Northcoders Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Information about this provider

Northcoders Limited is an independent learning provider that provides Skills Bootcamps for adults in data in the cloud and software engineering. Bootcamps run for 13 weeks. All training is taught online. There are currently 197 students on two bootcamps: 117 students are on software engineering and 80 students are on data in the cloud engineering. 13 to 16 May 2025

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

Students acquire extensive knowledge, skills and expertise that empower them to become data and software engineers. Students studying software engineering learn about application programming interfaces before they apply this to enable software applications to interact and share information.

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

Students enjoy an extremely engaging and stimulating curriculum. They consistently and punctually attend their training. Students appreciate greatly how leaders, lecturers and other support staff have their best interests at heart. They are keen for them to succeed in their studies and improve their life chances. Almost all students who complete their courses achieve their career ambitions swiftly by gaining work in the digital industry.

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

Leaders do their utmost to ensure that female students on their courses benefit greatly from additional support through the InnovateHer and MentorHer initiatives. This enables them to have thriving careers in the digital sector, where there are significantly lower numbers of females.

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

Students continuously reinforce their confidence and resilience throughout their course. For instance, students studying data in the cloud engineering tackle complex coding challenges with persistence, patience and determination until they are successful.

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

Students feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe. They know how to raise any concerns they may have about themselves or others.

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better?

Leaders have a compelling purpose to provide the digital industry with talented and skilled individuals in data and software engineering. They have cultivated very strong links with an extensive range of employer partners. Leaders work collaboratively to create an extremely ambitious, current and industry-informed curriculum. They tailor the curriculum to meet specific employer needs and industry changes. Lecturers now teach about databases using Structured Query Language instead of MongoDB and teach about complex coding using React instead of jQuery.

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better?

Staff are well qualified and experienced to teach students. They receive job-specific training that enables them to be highly effective in their teaching and support roles. Lecturers and mentors routinely update their knowledge of the sector, for instance on building a complex query, the hive mind and learning new computer languages such as TypeScript and Go. Careers consultants benefit from training in creative career coaching and effective use of peer assessment.

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better?

Lecturers teach a coherent curriculum that enables students to quickly develop significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours. Students studying software engineering initially learn the basics of JavaScript and the stages of the software 13 to 16 May 2025

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development life cycle. They build on this learning to create logical code and simple software designs, follow testing frameworks and apply algorithms. Students accurately follow software designs and functional or technical specifications. They learn how to write accurate, effective and readable code that mirrors high industry standards.

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Lecturers and mentors make extremely good use of information about students’ starting points to make sure that teaching meets their individual needs. This includes a few students who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Lecturers teach additional one-to-one theory sessions, and mentors provide further coaching and help to make sure that these students are well supported. Students consistently make excellent progress. Almost all students achieve their qualifications.

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Lecturers skilfully teach their subjects. In data in the cloud engineering, lecturers give clear and precise explanations to help students understand aspects of databases such as star schema, dimension modelling and data warehouse. As a result, students consistently and readily recall what they learn. For instance, students studying software engineering can explain fluently that third-party libraries are commonly used for animations, styling and data visualisations.

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Lecturers’ use of assessment is excellent. They are persistent in their use of probing questions to find out students’ deep knowledge. Lecturers do not move on to the next topic until they are sure that there are no gaps in students’ learning. Immediately following the lectures, lecturers support students to consolidate and apply their theoretical learning through a series of well-planned practical activities and projects. For example, students studying data in the cloud build fact and dimension tables to categorise useful information that can be analysed.

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Lecturers provide very effective feedback to students that tells them what they are doing well and what they need to do better. Students act immediately on lecturers’ feedback by further improving their work, for instance, in the logic and complexity of their coding.

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Lecturers, mentors and careers consultants ensure that students improve their English and mathematical skills to support them in their roles. Students studying data in the cloud engineering use number with precision to ensure clean and accurate coding. Students studying software engineering write high-quality reports that are professionally presented.

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Students benefit greatly from exceptionally effective support from careers consultants and mentors. They routinely attend a variety of very useful tutorials to help them tailor job applications and cover letters. Careers consultants provide very useful sessions to help students write their CVs to avoid bias in the selection process. A very high proportion of employer partners participate in facilitating guaranteed interviews for students. This prepares students very well for future interviews and inspires them to make confident and incisive decisions about their next steps. 13 to 16 May 2025

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Governance and leadership are highly effective. Leaders have forensic oversight of the progress that students make. They have a thorough understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the provision. Governors provide robust scrutiny and challenge to leaders. Their actions have brought about swift improvements, so the quality of education is outstanding.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 to 16 May 2025

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Provider details

Address 17 Marble Street Manchester M2 3AW

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Christopher Hill

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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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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 13 to 16 May 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the quality lead, 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

Kim Bleasdale, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Alison Cameron Brandwood His Majesty’s Inspector Suzanne Horner His Majesty’s Inspector Alastair Mollon His Majesty’s Inspector 13 to 16 May 2025

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

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