Staffordshire Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority

Authority

Address: Pirehill House, Pirehill, Stone, ST15 0BS Unique reference number (URN): 2526613

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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 in the fire and rescue service provide an inclusive training environment. Their revised strategy aims to reduce barriers to entry and improve the support for apprentices, reflecting the changing profile of people joining the service.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders identify apprentices' learning difficulties and disabilities at the start of the apprenticeship. Managers work closely with apprentices to identify strategies to help them access learning. Trainers record this information in apprentice’s individual ‘learning passport’ which remain with the apprentices throughout their apprenticeship, ensuring support continues when they have completed headquarters training and move to their station.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The neurodiversity officer for police and fire brings significant expertise to the team and works closely with trainers and station managers to support apprentices in the varied and challenging environments in which they work. They routinely visit stations where apprentices with barriers to learning are based to check that strategies such as direct instructions and allowing time for decompression after attending high-pressure events are implements and are working.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders recognise the need to change and adapt the workforce to ensure that new talent can progress into leadership. Apprenticeships are at the forefront of this, with apprentices not only becoming competent firefighters but also progressing into roles as crew and station managers more rapidly.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have in place effective quality assurance processes. Station managers and the workforce development team at headquarters work closely together to monitor apprentices' progress carefully and respond quickly when apprentices fall behind. Station managers put in place effective actions to help apprentices catch up. This contributes to all apprentices completing their apprenticeships on time.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have in place a well-established internal governance process. Group management has clear oversight of the leadership and development team. The group board reviews progress against improvement plans and provides relevant challenges to leaders. For example, the board considered representations on extending the taught element of the course from 14 to 16 weeks, reviewing the cost implications and the impact on training and station activity, before agreeing to the extension. Station and headquarters leaders have an open-door policy for raising concerns. All employees and staff have access to counselling services, occupational health and wellbeing helplines. This helps staff to feel highly valued by leaders.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Station managers foster a highly supportive, inclusive culture at their stations, where apprentices feel welcome and valued. They set high expectations for all staff and provide effective support to help apprentices rise to these standards. Apprentices contribute to a strong team ethos and a positive working environment.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Apprentices routinely arrive on time and ready to work. If an apprentice fails to turn up to work or learning, leaders follow this up instantly. Apprentices have high rates of attendance at work and training.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders do not tolerate bullying. Apprentices report witnessing no such incidents. They trust that any concerns would be dealt with swiftly and effectively by managers.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Apprentices study the Fire Service Core Code of Ethics, which encompasses values such as leadership, putting communities first, diversity and inclusion, integrity and respect and dignity. These principles are reinforced through their assessed work and training activities. Apprentices' strong understanding of the code fosters their pride in belonging to the fire service.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders ensure that apprentices have a clear understanding of career progression. Early on, apprentices meet senior leaders, who set high expectations and share their own advancement stories. Apprentices receive ongoing advice about the wide range of career opportunities available in the fire service.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices have a detailed understanding of the requirements for their end-point assessment. Trainers ensure that apprentices produce relevant, high-quality evidence to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. This helps apprentices pass their apprenticeship, with about two-thirds achieving distinction grades.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop the English, mathematics and digital skills required for their roles as firefighters. Trainers teach apprentices essential mathematical concepts and provide instruction on completing operational documentation accurately. However, they do not consistently correct mistakes in apprentices' work, and a few apprentices continue to produce work with grammatical errors.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to become an effective firefighter. This includes evacuating unconscious people from upper-floor windows in a fire by ladder and how and where to cut a vehicle open to free trapped and often injured passengers. This prepares them well for their next steps as valued members of the fire service.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have implemented a well-sequenced curriculum. Apprentices initially learn about fire service ethics and standards. They progress from learning basic pumping and ladder skills to using breathing apparatus safely. This provides the foundation for apprentices to meet the demands and responsibilities of the firefighter role.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders do not routinely use apprentices' starting points to plan learning. Consequently, a few apprentices who have been on-call firefighters prior to the apprenticeship repeat learning in the initial 16-week training programme.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Station managers coordinate on- and off-the-job training effectively, carefully aligning planned sessions with both watch and apprentice needs. Apprentices participate in daily training, continually developing their skills in a supportive environment.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers use a range of teaching strategies well to help apprentices learn. They use observation and questioning to assess learning. In classrooms, trainers use short activities, visual aids, video training and peer discussions. However, a few trainers rely too much on the use of slide shows, which apprentices find less engaging and interesting.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers draw on operational experiences to reinforce classroom learning with well-planned practical activities. Apprentices learn the theory of safely navigating buildings, then do this at a training site. Apprentices practise and refine their skills in a safe training environments before attending real incidents, which helps them refine their skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Station managers routinely assess apprentices during training and live incidents. They provide thorough feedback to help apprentices improve. For example, during a car fire, apprentices incorrectly approached the front of the burning vehicle. The watch manager corrected this during the incident and subsequently discussed the potential risks and consequences of this, helping apprentices learn from their mistake.

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

Apprentices are proud to be firefighters. Leaders embed a culture of recognising high-level performance. Apprentices strive to get headquarters training awards, including the silver axe award, which recognises the best overall performance in the first 16 weeks of training.

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

Apprentices develop highly specialist skills tailored to each station's needs. Trainers run training courses at the headquarters, including animal rescue training, working with the local agricultural college to develop a mutual understanding of the animals they may need to rescue and the methods for rescuing them. This ensures that apprentices have the skills they need to support the wide range of rescues that they may be called to.

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

Apprentices work effectively in stressful working conditions. Leaders normalise discussion around mental health. Incident managers hold hot debriefs at the scenes of accidents to help apprentices manage traumatic situations. This approach helps apprentices maintain their mental health in stressful working conditions.

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

Apprentices maintain the required high level of fitness in their role. They frequently participate in bleep test training, ladder climbing and dragging people. Alongside this, they participate in sports events through ‘Fire Sport’, which includes swimming and running. These activities help them stay fit and develop new interests.

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

Apprentices contribute enthusiastically to a wide range of community activities, including employer visits to school and home visits to assess fire risks. This helps them to develop technical skills, confidence and the ability to work with the public.

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

Apprentices develop their skills in social media marketing and event planning. They plan and participate in fundraising events to support the Fire Service charities. These include car washing and park runs.

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

Apprentices have a well-developed understanding of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism, contextualised to their roles in the service. They understand how to keep themselves and those around them safe when attending potentially terrorist-related call- outs.

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

Apprentices have a well-developed understanding of safeguarding. They can identify risks and, in accordance with fire service protocol, report them to the station manager and local safeguarding board. For example, apprentices know how to report raising concerns about the living conditions of residents in houses that they may be called to.

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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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Next steps

Leaders should support trainers to use the results of apprentices' initial assessments to plan learning and improve apprentices' English and mathematics skills. Trainers should routinely use apprentices' existing knowledge and skills to tailor training during the initial 16-week programme, so that apprentices do not unnecessarily repeat learning. Leaders should continue to improve the teaching skills of trainers, so that all teaching is well planned and taught.

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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 training leaders, station managers, apprentices and trainers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The Staffordshire Commissioner has responsibility for the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. The service is led by a chief fire officer who directly reports to the commissioner. At the time of the inspection, there were 15 firefighting apprentices on the level 3 operational firefighter apprenticeship.

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About this inspection

All apprentices begin with a 16-week basic firefighting course at the fire and rescue services headquarters before being deployed to an operational watch crew at one of 33 community fire stations spread across the county. Station locations include Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Burton-upon-Trent, Cannock, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Tamworth.

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About this inspection

James Green: Group Manager Learning and Development This data is from 19 May 2026

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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

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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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