Ofsted delivers verdict on university’s degree apprenticeship programmes

Ofsted has rated the degree apprenticeship programmes at the University of Chester as “Good”, following the conclusion of its investigation.

The investigation covered programmes for student nursing associate, chartered manager, police constable, social work, advanced clinical practitioner and pre-registered nurse. All these were found to be taught effectively, with technology being used to enhance and support students’ learning experiences. Constructive feedback was also provided to help students continually develop over the course of their study programmes.

The learners were also found to be achieving good results, with around a third of them receiving the highest grade for both their apprenticeship end-point assessment and the studied qualification. Ofsted also recognised the university’s vital efforts for supporting its students throughout their learning journey. As a result, the university was rated as “Good” in all four key areas and “Good” overall.

The University of Chester’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eunice Simmons, said:

“We are delighted with this outcome and I want to thank all our employers and learners who supported the University during the Inspection and continue to do so on our apprenticeship programmes. This report recognises the hard work of colleagues across the University who support our higher and degree apprentices…”

She added that this was reflected in improvements in the achievement rates. She said the university’s programmes were mostly delivering for public services in the North West, with them providing the future police officers, social workers and nurses.

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