Cogrammar Ltd

CoGrammar Limited (Trading as HyperionDev) Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Saher Nijabat, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 January 2024

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Translation and Innovation Hub 84 Wood Lane London W12 7SL Monitoring visit: CoGrammar Limited, 23 and 24 January 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of adult learning provision where the provision offered is in scope for inspection. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’, especially the sections entitled ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

CoGrammar Limited, trading as HyperionDev, is an independent training provider based in White City, London. It is an international education technology organisation with offices in other countries, such as South Africa. Leaders teach a range of commercial and publicly funded bootcamps in partnership with different universities. Only publicly funded Skills Bootcamps were in scope for this monitoring visit. CoGrammar Limited started to offer Skills Bootcamps in partnership with Nottingham University in September 2022. At the time of the monitoring visit, it offered digital Skills Bootcamps via contracts with the Department for Education, The North of Tyne Combined Authority and The City of London Corporation. There were 1,974 learners on Skills Bootcamp courses in data science and software engineering. These courses are taught entirely online.

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Significant progress

Leaders have successfully developed Skills Bootcamps that meet regional and national needs in the digital sector. They work exceptionally well with employers, sector specialist partners and local authorities to plan and teach highly effective curriculums. They prepare learners well for work in the sector.

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Significant progress

Leaders make sure that staff teach learners the skills they need to succeed in the digital technology sector. They teach learners an ambitious curriculum based on emerging developments and skills gaps in the digital technology sector. For example, learners learn relevant coding languages requested by employers. Consequently, learners develop highly relevant skills that are in high demand.

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Significant progress

Leaders make sure that they plan courses that meet the requirements of Skills Bootcamps. Learners attend lectures, one-to-one sessions and employer webinars online to learn the essential theory and technical skills needed for different jobs in the digital technology sector. Staff plan and teach these sessions effectively to Monitoring visit: CoGrammar Limited, 23 and 24 January 2024 enable learners to make rapid progress. Most learners are on track to achieve and complete their training on time.

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Significant progress

Leaders rigorously monitor the quality of their provision. They observe and review teaching, learning and assessment sessions, gather feedback from employers and learners, and go through comprehensive quality audits from the university. Leaders routinely analyse key information on all elements of their bootcamps. For example, they regularly discuss learners’ attendance, participation in lessons and progress. They have a consistently thorough oversight of learners’ progress.

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Significant progress

Senior leaders have effective action plans in place to improve their performance. Leaders take prompt action to successfully rectify most of the areas for improvement they identify. They provide up-to-date and helpful information to members of their board. The board uses this information to support and challenge leaders effectively to make improvements and drive performance.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders make sure that training is easily accessible to learners. Learners can attend live lessons during the day, in the evenings or watch the repeats at the weekend. Mentors offer one-to-one sessions from early in the morning until the evening so that learners can book a time that suits them.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide thorough initial advice and guidance to make sure that learners’ prior knowledge and experience and their career aspirations match their courses well. Staff carry out suitable assessments at the start of courses, including technical skills tests, to identify what learners know and can do. They use this information well to design the curriculum to make sure that learners gain significant new knowledge and skills through their programmes.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers sequence the curriculum logically, so learners develop secure knowledge, skills and professional behaviours gradually. Learners, even those with no prior knowledge of coding, quickly learn new knowledge, such as data structures and programming tools, and start coding from early on in their course. Staff teach them how to avoid common user errors, including environment and logic errors, from the beginning of the course. This prepares learners well to deal with error-handling later.

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Reasonable progress

Lecturers and mentors are highly knowledgeable and experienced in the subjects they teach. Lecturers have relevant industry experience and use this well to link theory with current research and work practices. They give clear explanations and demonstrations of how to use the different tools and functions. They maintain the interest of learners well in remote teaching sessions. Learners enjoy their training, Monitoring visit: CoGrammar Limited, 23 and 24 January 2024 and the vast majority stay on their programme and achieve. Most learners who complete their bootcamps successfully gain employment.

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Reasonable progress

Staff do not always provide timely feedback to learners about their work. Although staff provide detailed feedback, it is often late and does not allow learners sufficient time to rectify mistakes before they need to submit their next piece of work. Too often, learners are unable to book one-to-one sessions when they need them to resolve queries and concerns. Consequently, they are not clear about how to avoid mistakes and produce consistently high-quality work.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders do not ensure that the small number of learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive suitable support specific to their individual needs. Staff identify these needs at the time of enrolment. However, they do not put appropriate support in place for learners in a timely manner. Most staff, including mentors, do not know what strategies to use to support learners with SEND with their studies effectively.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a suitable understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities to their learners. Leaders have appropriate policies and procedures in place, including how they comply with the ‘Prevent’ duty. They focus well on safeguarding in the safeguarding committee meetings and regularly update their board on safeguarding matters.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders ensure that the designated safeguarding leads (DSL) and the deputy DSL are suitably trained to undertake their roles effectively. Staff deal with safety and well-being concerns appropriately. They remind learners how to report any concerns at the start of every lecture and group session. Consequently, learners know how to report any concerns.

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Reasonable progress

Staff do not teach learners well enough about the risks of online grooming by extremists or the threats of being radicalised online. Consequently, learners have a limited understanding of how these risks relate to their lives and work. Monitoring visit: CoGrammar Limited, 23 and 24 January 2024 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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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