeship remain in employment.

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

Too few apprentices complete their apprenticeship on time and too many do not achieve at all. Many are unsure about the steps they need to take to finish their programme and are not well prepared for their final assessments. Apprentices who have fallen behind are not supported well enough to catch up. Leaders do not set sufficiently high expectations for apprentices to make sustained progress, to motivate them or complete their work on time. This impedes their progress.

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

Apprentices who remain in learning acquire new knowledge, skills and appropriate professional behaviours for working in the care sector, including dignity and respect for clients that they apply effectively in their workplace. However, apprentices’ understanding of protected characteristics is variable. Apprentices do not consistently retain or apply what they have learned about working with clients from culturally diverse backgrounds. Although leaders provide resources to broaden apprentices’ development, they do not ensure that apprentices access and understand them sufficiently well. Apprentices' knowledge of these topics is limited.

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

Apprentices’ wellbeing is supported effectively. Tutors check apprentices’ wellbeing carefully and provide practical guidance that helps them build confidence and resilience. Apprentices can explain how they manage their mental health, and tutors deepen this understanding through sensitive, supportive discussions. Apprentices with barriers to learning are confident to disclose them and are supported well to overcome these barriers.

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

Apprentices feel safe in their work environments and while studying. They feel protected from any forms of bullying and harassment and know this is not tolerated by their managers or leaders.

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Next steps

Leaders should improve their monitoring of apprentices’ progress and intervene swiftly to ensure that apprentices who fall behind are fully supported to catch up and complete their qualifications on time. Leaders should improve their oversight of the quality of teaching so that they can provide an effective programme of professional learning to help tutors improve their teaching practice. Leaders should strengthen governance arrangements so that they are fully supported and challenged to secure improvements rapidly. Leaders should ensure that they identify and monitor apprentices’ learning needs throughout the apprenticeship and adjust support promptly as those needs change. Leaders must work with employers to ensure that apprentices consistently receive their off-the-job training time so that they can complete their apprenticeship successfully. Leaders should ensure that apprentices are fully prepared for their final assessments so

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Next steps

that they are well placed to achieve. Leaders should ensure that apprentices access and understand the resources provided to help them develop a consistent understanding of protected characteristics, cultural diversity and fundamental British values so that they can apply this knowledge in their work. Leaders should develop apprentices’ English, mathematical and digital skills more effectively, so they are fully prepared for their final assessments and the workplace. Leaders should provide apprentices with a structured programme of careers advice and guidance so that apprentices develop a broad understanding of the career opportunities available beyond their apprenticeship.

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About this inspection

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

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, quality managers, trainers, governors, apprentices and employers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Averee Ltd is an independent learning provider based in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. It offers apprenticeships in the healthcare sector. At the time of the inspection, there were 51 apprentices in learning, most studying on level 2 adult care worker, level 3 lead adult care worker and level 5 leader in adult care. A small number were studying level 4 lead practitioner in adult care and level 5 operations and departmental manager. Apprentices are all aged over 19 and based across England. Most training is taught online.

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Lead inspector:

Rochelle Saneria, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Sue Hasty, His Majesty's Inspector Lynda Brown, Ofsted Inspector

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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 Director of Apprenticeships: Uzo Okeke '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

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 .

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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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