Meat East Anglia Trades (Ipswich) Limited

Meat East Anglia Trades (Ipswich) Limited

Address: 11a Hillview Business Park, Old Ipswich Road, Claydon, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 0AJ Unique reference number (URN): 53290

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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 have established an inclusive culture, where apprentices feel supported to thrive and achieve, regardless of their background or needs. Staff build positive, open relationships with apprentices, so they understand their needs. This encourages and enables apprentices to ask for support and guidance when they need it.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have put in place processes to understand apprentices’ barriers to learning and support needs at the start of apprenticeship programmes. At enrolment, staff ask whether apprentices are care leavers, have an education, health and care plan or have any additional needs. Trainers and learning support officers (LSOs) are quick to get to know and understand apprentices. Staff notice changes in apprentices’ behaviour during training, which sometimes identifies undisclosed or undiagnosed barriers to learning. Staff use this information effectively to provide individualised support that helps apprentices make the progress expected of them.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Trainers and LSOs maintain frequent contact with apprentices, which is more frequent for those with more significant needs. Staff informally review and adapt support to meet any changing or emerging needs. Apprentices are supported effectively if they experience difficulties in their professional or personal lives.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses of their provision and take appropriate action to tackle them. They use quality assurance processes effectively to monitor the standard of teaching and assessment.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Managers and trainers frequently review and adapt teaching methods and curriculum content. They have introduced end-of-unit reflective sessions for trainers and amended the sequencing of the level 3 butchery course. This enables apprentices to understand better local demographics before planning and making products to meet customer demand.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders act in apprentices' best interests and have invested in new training resources, such as a walk-in cold room and commercial oven. They provide laptops, butchery knives and personal protective equipment for apprentices, if apprentices need them.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure that governors have significant industry and education experience. Regular governor meetings focus on performance and quality improvement. Governors understand the quality of provision and provide effective support and challenge. However, recent personnel changes means that there is a lack of expertise among governors about quality assurance of apprenticeships.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders value their staff. They demonstrate this through frequent communication and consideration of staff wellbeing. Leaders offer trainers benefits, such as access to company vehicles. Leaders engage well with employers and stakeholders, adding relevance to the butchery and fishmonger curriculums. They adapt curriculum content to meet diverse employer needs and understand different workplace demographics. Leaders develop bespoke apprenticeship courses for large national wholesale companies, which supply restaurants and bars with produce.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure that trainers' professional development meets industry needs, with trainers attending industry updates and events, including farm visits and international colleges. They support trainers to achieve relevant teaching and industry qualifications, with some trainers attaining the prestigious Master Butcher accreditation.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most apprentices, including those with barriers to learning, complete their apprenticeships within planned timeframes. Overall, achievement rates are substantially above national rates. However, only a small proportion of level 2 butcher apprentices receive distinction or excellence grades, and too few apprentices studying level 2 mathematics achieve their qualifications.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices make sustained progress from their starting points. Level 2 butchery apprentices quickly develop their butchery skills. They develop their skills in making sausages and other products. As well as their technical butchery skills, apprentices develop their confidence and skills in working with members of the public. Level 3 apprentices become skilled at risk management and health and safety audits. They gain a much broader understanding of the whole production line.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices’ work is mostly of the expected or better standard. Occasionally, theoretical work includes information that is not referenced appropriately.

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Achievement Expected standard

On completion, apprentices go on to positive destinations. Most remain in butchery, working for the same employer, and receive promotions or pay increases.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have designed relevant and highly specialised butchery and fishmonger apprenticeships. They have adapted the curriculum content and sequence to meet employers’ needs. Following feedback from larger levy-paying employers, leaders have introduced customer advice skills development for specialist menus, from street cafes to Michelin-starred restaurants. Apprentices develop expertise and confidence to deal with a range of customers in the diverse environments where they work.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Apprentices are taught butchery skills effectively by experienced trainers. Trainers use demonstration skilfully to show apprentices how to carry out tasks. Apprentices learn the best knife holds to achieve greater flexibility and control in difficult cutting areas. Trainers design tasks that ensure level 3 apprentices work with their peers to learn a range of butchery techniques and products from each other. This helps apprentices to understand better the importance of customer demographics and context and how this influences the meat sector.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers ensure that apprentices have the time they need to practise and refine their new butchery skills. They work closely with employers to plan carefully the tasks that apprentices need to complete. Apprentices apply new knowledge and further develop the skills that they need in the workplace. Trainers then support apprentices to refine their techniques before assessing their competence. This ensures that apprentices use their time well to practise and hone their skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Trainers mostly provide apprentices with feedback that enables them to improve. They outline the importance of laying out tools in advance and discuss tenderising of beef. However, occasionally, feedback on written work does not identify points for further development.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that level 2 apprentices develop a sufficiently deep understanding of fundamental British values to enable them to apply learning about these values to their work and personal lives. Most level 3 apprentices have a good understanding of this topic.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that young apprentices learn about age-appropriate topics, such as relationships, consent and sexual health. This hinders young apprentices' understanding of what constitutes healthy personal relationships, including recognising the signs of coercive behaviour.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Apprentices mostly benefit from coherent careers advice and guidance that is focused on their progression to higher levels of study and future careers in the butchery and food sectors. They develop their knowledge and understanding of career pathways and the structure of the industry by completing workbooks on this topic and discussing their experiences with employers and trainers. Leaders provide apprentices with a wide range of exciting opportunities beyond the requirements of the apprenticeships. For example, apprentices can participate in visits to abattoirs and livestock farms, as well as an annual trip to a college in Denmark, where they can learn about Danish butchery skills and practices.

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

Apprentices benefit from the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills that they need for their careers in the butchery industry. They are passionate about butchery and keen to attend their training sessions. They are interested in and motivated by the training that they receive. Apprentices are proud of their accomplishments on their courses.

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

Level 3 apprentices enjoy and appreciate their face-to-face training sessions at the Ipswich centre. They value meeting fellow apprentices from across the country in a wide range of different butchery settings. They learn from each other and take new ideas and products back to their workplaces. Level 2 butchery and fishmonger apprentices value the more tailored workplace training they receive. This develops their technical butchery skills and is individualised to meet their needs and those of their employers.

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

Apprentices develop significant new knowledge and skills. They quickly develop the knife skills to carve bone meat and produce different cuts. They develop the skills to produce a wide range of products. They become more skilled at working with members of the public in local communities.

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

Apprentices relish the wide-ranging opportunities that the apprenticeship offers. Level 3 apprentices visit pig farms, poultry farms and abattoirs to understand the entire food chain. They enter competitions and win awards. They attend master classes on value-added products and curing meat. This broadens their experience beyond their usual job roles.

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

Apprentices benefit from a curriculum that goes beyond the apprenticeship standards, with additional accredited qualifications embedded throughout. These are valued by employers.

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

Apprentices feel safe in their workplaces. They have not experienced any bullying or harassment. They know how to use equipment and machinery safely in their workplaces. Level 3 apprentices learn how to complete health and safety risk assessments and about food safety. Apprentices know how to report any concerns.

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Next steps

Leaders should improve the teaching of fundamental British values across the curriculum, so that apprentices can recall these concepts and understand how to apply them to their job roles and daily lives. Leaders should ensure that younger apprentices receive a personal development curriculum that equips them with the information they need about healthy relationships, better preparing them for future life and work.

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Team inspectors:

Georgina Ager, His Majesty's Inspector Caroline Williams, Ofsted Inspector George Chittock - Nash, Ofsted Inspector Jo Swindells, 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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Total learners

Leaders should improve the feedback that trainers provide on written work, so that it consistently identifies what apprentices need to do to improve. Leaders should ensure that a greater proportion of apprentices pass their level 2 functional skills mathematics qualifications.

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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 leaders, governors, managers, support staff, employers, trainers and apprentices during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Meat East Anglia Trades (Ipswich) Limited is an independent learning provider that primarily works with meat retailers nationwide. It operates from its training centre near Ipswich and specialises in butcher and fishmonger apprenticeships. At the time of the inspection, there were167 apprentices on the level 2 butcher apprenticeship and 22 on the level 3 advanced butcher apprenticeship. Fewer than 5 apprentices were on the level 2 fishmonger apprenticeship. Sixty apprentices were aged 16 to 18, and 60 had special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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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

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

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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