Ofsted Inspection Requirements

If you've been accepted on RoATP as a main or employer provider then you will be in scope for direct Ofsted inspections.

“New providers will normally have a first full inspection within 3 years of being funded. They may also receive monitoring or support and challenge visits.”
Ofsted

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Who is Ofsted?

“Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. We inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.”

“Our goal is to achieve excellence in education and skills for learners of all ages, and in the care of children and young people.”

“We report directly to Parliament and we are independent and impartial.”
About ofsted

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What does this mean for Commercial training providers?

Well to be honest, lots of hoops to jump though!

To be fair though it’s an absolute necessity to ensure all apprenticeship training is a quality provision but it does mean you will be scrutinised and must follow the rules.

Notification of inspection

53. Notification for all types of further education and skills inspections will normally take place up to two working days before the inspection unless the inspection is unannounced. Ofsted reserves the right to carry out unannounced inspections or monitoring visits.

54. Ofsted will notify the provider in the morning of the notification day and will email the notification letter. The lead inspector will then contact the provider as soon as possible and by the following morning at the latest. The lead inspector should make sure that:

•    good communications and effective working relationships are established
•    the arrangements for the inspection are established.

P14 of Further education and skills inspection handbook for use from 20 April 2017.

It’s simple, you can’t ignore it, or if you do, there will be dramatic consequences as Ofsted play a major role in your ability to continue to deliver apprenticeship training.

It's really advisable to familiarise yourself with the documentation so you know what's in store, as there's simply so much at stake.

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How Will You Be Inspected?

Ofsted inspectors use a 4-point grading scale to make judgements during inspections:

•    grade 1: outstanding
•    grade 2: good
•    grade 3: requires improvement
•    grade 4: inadequate.

Any organisation who receives a grade 4 for apprenticeship delivery will be removed from RoATP and no longer be allowed to contract with the ESFA or deliver to levy paying employers.

Ofsted inspections are carried out using the Common inspection framework: education, skills and early years document and you will find that Page 11 explains how you will be inspected:

Overall effectiveness 

23. Inspectors will use all the available evidence to evaluate what it is like to be a child, learner or other user in the provision.

In making the judgements about a provider’s overall effectiveness, inspectors will consider whether the standard of education, training or care is good or outstanding. If it is not at least good, inspectors will consider whether it requires improvement or is inadequate.

24. Inspectors will also make graded judgements on the following areas using the four-point scale:

•    effectiveness of leadership and management
•    quality of teaching, learning and assessment
•    personal development, behaviour and welfare
•    outcomes for children and learners.

I have selected another section to highlight, this time from page 19 of Further education and skills inspection handbook for use from 20 April 2017 which covers the length of time needed for each type of inspection:

Days allocated to inspection and inspection team members

70. A full inspection will normally last between two and five days on site, although the number of inspectors involved will vary according to the size and complexity of the provider. Some inspectors may only be required for part of the inspection.

71. Short inspections (see paragraphs 114 to 147) will normally last no longer than two days on site, although the number of inspectors involved will vary according to the size and complexity of the provider. Some inspectors may only be required for part of the inspection.

72. Monitoring visits will usually last between one and two days, depending on the scope of the visit and size of the provider.

73. The inspection team will consist of inspectors who will focus on the four key judgements of the CIF and/or the type(s) of provision selected for inspection.

74. How the team is deployed to gather evidence will depend on the number of learners and sites, the type(s) of provision and range of learning programmes.

How Ofsted inspects further education teaching and training has further information and guidance for you to check out as well as their blog post on the apprenticeship levy implications.

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