Ofsted Annual Report: What We Learnt

Inspection body reveals the good and the bad of apprenticeship provision in new report

Ofsted has revealed what successful apprenticeship providers in England are doing well, and where the weaker ones are falling short, in its latest annual report on inspections. We wanted to share the various takeaways from the annual report and how providers can best prepare for future inspections. 

The inspection body's report for 2022-2023 reveals progress in apprenticeships, but this vitally important part of the FE and Skills mix 'remains the poorest provision type this year' at full inspection level, it says.  

At year end, 1,390 FE and skills providers, including colleges, independent training providers (ITPs), local authorities, employers, third sector providers and adult community education (ACE), were offering apprenticeships. Of those inspected, more than three quarters (76%) were judged good or outstanding, or were at least making reasonable progress if the subject of a new provider monitoring visit (NPMV). The report, however, reveals plenty of room for improvement for the sector. 

The inspection body graded apprenticeship provision on 120 NPMVs and 410 full inspections. At full inspection, nearly two thirds of providers that had their first full inspection in 2022-2023 were good or outstanding for apprenticeships. This left a third that required improvement or were inadequate.  

Common features of strongest providers

While painting a mixed picture overall of apprenticeships provision, the report shares common themes with those providers doing well.   

The strongest providers, it said, offer apprenticeships 'with well-constructed and taught training plans that link on- and off-the job training coherently'. Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge and skills as a result, along with good professional behaviours and attitudes. 

 There were some common features of good and outstanding provision, says Ofsted, including:

• providers appropriately assess apprentices' abilities at the start of the apprenticeship to inform the training plan
• employers are committed to using apprenticeships effectively to improve the skills of their workforce
• trainers are experts in their subject and providers train them to be good teachers 
• trainers and employers give apprentices appropriate information and guidance about the role of their apprenticeship in their employer's business, and for their wider, longer-term career 
• leaders and managers have thorough oversight of apprenticeship provision and intervene swiftly when they identify areas for improvement 
• trainers prepare apprentices well for their end point assessment, making sure that the apprentices get feedback that helps them to improve 
• providers make sure that English and maths training is relevant to the individual and their industry 

What the weaker providers are not getting right

The report also lifts the lid on where providers are making mistakes. According to Ofsted, weaker providers: 

• do not take into account learners' prior knowledge or experience in planning, and teaching is often poor 
• are not linking English and maths training closely enough to relevant industry needs, instead tending to focus on achievement of functional skills qualifications 
• do not offer enough or appropriate off-the-job training. When they do offer OTJ training, it's insufficiently linked to on-the-job training 
• fail to involve employers enough in planning or reviewing apprentices' training. Leaders and managers often do not know the weaknesses in their provision, as they do not have systems in place to evaluate it 

Similar findings throughout the apprenticeship levels

The picture is about the same, says Ofsted, at the different levels of apprenticeship. 

Levels 6 and 7 apprenticeships, mainly taught by higher education institutions and independent learning providers, are also inspected by Ofsted. The inspection body continues to inspect this provision, it says, including providers new to apprenticeships and existing providers who expanded their range of apprenticeships to include levels 6 and/or 7. 'We found the same strengths and areas for improvement at these levels as for apprenticeships at levels 2 to 5,' the report says. 

Slow progress with starts

After a post-lockdown recovery, the rate of apprenticeship starts has dropped, says the report.  

The number of people starting an apprenticeship in 2021/22 increased by 9% from the previous year. Provisional data published by the DfE indicates that overall apprenticeship starts have decreased in 2022/23, however. The decline in starts at levels 2 and 3 more than offsets increases at levels 4 to 7, says Ofsted. 

The report authors give some reasons for why apprenticeship starts are sluggish: 

• some providers are narrowing their offer because of challenges recruiting and retaining high-quality trainers 
• costs have risen ahead of funding rates for some apprenticeships 
• employers are choosing to improve the skills of existing staff through higher level apprenticeships 

Nearly half (47%) of apprenticeship starters are aged 25 or over. Thirty per cent of apprenticeship starters are aged 19 to 24 and 22% are aged 16 to 18. 

And a rise in non-completions

Along with a drop in apprenticeship starts, the proportion of apprentices leaving apprenticeships early has gone up, according to the latest available figures. In 2021/22, 45% of apprentices left an apprenticeship early, a four percentage point jump compared with the previous year. 

What are the reasons? Ofsted shares some common themes: 

• Poor-quality training can lead to apprentices leaving 
• Some providers do not offer enough taught content and are over-reliant on independent learning 
• Providers use solely online teaching where it is not appropriate or relevant to the industry 
• A lack of information and guidance can lead to false expectations among apprentices and employers, because they are unaware of the level of commitment and time an apprenticeship can take to complete 
• In sectors such as retail and hospitality, apprentices are leaving early for better paid but unqualified roles 
• Recruitment and retention of training staff continues to be a challenge for some providers and in some sectors, particularly in care, early years and education 

Insights for FE and skills colleges - student behaviour and safeguarding

The Ofsted report also gives insights for colleges on more general education issues, such as student behaviour and safeguarding. 

Ofsted carried out 64 full inspections of FE and Skills colleges, which included 11 colleges inspected for the first time since merging. Overall, 78% were judged good or outstanding. Of the 11 colleges inspected for the first time, one was judged outstanding, five good, four requires improvement and one inadequate. 

Inspectors reported that common areas for improvement in the colleges that were 'requires improvement' or 'inadequate' at first inspection were that they should: 

• ensure all learners benefit from a high quality and ambitious curriculum 
• set higher standards for students' attendance and punctuality 
• give all apprentices effective careers advice and guidance that supports them with their next steps 

This year, the safeguarding arrangements in seven college providers were judged to be ineffective. Safeguarding is ineffective where there are serious or widespread failures in the provider's safeguarding arrangements. Ofsted inspectors found: 

• leaders unable to identify actions that have been taken following referrals 
• weak recording of safeguarding concerns 
• learners lacking understanding of safeguarding risks, how to keep themselves safe and how to report concerns 
• insufficient safeguarding training for staff 

Meeting local skills needs

FE and Skills providers have a duty to review their contribution to meeting skills needs in their communities, says the report. In 2022 Ofsted introduced so-called 'enhanced inspections' to assess their contribution to meeting skills needs, alongside sixth-form colleges and designated institutions. 

As well as meeting senior leaders and governors to discuss their skills strategy, inspectors meet a broad range of representatives from relevant civic, community, education and employer groups, the report says. They also meet curriculum managers to talk about how their subject and curriculum areas link with employers and other stakeholders. 

In 2022-2023, Ofsted undertook enhanced inspections of 68 providers. Of these, nearly a third (31%) were making a strong contribution to meeting skills needs, 63% were making a reasonable contribution and 6% a limited contribution. 

The report reveals what those making a strong contribution are doing well. It says: 

• they have clear skills strategies, established through close discussion and liaison with a range of employer and other stakeholders 
• these skills strategies align closely to existing and emerging local, regional and/or national skills needs 
• staff at all levels maintain strong relationships with a range of local and regional stakeholders, which they used to identify new and emerging skills needs  
• senior leaders in these providers use their extensive range of contacts to broaden the curriculum and enhance learners' skills and understanding 
• learners and apprentices are taught up-to-date knowledge and skills 
• in some cases, leaders have very strong relationships with national stakeholders who specialise in a particular subject or field 
• curriculum leaders and/or subject heads also maintain good relationships with key stakeholders. They use these to review the curriculum, making sure it is up to date and that it takes account of skills needs in their field.  
• they also work hard to keep staff skills up to date so that teaching gave learners the latest relevant skills in their field 

Providers making a limited or reasonable contribution share some common areas for improvement, says the inspection body: 

• Frequently, these providers have no skills strategy in place or have only just begun work in this area. Strategic links with stakeholders are not yet in place, or are too new to be able to see their impact 
• Curriculum leaders and subject heads do not always consult stakeholders to ensure teaching is current, relevant and most useful to learners or that the training they provide meets the needs of learners, employers and sector stakeholders 
• Often curriculum links with employers and other stakeholders are missing, underdeveloped or partial across a number of subject or sector areas 

Careers guidance

This year, the DfE commissioned Ofsted to review careers provision in schools and FE and skills providers and inspectors found that most FE and skills providers were aware of the importance of an effective career guidance programme. Finding the time and resources for their careers programme, however, was a challenge. 

Here are some of the key findings of interest on careers guidance for FE and Skills providers: 

• Overall, there is senior oversight of career guidance and the role of careers leader is well embedded, with providers understanding the importance of appropriately qualified careers advisers 
• A few providers struggle to recruit qualified careers advisers and are training internal staff 
• All providers engage a wide range of employers in their careers programmes, but independent learning providers (ILPs) are generally more focused on their apprentices' employers than additional employers or higher education providers 
• Providers have mixed views on whether schools promoted technical and vocational routes well enough, with some ILPs and colleges saying that apprenticeships are not understood or promoted adequately by schools 
• Inspectors saw many examples of effective practice in providing work experience or industry placements, but in a small number of providers, these were limited or irrelevant to learners' interests 

Understanding what inspectors look for when grading providers and reflecting on best practices of top providers as well as poor practices from weaker ones, will give you a great start in preparing for future Ofsted inspections.

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