University of Leeds

University of Leeds

Address: The University, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 9JT Unique reference number (URN): 133839

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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

In most instances, leaders and staff identify apprentices' learning, wellbeing and additional support needs early in the apprenticeship and ensure that apprentices receive well- coordinated support from a range of university services, personal tutors and external partners. This helps apprentices, including those facing challenging circumstances such as divorce or ill health, to remain on their apprenticeships in difficult times. However, in a small number of cases, apprentices do not receive the support that they need promptly enough. This increases their stress and reduces the effectiveness of the assistance that they receive.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff typically use a well-structured, responsive approach to reviewing apprentices' needs and adapting support over time. They provide support that is proportionate to apprentices' changing circumstances, while maintaining high expectations of apprentices' progress and achievement. Support is reduced when appropriate so that apprentices develop the resilience that they need to manage future challenges as independent adults.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Academic staff use inclusive teaching practices and reasonable adjustments to improve access to learning for apprentices with diverse needs, such as dyslexia. For example, staff provide learning materials in advance of taught sessions and embed digital accessibility features in resources. This helps apprentices to engage more effectively with teaching and develop the knowledge and skills required to succeed.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders promptly identify most strengths and areas for improvement, and usually take effective action to tackle the latter. For example, they worked successfully with employers to increase the proportion of apprentices who complete the chartered manager degree apprenticeship. Occasionally, however, leaders do not respond effectively enough. For example, despite leaders' actions, attendance on a few apprenticeships remains too low.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors provide effective support and challenge for the apprenticeship team. For example, they support leaders' efforts to find alternative employment for any apprentices who are made redundant. Governors and senior leaders have a clear strategic commitment to apprenticeship provision, which furthers the university's priorities of widening access and responding to industry needs. Governors also develop academic staff's understanding of effective teaching and curriculum design through facilitating knowledge exchange with international university partners.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide effective support for academics and are mindful of their wellbeing. They provide advice and guidance about the requirements of apprenticeships, and help academic staff to manage their workload.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure that academic staff undertake a wide range of professional development that improves their subject knowledge and teaching skills. Most academic staff undertake research, complete higher education teaching qualifications, share good practice and learn about inclusive approaches to teaching. They also learn effective classroom management skills, such as how to manage contentious topics in lessons. Leaders work well with stakeholders to improve apprentices' experience. For example, they use feedback from employers to improve and update the curriculum.

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Achievement Strong standard

A very high proportion of apprentices achieve their qualifications, many of them with distinction grades. Apprentices make extensive progress from their starting points. They successfully apply the significant knowledge, skills and behaviours they develop on their apprenticeship in the workplace. For example, nursing associate apprentices develop the knowledge and assertiveness skills required to advocate for their patients and challenge other clinicians, should they need to, in the interests of their patients.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices develop the English, mathematical and digital skills that they need to study the curriculum successfully. They produce a high standard of written and practical work. For example, geotechnical engineering apprentices write highly professional reports, using the technical language of their sector fluently. They apply formulae accurately to analyse samples of rock and soil.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices are very well prepared for their next steps, and almost all progress to positive destinations, including promoted positions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders understand the quality of apprenticeship curriculums well and take appropriate action to improve apprentices' experience. For example, they adapted the assessment structure of the digital and technical solutions professional apprenticeship to reduce the undue burden of multiple short assessments.

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Needs attention

Academic staff design curriculums expertly, blending the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need at work with the academic skills needed for effective study. They schedule expert speakers and arrange industry-led training, which helps apprentices to understand the latest sector developments. For example, leading global consultants in the green energy sector give presentations to geotechnical engineer apprentices on the redevelopment of hydrogen storage salt caverns on Teesside.

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Needs attention

Academic staff work seamlessly with employers to align on- and off-the-job training. Employers design helpful workplace projects and schedule job rotations to align with the academic curriculum.

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Needs attention

Most academic staff have substantial subject expertise, which they use well to explain concepts clearly. They use effective teaching strategies that quickly develop apprentices' knowledge and skills. They use simulations very effectively to build apprentices' contextual knowledge and understanding. For example, apprentices on health-related apprenticeships develop their ability to respond to patients' changing needs by practising their skills on medical manikins in simulated hospital wards.

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Needs attention

Most academic staff support apprentices to understand the high volume of cutting-edge research included in the curriculum. However, in a few instances, apprentices find this difficult to manage in allocated timescales and occasionally fall behind.

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Needs attention

Academic staff provide helpful, tailored support so that apprentices are able to meet the ambitious expectations of their programmes. However, for a few apprentices, the support strategies that they need are not put in place swiftly enough.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders ensure that apprentices work in supportive, welcoming and inclusive learning environments. Apprentices have not experienced any forms of bullying, discrimination or harassment. They behave professionally and collaborate well with their peers.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders expect apprentices to catch up quickly, using helpful online resources, if they miss a lesson. Apprentices on the senior leader, digital technology and nursing associate apprenticeships rarely miss lessons. However, on other apprenticeships, attendance is too low.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders understand apprentices' wider development needs. Apprentices are valued members of the university and many take part in activities beyond the apprenticeship curriculum, including university societies. For example, digital and technology solutions professional apprentices lead the university's computing society.

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Participation and development Needs attention

University staff skilfully include themes related to fundamental British values and cultural diversity in modern Britain across the apprenticeship curriculums. As a result, apprentices understand well how these themes can be promoted in their workplaces and how they apply to their wider lives.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders have developed a curriculum that includes age-appropriate content on a range of topics which help apprentices to stay safe and to make informed choices about their wellbeing. Advanced clinical practitioner and nursing associate apprentices are well aware of how to stay safe from the risks of radicalisation and extremism. However, on other apprenticeships, too many apprentices do not have a deep enough understanding of these risks.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Apprentices receive coherent careers education and tailored guidance, which helps them make informed decisions about their next steps.

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

Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge and skills that employers value highly. For example, geotechnical engineering apprentices learn when and how to use alpha and beta methods in piling engineering. Nursing associate apprentices learn how to carry out a range of medical tests, such as electrocardiograms. Most apprentices achieve their apprenticeships and remain in employment afterwards, often in promoted positions.

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

Most apprentices who need extra support to complete their apprenticeships receive it through a wide range of support networks at the university. However, in a small number of cases, apprentices wait too long for the support they need.

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

Apprentices learn about topics which help them to contribute effectively to their employment and wider lives as well-informed citizens. For example, chartered management apprentices learn about the cultural and religious backgrounds of their peers and the variety of challenges they may face at work, personally or in their communities.

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

Apprentices have a particularly strong understanding of how British values can be promoted in their professional lives. However, their understanding of the risks posed by extremist and radical views is, in too many cases, not as secure.

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

Apprentices are highly motivated professionals who enjoy working for supportive employers. At university, they study in very high-quality learning environments, including industry- standard laboratories and simulated hospital wards. These factors increase their confidence and motivate them to work tirelessly, overcome any challenges, and achieve the highest grades they can. A high proportion of apprentices gain distinctions.

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

Apprentices appreciate learning from leading academics, who are often involved in cutting- edge research and international projects. For example, geotechnical engineering tutors enrich the curriculum with international case studies and tasks linked to high profile infrastructure projects, such as The Line in Saudi Arabia and HS2 in the UK. This motivates apprentices and informs their career choices. However, a few apprentices find the highly ambitious curriculums too challenging and struggle to manage the demands of their

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Team inspectors:

Sambit Sen, Ofsted Inspector Christine Blowman, Ofsted Inspector Rhys Davies, Ofsted Inspector Rick Fothergill, Ofsted Inspector Alison Dennis, His Majesty's Inspector Jacquie Brown, His Majesty's Inspector apprenticeships, despite the university affording additional hours beyond the usual allocation.

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Next steps

Leaders should identify and implement actions to improve apprentices' attendance so that it is high on all apprenticeships. Leaders should ensure that apprentices on all apprenticeships develop an appropriate understanding of how to protect themselves from radical and extremist views. Leaders should ensure that apprentices on all apprenticeships receive consistently high- quality teaching that enables them to master the high volumes of research they need to learn. Leaders should ensure that any barriers to apprentices' learning are reduced swiftly and consistently. They should systematically review and adapt any support offered in a way that makes a significant difference to apprentices' learning and wellbeing.

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

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About this inspection

The University of Leeds has been delivering apprenticeships at levels 5 to 7 since 2018 from its main campus in Leeds. At the time of the inspection, there were 362 apprentices on apprenticeships in geotechnical engineering, health, digital technology and leadership and management, which is the largest subject area.

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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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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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