London South Bank University Ofsted Report

Full report

Information about the provider

• London South Bank University is a higher education provider. It is based on two sites, in Southwark, south London, and a smaller site in Havering. Since May 2017, the organisation has started to deliver level 4 and level 5 apprenticeship standards to approximately 300 apprentices in health and social care, and from October 2018, a small number in construction. In addition, the provider also delivers degree-level apprenticeships, which are not in scope for this inspection. The provider also offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses to approximately 17,000 students.
• London South Bank University recruits the majority of its students and apprentices from London. All of the apprentices attending the provider are employed in either the NHS or London-based construction companies. They are undertaking an apprenticeship in order to gain the qualifications and skills necessary to secure long-term employment in the local area.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Improve apprentices’ attendance at lessons, by ensuring that they and their line managers understand the importance of frequent attendance.
• Improve the proportion of apprentices who achieve qualifications in English and mathematics, by identifying their prior knowledge and setting appropriate work.
• Ensure that leaders and managers use their knowledge of the quality of teaching and learning to provide teachers with effective professional development and support to help improve teaching practice.
• Ensure that leaders and managers have sufficient oversight of the progress that apprentices make towards their qualification.
• Ensure that leaders and managers in construction have rigorous systems in place to check that apprentices receive their entitlement to off-the-job training.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and managers have a clear and ambitious vision to provide high-quality apprenticeships to meet the needs of employers in London. Leaders set high standards and have high aspirations for the organisation. They have successfully established a professional and respectful working environment. They have a well-considered strategic plan that articulates their ambitions to their staff and strategic partners and informs the development and growth of apprenticeships.
• Leaders have established a strategic plan that articulates the high aspirations of the organisation well. The strategic plan informs the development and growth of the provision, with a focus on technical and vocational skills. Staff at all levels of the organisation have a good understanding of the organisation’s mission, vision and values and how these shape the courses on offer.
• Leaders work well with strategic partners to ensure that they have a sound understanding of the vocational areas in which they work. This includes collaboration with the local skills board, Health England and the Mayor’s Construction Academy. They match their curriculum well to the needs of local employers and regional priorities, and provide courses that support learners from the local community to progress into sustainable employment.
• Leaders and managers have worked effectively with employers, including NHS trusts in London and construction companies, to provide courses that meet the needs of employers and the local community.
• Leaders and managers gather feedback from apprentices and employers frequently and they use this information well to improve their service. They listen carefully to feedback from learners, and managers identify improvements based on module evaluations.
• Leaders and managers support staff well to develop the quality of their teaching. They have established a comprehensive training plan that enables tutors to gain relevant teaching qualifications to improve their teaching skills.
• Leaders’ and managers’ evaluation of the quality of provision, including teaching, learning and assessment, is not thorough enough. They do not provide an accurate evaluation of all aspects of the apprentices’ experience. As a result, leaders and managers do not have a good enough overview of what needs to improve.
• Leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of the progress that apprentices make towards achieving their apprenticeship. They have not implemented a robust enough approach to track and monitor apprentices’ progress. Too much of the information about apprentices’ learning and progress is held by tutors and not reported to managers. As a result, leaders and managers are unable to hold staff to account for the progress that apprentices make. Tutors’ monitoring of apprentices’ progress is better in health and social care than in construction.

The governance of the provider

• Governors have an appropriate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the apprenticeship provision. They are aware of the importance of apprenticeships and how this fits into the vision and mission of the organisation.
• Governors have high aspirations for apprenticeship provision and for attracting learners to the university who would not previously have considered higher education.
• While the provision was being set up, information provided to governors focused on the recruitment of apprentices and gave insufficient information about the quality of the provision. Governors do not ensure that meetings cover all aspects of the provision in sufficient detail and do not monitor how well leaders are making improvements. As a result, governors do not know what impact leaders and managers are having on the quality of the apprenticeships.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders and managers put the safety and welfare of apprentices as a high priority within the organisation.
• Staff receive frequent training on safeguarding and have a good understanding of issues affecting apprentices. Managers provide relevant and personalised support to meet individual apprentices’ needs, such as through referrals to external agencies. As a result, apprentices feel safe and are safe.
• Leaders and managers have put detailed policies and procedures in place for safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty, including a ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessment. Staff and apprentices in health and social care understand the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism and how to report any concerns that they might have. These issues are less well understood by apprentices in construction.
• Managers carry out appropriate pre-employment checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with apprentices. They keep accurate records of training and suitability checks.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Tutors assess what learners can and cannot do at the start of their programme accurately and take account of apprentices’ existing skills and their job roles. As a result, apprentices enrol on the right programmes at the right level.
• Staff are well qualified in their subject areas. In health and social care, the majority of tutors maintain a clinical role. This contributes well to their teaching. They plan programmes well, including tailoring subject theory to learners’ work contexts. They motivate and challenge learners to achieve their qualification aims and career aspirations. As a result, learners make at least the progress expected of them.
• Tutors give good support to apprentices so that they develop new skills and knowledge. Apprentices in nursing can discuss accurately the different elements of the nervous system and the importance of minimising cross-infection. Apprentices in built environment can articulate the development of their skills in project management. As a result, apprentices present evidence of their competency at work with confidence.
• Tutors support apprentices well to develop their written English and mathematical skills in lessons and through their written work. However, leaders and managers do not provide a comprehensive programme of support for those apprentices who need to gain qualifications in English and mathematics. As a result, a minority of apprentices are not developing the skills they need to further their study.
• Tutors provide helpful feedback to apprentices on their work and apprentices know what they need to do to improve. For example, tutors give precise feedback to apprentices on what they need to do to achieve higher grades.
• Staff have developed effective relationships with apprentices’ employers. They involve employers well in planning apprentices’ programmes. This results in tutors providing learning that meets both apprentices’ and employers’ needs.
• In a small minority of cases, apprentices’ work in construction is not at the level expected for the course they are studying. In these instances, apprentices do not meet current industry standards and practice. As a result, these apprentices are not developing the skills needed to make good progress.
• Tutors in construction do not monitor effectively apprentices’ entitlement to off-the-job training. They do not ensure that apprentices spend sufficient time undertaking this element of their programme.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

• Apprentices enjoy their courses and appreciate being able to bring their experience from their jobs into the classroom to extend their skills and knowledge. They talk confidently about their own personal development and the progress they are making towards the apprenticeship. This includes how they have gained confidence, as well as improved their presentation skills.
• Apprentices have a good attitude towards learning and work. Most are punctual and ready to learn. They have a good understanding of the expectations that staff set for them, in particular how to work safely. As a result, employers value the contribution apprentices make to their businesses.
• Apprentices have a good understanding of British values, equality and diversity and how to apply these to their work settings. For example, healthcare apprentices know how these values improve their attitudes towards patients.
• Apprentices feel safe and know how to keep safe, including when they are online. However, apprentices in construction do not have sufficient understanding of the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation. As a result, it is not clear whether apprentices know the impact these risks could have on them and their workplace and what to do when they have concerns.
• Staff have effective processes for assessing learners for potential additional learning needs. Where necessary, tutors make appropriate adaptations to their lessons to meet apprentices’ needs. For example, they provide additional time for apprentices to complete assessments and support to develop their skills. This contributes to apprentices making the progress of which they are capable.
• Apprentices have access to an appropriate range of external agencies to support any additional learning needs. For example, they have access to organisations providing support on mental health or disabilities.
• Apprentices’ attendance is not good enough. Leaders and managers monitor attendance and have set attendance targets. However, they have not met these targets. Leaders and managers identify when attendance is too low; however, their actions have not improved attendance quickly enough.

Outcomes for learners Good

• At the time of inspection, no apprentices had achieved their apprenticeship. However, the proportion of apprentices who remain on their course is high.
• The majority of apprentices make expected progress towards successfully completing their apprenticeship. Apprentices are aware of what progress they are making towards achieving their foundation degree qualification.
• A small number of apprentices in healthcare have taken on additional responsibilities as a result of their course.
• Apprentices’ work is of a good standard. Their written work is well organised and neat and appropriate for the level of the course that they are studying.
• Leaders and managers monitor the proportion of apprentices who are still on their course. Where leaders and managers have identified apprentices leaving their course before the end, their actions have been effective. For example, changes in the programme structure on healthcare courses have resulted in fewer male apprentices withdrawing from the course. Managers’ positive actions also contribute to apprentices from different ethnic groups and genders making the same progress.
• Leaders and managers are aware of the shortcomings in English and mathematics teaching. They have put in place actions to rectify these. However, the proportion of apprentices achieving functional skills English and mathematics is too low. The proportion who achieve their qualification at the first attempt is very low. As a result, too many learners are not developing the skills they need to progress in their studies.

Provider details

Unique reference number 133873 Type of provider Higher education institution Age range of learners 16–18/19+ Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 203 Principal David Phoenix Telephone number 020 7928 8989 Website www.lsbu.ac.uk

Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships) Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ - - - - - - - - Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 - - - - 14 19+ 189 16–19 - 19+ - Total - Number of traineeships Number of learners aged 14 to 16 Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding - - At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

None

Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the deputy vice-chancellor, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

Inspection team

Steve Lambert, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Graham Cunningham Ofsted Inspector