Goddard Veterinary Group Limited

Goddard Veterinary Group Limited

Address: Claygate House, Manor Road, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 8BZ Unique reference number (URN): 2626819

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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 Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate a very clear and strong commitment to inclusion. They champion individual differences and place apprentices at the centre of everything they do. Leaders create nurturing environments and work relentlessly to make sure that apprentices thrive, irrespective of background, circumstance, ability level and prior attainment. Apprentices experience a sense of belonging and feel valued by all staff. They develop the confidence and resilience they need to make good progress in the veterinary industry.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders place a very high priority on apprentices’ wellbeing. They recognise that physical, mental and emotional challenges create barriers to learning and work highly effectively to reduce or remove these. Leaders invest in resources such as a wellbeing room to provide a quiet space for apprentices struggling with personal issues.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and managers have a comprehensive process in place for identifying apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning. They swiftly put highly effective support in place and evaluate this systematically through frequent reviews, individual learning plans, discussions with clinical supervisors and visits to apprentices’ workplaces. Leaders track apprentices’ progress meticulously and reduce support based on their academic progress, engagement with support sessions and skills development. Apprentices increasingly develop greater independence.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have developed a curriculum offer that is highly effective in meeting the need for veterinary nurses and animal care and welfare assistants at local, regional and national level. They keep abreast of changes and trends in the sector through their professional networks, attending external conferences and industry workshops on themes such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and rabbit care. Apprentices study a curriculum that is current and up to date.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders review and evaluate their curriculums frequently. They are relentless in their pursuit of excellence. Leaders understand their strengths and work on their improvement actions consistently. They recognise there is more work to do on ensuring all apprentices receive high-quality careers advice and guidance.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Experienced governors provide leaders with appropriate scrutiny. For example, they make sure that leaders understand logistics and planning, so that apprentices’ training does not impact on the day-to-day management of the services their practices offer. Governors appreciate the timeliness of information leaders give them and the quick responses to the challenges they pose.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders foster an extremely caring working culture. Staff highly value the many opportunities they receive to carry out independent research, work together and undertake valuable professional development that helps them maintain their vocational expertise, professional registration and teaching skills. They appreciate leaders’ consideration of their wellbeing and feel listened to. Staff are proud to work at the provider. Employers rightly value the high-quality service, effective communication, responsiveness and flexibility that leaders provide. This helps them to manage and grow their veterinary practices effectively, with the skilled staff they need to be successful.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices rapidly develop significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours. They grow in confidence and work with greater assuredness. They use their new-found confidence to competently carry out important tasks, such as handling aggressive cats and using surgical drains to pack wounds.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices’ outcomes are strong, including for those with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning. Many apprentices achieve distinction grades in their final assessments.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices adhere consistently to the veterinary sector’s strict ethical and professional codes of conduct. They work knowledgeably within the boundaries of their role and maintain positive and professional relationships with their colleagues. Employers greatly value the contribution apprentices make in their workplaces.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices are very well prepared for their next steps in education, employment and training. Almost all apprentices that complete their courses move on to positive destinations. Many are given additional responsibilities or promotion at work by their employers.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have developed ambitious curriculums that provide apprentices with significant opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills above the requirements of the apprenticeship. These include studying topics such as infection control, anaesthesia and emergency critical care. Apprentices are highly motivated.

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Expected standard

Tutors sequence the curriculums coherently. For example, they begin with teaching apprentices to understand what stock, such as personal protective equipment, is needed to run a veterinary practice and how this links to relevant health and safety legislation. They then move on to safe disposal of used stock in line with the environmental health act. Apprentices develop their knowledge and skills incrementally over time.

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Expected standard

Highly experienced vocationally expert tutors teach interesting lessons that are intellectually rigorous in content. They use a wide range of teaching strategies very effectively. For example, in practical lessons, they provide step-by-step guidance, direct instruction and peer support to teach apprentices how to use an x-ray machine to simulate an animal thoracic cavity examination. Tutors observe apprentices’ work closely and use carefully constructed questions to check understanding. Apprentices’ application of theory to practice becomes increasingly more accurate over time.

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Expected standard

Tutors make highly personalised adjustments to their curriculums so that all apprentices, including those with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers, make progress. For example, they provide access to resources on mindfulness, breathing and meditation to help apprentices who have anxiety to work confidently with temperamental animals.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders and staff set clear expectations for apprentices' attendance. Apprentices understand that irregular punctuality and attendance is a breach of the veterinary professional code of conduct. When they cannot attend, they quickly catch up using online resources and complete absence reflection logs, so they do not fall behind with their work. Apprentices’ attendance to their lessons is high.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff provide appropriate careers information, advice and guidance to apprentices. They have one-to-one discussions, give them access to careers resources and organise workshops and open days. Most apprentices know how to progress to their next steps. A few apprentices would benefit from further careers information, so they are clear about the range of progression opportunities available to them.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from a wider curriculum that supports their academic study and their understanding of the veterinary sector. For example, staff arrange trips to a wildlife hospital where they discuss triaging and external experts teach them how to handle exotic animals.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices feel safe and know how to report any concerns. They are confident that if they had any concerns, staff would deal with them quickly.

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

Apprentices thoroughly enjoy their learning experience. They engage enthusiastically with the theoretical and practical content they study. Apprentices establish very positive relationships with their cohort leads, personal tutors, clinical supervisors and managers. They take great pride in their development as animal care and welfare assistants and veterinary nurses.

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

Apprentices benefit from learning environments that are carefully planned to be highly inclusive. Tutors promote equality of opportunity and embed respect, tolerance and mutual understanding consistently well throughout the curriculum. Leaders and staff routinely promote events such as Pride. Apprentices, including LGBTQ+ apprentices, feel welcomed and thrive at the college.

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

Apprentices swiftly master challenging scientific topics. Tutors carefully implement strategies to present these with clarity and simplicity so that apprentices do not feel overwhelmed. For example, they present complex biological concepts such as homozygous and heterozygous gene alleles by breaking down their explanations, giving examples and using visuals to help apprentices understand. This helps apprentices to routinely link theoretical principles to sector-relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.

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

Apprentices benefit from tutors' highly effective adaptations to their teaching to support apprentices with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers. For example, they provide additional workbooks, increased font sizes and embed audio transcription into their presentation materials to help apprentices with dyslexia. Tutors frequently update support plans and apprentices’ nursing progress logs to reflect the impact of the support they provide.

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

Apprentices are thoroughly prepared for their final assessments by their tutors. They benefit from practising the skills they need for their final examinations in a well-equipped veterinary clinic. Apprentices use high-end tools and industry standard equipment such as a doppler machine to take blood pressure readings and practise filling syringes with the right quantities of medications. Apprentices are confident and a high proportion gain distinctions.

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Next steps

Leaders should further strengthen their careers information, advice and guidance, so that all apprentices understand the options for career progression and development when they have completed their training.

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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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Team inspectors:

Kelley Malthouse, Ofsted Inspector Ramin Narimani, His Majesty's 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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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Inspectors spoke with tutors, managers, apprentices, governors, employers and clinical supervisors during the inspection.

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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Goddard Veterinary Group Limited is an independent learning provider that specialises in veterinary nursing and veterinary nursing assistant education. It is based in Woodford in the London borough of Redbridge. It trains apprentices who are employed in its own veterinary group and those who work at veterinary practices across greater London.

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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

At the time of the inspection, there were 20 apprentices studying the level 2 animal care and welfare assistant and 130 studying the level 3 veterinary nurse standards.

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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Emma Eve-Raw: Head of Centre and Training Manager

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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. 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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