SCCU Group

SCCU Group

Address: Vll Orchard Court, 39Harry Weston Road, CV3 2TQ Unique reference number (URN): 2888967

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Achievement Expected standard

Teachers provide clear guidance and model practical teaching strategies, helping apprentices to develop confidence in their teaching skills. Apprentices apply these strategies when teaching their subjects. They successfully build routines, encourage positive behaviour and manage learning with increasing clarity and control.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices typically know how well they are progressing through their training. Teachers help them to reflect on their teaching, and apprentices can explain what is improving. However, some apprentices' reflections are not deep or precise enough, and a few apprentices do not identify consistently the specific areas that they need to improve.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders prepare apprentices well for their next stage of employment or further training. Teachers help apprentices understand professional expectations, fulfil their responsibilities successfully and move into full-time teaching roles with confidence.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices achieve highly, including those with identified learning difficulties and/or disabilities and other barriers to their learning or wellbeing. Many secure distinction grades at their end-point assessment.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious initial teacher education curriculum that is coherently structured and has a clear and credible rationale. The curriculum progresses from foundational principles to advanced, phase-specific practice. This enables apprentices to deepen their subject and pedagogical knowledge over time.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is informed by well-established and up-to-date research. Teachers model evidence-based approaches that apprentices apply confidently in their own settings.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders plan and sequence the curriculum purposefully. Teachers break complex knowledge and skills into logical, meaningful steps. They provide frequent opportunities for apprentices to revisit, consolidate and apply their learning. This structured sequencing ensures that apprentices can connect theory to practice with confidence. Leaders recognise the need to place greater emphasis on developing online pedagogy, such as designing and delivering effective online lessons, for apprentices who teach exclusively online.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

The curriculum successfully prepares apprentices to meet the needs of learners who face barriers to learning or wellbeing, including those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are known to social care or have caring responsibilities. Through well-modelled and guided practice, apprentices learn to identify barriers, understand the roles of key professionals and make purposeful adaptations that promote inclusion. As they progress through their studies, apprentices demonstrate greater confidence and skill in recognising individual needs and tailoring support appropriately.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders ensure that apprentices establish a secure understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. Apprentices know how to recognise indicators of risk, apply professional curiosity and take appropriate action. Training on fundamental British values and 'Prevent' duty further reinforces apprentices' awareness and confidence in responding to concerns. Apprentices know how to keep learners safe and what to do in the event of a concern.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Teachers deploy well-established, developmental assessment practices. They provide clear and precise feedback that enables apprentices to understand exactly how to improve. Apprentices routinely revisit earlier work, refine submissions and act on specific targets. They produce increasingly sophisticated work and improve their classroom performance.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Teachers and mentors generally demonstrate a secure knowledge of the curriculum. Most mentors understand their role and provide constructive support for apprentices. However, too few apprentices recall fully the feedback that they receive from workplace mentors. In addition, due to the limited number of joint observations of their practice by tutors and mentors, they do not receive consistently effective guidance on how they can develop their practice.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders implement an appropriate inclusion strategy to support apprentices facing barriers to learning. They collect data on barriers to learning at enrolment, considering specific learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the needs of care-experienced apprentices, as well as external factors such as gaps in employment or education. Leaders recognise that they do not currently analyse this information to identify overarching trends in participation and achievement to inform their inclusion strategy.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders share the information gathered at enrolment with teachers, who put in place clear plans to support apprentices with barriers to learning. These plans include, for example, supporting those with English as a second language to develop their English language skills. Teachers have identified that apprentices often teach remotely or independently and need clear strategies to support them when teaching. They take an ambitious, graduated approach to support apprentices in becoming self-supporting as quickly as possible.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders adopt a range of strategies to improve staff understanding of inclusion. Specialist teaching staff attend external training and disseminate this to the wider teaching team. Teachers are supported with time in team meetings to share experiences and strategies that they have used when supporting apprentices with barriers to learning.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of the initial teacher education curriculum. They use a well-established strategy of observing teaching to ensure that teachers model good practice in the classroom and intervene swiftly when they have concerns.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders work with a range of partners who, where relevant, offer alternative experiences of working in the post-16 sector, such as training providers and colleges. They also support employers in identifying opportunities that may benefit apprentices, such as personal tutoring in the Chartered Institute of International Trade and Export.

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Leadership Expected standard

The advisory board has significant experience in further education and apprenticeships. A sub-board focuses on the quality of the initial teacher education curriculum, where members hold discussions and provide challenge about training quality and contribute to the self- assessment report and the quality improvement plan.

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Leadership Expected standard

Staff, both full-time and associate, feel highly valued and part of the team. They feel listened to and able to have a positive impact on the business and their own roles.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of safer recruitment practices, and all their staff have relevant checks. They check that employers have completed suitable checks for the few apprentices who work with younger people.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders ensure that initial teacher education meets the compliance requirements.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that they consistently use all available information to inform self- assessment and their analysis of support for trainees so that they can continue to improve the provision beyond the expected standard.

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Next steps

Leaders should develop a more explicit strand of training focused on effective online pedagogy for apprentices who teach exclusively online.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that workplace mentors routinely provide clear feedback that apprentices can recall and use to improve their practice.

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen the quality of apprentices' reflective practice by ensuring that all apprentices can identify precise, actionable next steps that will refine their teaching to a high standard.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and provider staff set consistently high expectations for apprentices' professional conduct and attendance. Apprentices attend well, engage positively in sessions and show clear commitment to their learning. Through well-planned training, they develop a secure understanding of effective teaching practice and begin to grasp the subtleties of practice, such as building rapport, sustaining positive relationships and recognising how learners' experiences influence motivation.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Apprentices confidently seek support when they need it, and staff respond promptly. This enables apprentices to stay on track without affecting progress. The curriculum content closely aligns with workplace responsibilities, helping apprentices to apply new strategies in their roles and manage their workload effectively. As a result, apprentices grow increasingly confident in balancing their studies with their professional duties.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Apprentices do not experience bullying, discrimination or harassment and know clearly how to report concerns, should they have any. Leaders coordinate pastoral support well, and staff adapt provision sensitively when apprentices' circumstances change. However, leaders do not yet systematically evaluate pastoral support, and there is limited evidence that this evaluation informs ongoing improvement.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Apprentices develop appropriate professional behaviours and an awareness of safeguarding. They increasingly reflect on feedback, uphold professional integrity and build the resilience needed to succeed in the profession.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Apprentices develop a secure understanding of how to manage their workload and acquire practical strategies to apply in their daily roles. Teachers deliberately align apprenticeship

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Team inspector:

Mark Parton, His Majesty's Inspector content with apprentices' current responsibilities. For example, tasks such as designing new schemes of work are scheduled to coincide with workplace needs, reducing duplication and supporting effective workload management. As a result, apprentices grow increasingly confident in organising their time and balancing apprenticeship demands with their professional duties.

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Team inspector:

Apprentices successfully develop professional behaviours for teaching. They learn the importance of building rapport and positive relationships with their learners, and they use this effectively to motivate learners to commit to and complete their studies.

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Team inspector:

Apprentices are effectively supported in managing the demands of the apprenticeship. Teachers take apprentices' concerns about mental health and wellbeing seriously and adapt support sensitively when personal circumstances require it. For example, apprentices with significant family commitments over the Christmas period had their teaching and assessment workload adjusted, with tasks brought forward or rescheduled afterwards to ensure workload remained manageable. As a result, apprentices feel well cared for and can sustain their progress without compromising their wellbeing.

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Team inspector:

Apprentices know how to safeguard themselves as teachers and are developing the professional resilience needed to be successful. They understand the importance of maintaining sensible online protocols, including appropriate social media use, and uphold their professional integrity when supporting learners by clearly recognising what is and is not permissible within qualification rules.

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Team inspector:

Apprentices do not experience bullying, unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation. They know how to report any concerns and are confident they will be quickly addressed.

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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 to leaders, teachers, apprentices, workplace mentors and employers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

SCCU Group is an independent training provider. It currently has 20 apprentices on the level 5 learning and skills teacher apprenticeship, of whom fewer than 5 are also studying functional skills mathematics and/or English.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This 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 training. 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 training.

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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. 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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