Clear Quality Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection dates: 29 July to 1 August 2025

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Information about this provider

Clear Quality Limited is an independent training provider with its head office in Rotherham. It provides training in the quality and management sector to large, small and medium-sized employers nationally. The provider works in a number of sectors, including manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, logistics and service provision. It was established in 2017, offering consultancy services, and received a contract to deliver apprenticeships in September 2022. It also delivers Skills Bootcamps to adult learners in quality management and leadership. At the time of the inspection, there were 152 apprentices, most of whom were on level 4 quality practitioner and level 3 safety, health and environment technician. Most apprentices are over 19 years of age. There were 21 adult learners enrolled on Skills Bootcamps. 29 July to 1 August 2025

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

Learners and apprentices value the opportunity to complete their course remotely and welcome the positive impact it has on their career. They embrace learning new knowledge and skills that make a difference to their role at work. Apprentices on the level 4 quality practitioner apprenticeship use the knowledge that they develop to implement new techniques at work to make quality improvements. For example, apprentices who work in care settings review the effectiveness of nutrition, hydration and bowel monitoring. Employers trust learners and apprentices to implement improvements in the workplace and give them additional responsibilities and promotions.

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

Learners and apprentices have a positive work ethic and are motivated to achieve their qualification. They complete assignments within agreed timescales, work diligently and take on board constructive feedback to help them to improve their work further.

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

Learners and apprentices are respectful towards their tutors, peers and work colleagues. They appreciate the welcoming environment created by tutors. Tutors set clear expectations about professional conduct and demonstrate respect in training sessions. Most learners and apprentices listen carefully to instructions from tutors and to the contributions of others.

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

Learners and apprentices attend their online training sessions well and are punctual. If they miss sessions due to work or personal commitments, they catch up by watching recorded sessions, which contain clearly explained presentations, useful videos and learning activities.

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

Learners and apprentices feel safe and know how to keep themselves and others safe. They learn about safeguarding, radicalisation and extremism and maturely articulate how this applies in the context of their work roles.

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better?

Leaders have a clear purpose for the courses they provide. They work successfully with businesses across the country to support them to train learners and apprentices to improve the quality management systems where they work.

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better?

Leaders work well with employers to design Skills Bootcamp and apprenticeship curriculums to ensure they meet employers’ needs. For example, they have worked closely with a large care provider to design the level 3 safeguarding support officer apprenticeship to meet the employer’s needs. Leaders have designed the course to ensure the content focuses on children rather than adults. They have sequenced the curriculum to include teaching on regulatory frameworks at the start of the course, in response to the employer’s request. 29 July to 1 August 2025

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In most instances, tutors identify accurately the existing knowledge and skills of apprentices and use this information to enrol them on the correct course. However, in a few cases tutors do not use this information sufficiently well. The apprentices affected are too highly qualified for the apprenticeship they are enrolled on and are not able to develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours. Leaders have identified this and have revised the initial assessment process to ensure that all apprentices are now enrolled to the correct course.

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Well qualified and experienced tutors provide good-quality training. They are skilled in using online tools and strategies. Tutors explain key concepts clearly using presentations before facilitating useful discussions. They ensure that learners and apprentices can articulate their initial thoughts on what they have just learned before breaking out into digital spaces to further explore scenarios with their peers. Tutors ask key questions at the end of sessions to check learners’ and apprentices’ understanding.

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Learners and apprentices grow in confidence during their course. They develop new knowledge and skills, which they are confident to apply in the workplace to make quality improvements. For example, apprentices on the level 4 quality practitioner apprenticeship implement their knowledge of planning audits and a risk-based approach to plan audit cycles at work.

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Tutors provide effective support to meet the needs of learners and apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They carefully assess learners’ and apprentices’ needs and provide appropriate support. For example, tutors revisit learning with apprentices with autism in one-to-one sessions, which helps them to feel more confident about topics.

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Tutors mostly plan and deliver progress reviews effectively to enable learners and apprentices to review their progress and identify what further work they need to complete. However, in a few instances they do not make sure that learners and apprentices have an accurate understanding of where they are up to and what they need to do to complete the course successfully. This impacts adversely on the progress of a small number of learners and apprentices.

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Leaders have taken effective action to reduce the proportion of apprentices who leave their course early, which had previously been too high. In the current year, a significantly higher proportion of apprentices remained on course and have achieved their apprenticeship with a high number gaining distinction grades. Many apprentices have been given promotions and additional responsibility at work since completing their course.

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A high proportion of learners on Skills Bootcamps achieve their qualifications and gain new roles in their workplace. They take on additional responsibilities and gain promotion.

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Tutors provide a valuable personal development curriculum that supports learners and apprentices well to stay mentally and physically healthy, and to understand the 29 July to 1 August 2025

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importance of contributing to the community in which they live and work. However, until very recently leaders have not ensured that the small number of apprentices aged under 18 are taught information about sexual harassment, healthy relationships and consent. They started to provide training on this topic and apprentices who have attended early sessions have a good understanding of it.

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Tutors provide learners and apprentices with helpful careers information to enable them to prepare for their next steps. Apprentices know how to apply for higher level apprenticeships. Learners on Skills Bootcamps learn about other relevant training, such as risk assessment.

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Leaders and governors have accurate oversight of the quality of the provision. Leaders have recently revised the membership of the governing board to further enhance scrutiny and challenge as they are ambitious to continue to improve. New board members have extensive experience in apprenticeships and skills bootcamps and have significant expertise in teaching and learning. However, it is too soon to see the impact of these improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Provide effective training to all apprentices under 18 years of age about sexual harassment, healthy relationships and consent.  Continue to implement the new initial assessment process to ensure all apprentices are enrolled on the right course and are able to develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours.  Structure and deliver progress reviews to a consistently high standard so that apprentices and learners understand the progress they have made and have a clear understanding of what further work they need to do to complete their course. 29 July to 1 August 2025

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Provider details

Address Unit 3, Concept court Wath upon Dearne Rotherham S63 5BD

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Debbie Whitehead

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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 29 July to 1 August 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the operations 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

Jacquie Brown, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Mark Keen His Majesty’s Inspector David Sykes Ofsted Inspector Chloe Rendall His Majesty’s Inspector Anne Tyrrell Ofsted Inspector Hayley Lomas His Majesty’s Inspector 29 July to 1 August 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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