Whyy? Change celebrates ‘Good’ Ofsted grading

11th April 2022

Whyy? Change, a leading apprenticeship training provider, based in Sheffield have been told they are a ‘Good’ Training Provider following a recent Ofsted Inspection.

Having already made ‘significant progress’ in their monitoring report in March 2021, to achieve ‘Good’ in all categories on their first inspection is a noticeably rare achievement.

Ofsted assessed five key areas:
The quality of education - Good
Behaviour and attitudes - Good
Personal development - Good
Leadership and management - Good
Apprenticeships - Good

When the final report was published, Whyy? Change were delighted to read that:

“Apprentices display positive behaviours and engage well with their learning. Leaders, managers and tutors have created a calm and professional environment in which to learn. Apprentices learn together maturely and respectfully. They have a professional attitude to their learning and demonstrate respect tolerance and support for each other.” - Ofsted

Ray Byrne, Whyy? Change CEO, said

“We were delighted to read their report which cited Whyy? Change ‘have invested in industry-standard resources and qualifications over and above the requirements of the apprenticeship standards.’, and this really means the world to us.”

The inspectors highlighted that Whyy? Change

“have a clear rationale for the apprenticeship programmes that they offer, providing apprentices with a variety of routes to progress their careers and learning. Leaders work very effectively with employers with whom they design a tailored approach to programmes that successfully meets the principles and requirements of apprenticeships.” - Ofsted

The inspectors also found that their:

“Marketing and digital apprentices have regular guest speakers from organisations that specialise in areas such as social media and search engine optimisation. As a result they learn specialist skills, understand career pathways and further develop their professional networks.” - Ofsted

Emma Harrison, Director of Governance at Whyy? Change, said:

“Our customer’s matter. It’s important that we share knowledge and value to a high standard to help not only our Apprentices but the businesses themselves. With OFSTED identifying that we ‘are sufficiently flexible to meet the specific needs of employers who value their apprentices and are extremely supportive of their development’, that really is the seal of approval that we needed.”

The Inspectors concluded that they

“have appropriate quality assurance arrangements in place. They provide support to tutors to develop their knowledge and skills, and their ability to deliver high-quality training to apprentices.”

The report also found that:

• Apprentices rightly value the opportunity to take recognised professional qualifications alongside their apprenticeship. For example, level 5 human resource apprentices work towards achieving the chartered institute of personnel and development status.
• Apprentices produce work of a high quality in which they take pride. They benefit from the effective feedback from tutors on their work which explains what they need to do to improve further.
• Apprentices feel safe at work and in training. They understand how to keep themselves and others safe, including knowing who they can contact if they have any concerns. Apprentices understand that their welfare is of paramount concern to their tutors.
• Leaders and managers have designed a well planned and sequenced curriculum which enables apprentices to build on and develop their knowledge and skills in a logical way. For example, on the level 3 human resources support assistants programme, apprentices begin by learning about the fundamental aspects of good communication skills. They then move on to more complex topics such as legislation related to recruitment practices.

Download the full OFSTED report here: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50180634

Discover our apprenticeship training courses - https://www.whyychange.com/apprenticeships/

What is Ofsted?
Ofsted is a government organisation that stands for The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They are there to ensure that schools and organisations are providing education, training, and care services in England to an appropriate standard.