First Intuition East and North Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of First Intuition Cambridge Limited

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Apprenticeships Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

First Intuition Cambridge Limited is an independent learning provider, training apprentices since March 2017. It specialises in providing education and training to finance and accountancy apprentices in the East Anglia region.

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Information about this provider

At the time of inspection, First Intuition Cambridge Limited has 604 apprentices in training. Level 3 assistant accountant programme has 70 apprentices. The level 4 accountancy taxations technician qualification has 158 apprentices. The level 7 accountancy taxation professional is the largest programme with 376 apprentices.

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Information about this provider

Nearly a quarter of apprentices studying level 3 and level 4 qualifications are aged 16 to 18 years. The provider works with four subcontractors; three of who are within the First Intuition network. At the time of the inspection, there were no apprentices in receipt of high-needs funding. 21 to 24 June 2022

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices build excellent rapport with staff and employers. They benefit from mutual respect and being treated as adults. This helps them to take responsibility for their own learning. They develop important skills such as preparing to deal with difficult clients and prioritising work.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices look forward to attending their theory sessions with their tutors. They highly value the support they receive from their tutors in the development of their subject knowledge and skills. They receive extensive support from their tutors to help them prepare for their end-of-course assessment. This helps them achieve their aspirational career and personal goals.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices feel proud to be part of the accountancy profession. They highly value the learning they receive from their workplace mentors. Apprentices rapidly improve their skills. As a result, employers are confident to give significant and complex responsibilities to the apprentices.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices feel safe and rarely experience bullying, harassment or discrimination. They know how to report any concerns they may have. Apprentices feel confident that staff will seriously deal with their concerns should they arise. Apprentices are highly knowledgeable about online safety. They have a detailed understanding of data protection and anti-money laundering. Consequently, apprentices are confident and know how to keep themselves and their clients safe.

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better?

Leaders and managers work extremely effectively with employers to meet the skills needs of the financial services sector. Leaders offer different pathways for apprentices who want to specialise in accountancy subjects. This includes management accounting, auditing, forensic accounting and taxation. This helps employers train highly talented and specialist staff for their organisations.

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better?

Apprentices benefit from a detailed and effectively sequenced curriculum. Apprentices learn about basic accountancy concepts which they practise over time. They build on this by interpreting complex financial information. Apprentices are then able to prepare accurate reports for clients. This approach enables apprentices to learn and apply their knowledge and skills incrementally.

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better?

Apprentices benefit greatly from and value the experience and subject expertise of their tutors. Tutors use their subject expertise very well to enthuse, challenge and engage apprentices. Most tutors continue to work as accounting practitioners. As a result, apprentices secure current industry-standard financial knowledge in their lessons. For example, the most up-to-date auditing practices and an insight into how clients seek to plan their tax liabilities. 21 to 24 June 2022

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Apprentices make rapid progress through their qualifications. Tutors use highly effective teaching strategies to help apprentices learn and secure their knowledge. Tutors are very aware of the individual training requirements of apprentices. Tutors make excellent use of one-to-one training and group discussions in their sessions.

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Tutors and coaches use assessment extremely effectively to check apprentices’ ongoing knowledge and skills development. Tutors provide constructive, motivational feedback so that apprentices know how to improve further. Tutors help apprentices prepare thoroughly for their final examinations. Apprentices develop a range of useful strategies to manage their workloads. Tutors help apprentices to talk through the anxiety that many experience prior to taking their exams. Apprentices value discussing with their tutors how best to manage their individual circumstances.

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Apprentices use and develop excellent English skills because of their training. The development of these skills is woven into the apprentices’ learning programme. For example, apprentices write complex accounting reports in simple English for their clients. This helps clients to understand the reports and the further actions they need to take. Apprentices learn how to present ideas and information to their senior leadership team successfully.

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Apprentices’ behaviour and conduct are exemplary. Apprentices promptly develop the skills and behaviours needed to be successful at work. Apprentices develop their professional curiosity to a very high standard. They are highly effective in how they use their curiosity to check for any suspicious activities their clients may undertake, such as tax evasion. Consequently, apprentices make valuable contributions to their employers’ business.

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Apprentices develop excellent coaching and mentoring skills. They use these skills to mentor other apprentices who are new to their organisation. Apprentices are good ambassadors for the financial sector. They take part in events and projects in the communities where they live and work. They promote the benefits of apprenticeships to secondary school pupils at careers events.

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Apprentices receive exceptionally good ongoing advice and guidance about careers in the wider financial industry. Apprentices are highly aspirational about their career options. They are very focused and clear about what steps they need to take to achieve their ambitions of working as tax consultants, auditors and management accountants.

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Apprentices who have additional learning needs, rapidly become independent learners. Tutors and coaches help apprentices to develop their own strategies to manage any barriers to learning. This helps these apprentices to progress through their qualifications at the same rate or better than their peers.

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Leaders have excellent oversight of the quality of education and training they provide. They constantly strive to maintain the highest standards and are highly reflective of their own practice. They use feedback from apprentices and employers to continually identify actions for improvement. 21 to 24 June 2022

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Governance arrangements are highly effective. Governors are experienced in education, apprenticeship training and the financial sector. They challenge leaders appropriately, share best practice in education and training, and drive improvement. Governors receive detailed and timely performance reports from senior leaders. Additionally, governors collect their own valuable feedback from tutors, employers and apprentices. This helps governors to have a thorough understanding of key strengths and areas for improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a culture of care and awareness through the education they provide. They ensure that everyone, including tutors, coaches and employers play their part effectively in keeping apprentices safe. Leaders continuously analyse welfare and well-being incidences to identify trends. This helps them to take swift actions to reduce such incidences. For example, leaders recognise the stress that apprentices experience in preparation for their examinations. Leaders have created several very effective resources to help apprentices ease their examination pressures. Apprentices, staff and employers have excellent knowledge of the safeguarding arrangements. 21 to 24 June 2022

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Main subcontractors

First Intuition Limited First Intuition Leeds Limited First Intuition Chelmsford Limited RELX (UK) Limited 21 to 24 June 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the managing director, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Sambit Sen, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Penny Fawcus Her Majesty’s Inspector Maggie Fobister Ofsted Inspector Jai Sharda Ofsted Inspector Rob Bates Ofsted Inspector Gaynor Cross Ofsted Inspector Michael Worgs Her Majesty’s Inspector 21 to 24 June 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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