Walbrook Institute London Limited

Walbrook Institute London Limited

Address: 8th Floor, Peninsular House, 36 Monument Street, London, EC3R 8LJ Unique reference number (URN): 2643270

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

Inclusion sits at the heart of leaders’ strategy. They take appropriate actions to reduce barriers for learners underrepresented in the financial services sector. Leaders believe that what is good for some learners with additional needs is good for all. For example, they provide apprentices with learning materials in advance of lessons and tell apprentices if they will be required to take part in group work activities in advance. This helps to reduce anxiety for some apprentices and allows others additional processing time for new information.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Since their previous inspection, leaders have introduced a more structured and thorough approach to identifying apprentices’ additional needs at the point of recruitment and at regular intervals during their apprenticeship. Through individual conversations, personal tutors build a rich understanding of apprentices’ needs and tailor their support to help apprentices to stay on track. They review and adapt the level of support provided during progress reviews. Apprentices who receive additional support produce work of equal quality to that of their peers.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have started to consider additional groups of learners who may experience a wider range of barriers to learning and progress, for instance those with no parental history of higher education. Leaders recognise this work is in its early stages, and there is more they can do to target support to apprentices who fall into certain categories of disadvantage.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders know well the strengths and areas for improvement of their provision. Since their previous inspection, senior leaders have taken important actions to resolve the problem of apprentices leaving early, once they gain their degree and chartered qualification. Their actions to restructure the apprenticeship have led to a substantial improvement in qualification achievement which is now a strength.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide precise and helpful information to employers about apprentices’ progress and work closely to understand employers’ needs when planning their curriculum. They have recently introduced a greater focus on ensuring that employers can offer apprentices work experiences that cover the full breadth of the curriculum. There are early signs that this work is improving apprentices’ experience, as they can more readily apply at work what they have learned in lessons.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders place a real emphasis on a positive staff culture and an appropriate workload. They are in the process of implementing a new electronic portfolio system, which will reduce the administrative burden on staff. Most staff feel that leaders are considerate of their workload and wellbeing and value the opportunity to work with their colleagues, whom they describe as inspiring.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff speak well of the training available to develop their sector knowledge. While there is training available to improve teachers’ pedagogy, leaders recognise that they could do more to improve teachers’ skills in teaching online lessons to ensure this is as effective as possible. Leaders have recently put in place a new governance structure, including a new board. While governors are fairly new to post, they have a broad understanding of the provider’s strengths and areas for improvement. It is, however, too early to see the full impact that governors will have in holding leaders to account.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Since the previous inspection, leaders have restructured their apprenticeship to ensure that apprentices complete their apprenticeship as well as gaining their degree and chartered qualification. This has led to a substantial increase in apprentices' achievement. Achievement rates are now high, and a relatively high proportion of apprentices achieve distinction grades.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Most apprentices produce work of a high standard.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Most apprentices are in banking and finance jobs that allow them to apply the knowledge and skills they learn to achieve high levels of competence at work. In the few instances where this is not the case due to the limits of apprentices’ roles, leaders are working productively with employers to broader apprentices' access to work that maps across the whole breath of their apprenticeship.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices are ready for their next stage of training or work. All who have achieved their apprenticeship have continued in their role or been promoted to roles relevant to their training.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have successfully designed an apprenticeship that meets the needs of those apprentices new to the finance sector, experiencing professional employment for the first time, and those more established in the industry.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders suitably sequence the curriculum, making sure that apprentices understand the regulatory framework in which they work and the policies and procedures that apply in the sector. Apprentices learn about financial derivatives and how they apply in a range of finance contexts, including hedging risk, before looking at how these apply in areas of innovation in financial services.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

During online lessons, tutors provide clear explanations of components of banking and finance to make complex concepts understandable. Tutors make effective use of case studies and weave current affairs topics skilfully into their explanations so that apprentices understand their impact on the value of options. Leaders recognise the need to train tutors to become highly skilled at teaching online and to move beyond exposition to deepen apprentices’ knowledge and enable them to make greater connections between what they are learning and what they do at work.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Personal tutors are at the heart of the education and support for apprentices. They make good use of reviews to host a professional dialogue about apprentices’ progress, and to set clear and achievable timelines for the submission of work. Tutors are highly diligent in tracking apprentices’ off-the-job training. However, personal tutors do not place enough emphasis on how apprentices could use online training resources during their off-the-job training time to deepen their knowledge or practise the skills they need to develop as identified through assessment feedback.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders set clear expectations for their apprentices’ engagement, attendance and behaviour. They maintain an oversight of apprentices’ attendance and discuss this frequently with employers. Learners attend well because they value their lessons and time with their personal tutors.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Through their taught personal development curriculum and discussions with tutors during reviews, apprentices explore themes including British values and equality, diversity and inclusion. Apprentices are challenged to reflect on how they have embodied and experienced these values at work, for instance how cultural diversity is celebrated in their workplace.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders have established an appropriate offer of careers advice and guidance. In planning for their futures, apprentices focus on the development of a wide range of professional skills and discuss their individual aspirations with advisers as required. Apprentices are taught how to develop their own professional brand and how to articulate their strengths to others, including potential employers. Apprentices appreciate the careers education they receive, but too few have received personalised advice and guidance that they would value in considering their next steps in employment and training.

p.4

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders recognise that they could improve their offer of social and community building activities for their apprentices, especially those new to the sector and who are in professional employment for the first time.

p.4

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

Apprentices, many of whom are in their first full-time job since leaving school, are highly motivated by the considerable demands of their apprenticeship, and by the work they do for prestigious employers in the banking and finance sector. They learn and gain confidence quickly and are rightly proud of the progress they make. A high proportion of apprentices achieve their apprenticeship, and many gain a distinction grade.

p.5

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

At the heart of the apprenticeship is the very well-conceived and expertly executed support from personal tutors. Apprentices feel fully confident in their tutors who guide them skilfully through frequent meetings. Apprentices participate in open, professional dialogue with their tutors, and feel free to disclose information that is pertinent to their job or studies, knowing that their tutors will support them to progress. Apprentices with additional needs are supported well and produce work of a high quality, alike that of their peers.

p.5

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

Apprentices value the teaching they receive to help them to learn often complex new knowledge about the financial services sector. They are grateful for the opportunity to ask academic tutors individual questions in order to help them to succeed when writing assignment submissions.

p.5

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

Apprentices have a sense of belonging to their cohort. They feel confident that they can speak to staff about any concerns they might have and that their feedback will be taken on board to make meaningful improvements to their apprenticeship.

p.5

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

Apprentices benefit from opportunities to learn about topics suitable to the cohort of mostly young professionals, including healthy relationships and taxation. They learn how to create a professional brand for themselves and how to present themselves to others as they establish themselves in the professional world of work.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders should focus on the development of teachers’ skills in teaching online lessons, and of personal tutors’ practice in making clear links between off-the-job training activities and the development of knowledge, skills and behaviours. Leaders should fully embed their new governance structure and ensure that governors are well placed to support and challenge leaders as they continue to improve the quality of their provision. Leaders should continue to enhance their provision for careers advice and guidance, to ensure that apprentices receive individual guidance that helps them to prepare for their next steps in employment and training. Leaders should continue to develop their understanding of barriers to learning experienced by different groups of their apprentices and take appropriate steps to help apprentices to succeed.

p.5

Team inspectors:

Rieks Drijver, His Majesty's Inspector Akhil Amlani, Ofsted Inspector

p.6

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.6

About this inspection

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

p.6

About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, governors, apprentices, employers, teachers and personal tutors during the inspection.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

p.6

About this inspection

Walbrook Institute London Limited (Walbrook), formerly known as LIBF Limited, is an independent higher education provider based in the City of London. Walbrook offers apprenticeships in financial services to apprentices employed in banks and other financial institutions.

p.6

About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 127 apprentices on the level 6 financial services professional apprenticeship. Most apprentices are school leavers, who complete a degree as part of their apprenticeship. A small proportion are graduates, who take an accelerated route. The apprenticeship is taught largely online, but a small proportion is taught in person on site in London.

p.6

Exceptional

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

p.7

Strong standard

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

p.7

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.7

Needs attention

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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