The Training Place Of Excellence Limited

The Training Place of Excellence Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Carlton Cottages 12 New Cross Road London SE14 5BE Monitoring visit: The Training Place of Excellence Limited, 23 and 24 July 2025

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Context and focus of visit

The Training Place of Excellence Limited was inspected in July 2024. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the visit, there were 63 apprentices in training. There were 34 apprentices studying the level 2 accounts or finance assistant standard, 26 studied the level 3 assistant accountant standard and the remaining apprentices were studying the level 4 professional accounting or taxation technician standard. Fewer than five apprentices were working towards functional skills qualifications in English and/or mathematics at level 2.

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Significant progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have taken swift action to strengthen and enhance the expectations they set with employers. Apprentices now receive their full entitlement to off-the-job training hours. Staff, including tutors, set these expectations clearly from the outset of the apprenticeship and reinforce them consistently throughout the training. Almost all apprentices complete their training during working time and achieve qualifications in a timely manner.

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Significant progress

Staff plan and structure off-the-job training activities very well. They share these plans in advance with apprentices and their employers. Staff monitor apprentices’ attendance and participation in off-the-job training closely to ensure employers allow apprentices suitable time to attend lessons and complete their studies. Apprentices attend their lessons well and learn using high-quality online learning resources. Where necessary, apprentices attend additional lessons and revision sessions to prepare for exams during their working time. Apprentices benefit hugely from these activities and make timely progress.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have taken highly effective action, where employers fail to meet these expectations and do not provide apprentices suitable support in the workplace. For example, they have stopped working with employers who did not allow apprentices suitable time to attend training during working time. Staff also Monitoring visit: The Training Place of Excellence Limited, 23 and 24 July 2025 liaise with employers on apprentices’ behalf and, where appropriate, support apprentices to change employers.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have reinforced their expectations around employers’ attendance and contributions to apprentices’ progress reviews. Staff have detailed discussions with employers at the start of the recruitment process to set these expectations and note these clearly in the employer commitment statements. They have revised the employer contracts to further emphasize the importance of this. However, despite leaders’ best efforts to improve employers’ attendance in the reviews, this is not consistently high.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have rightly adapted their approaches to conducting progress reviews to accommodate employers’ needs. Tutors adapt the length of the progress review meetings to suit employers’ work constraints. Where employers are unable to attend, tutors share detailed feedback on apprentices’ knowledge and skills gaps and related support needs via email, phone and/or via messaging applications. Consequently, employers are well informed of their apprentices’ progress and support needs.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors plan specific tasks and exercises apprentices can do online and in the workplace to cover their curriculum. They provide clear guidance to employers on what they can do in the workplace to support their apprentices to complete tasks and projects to the required standards. Apprentices apply their learning in the workplace and improve their skills and knowledge further with effective support from their employers.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel well supported with their studies and in their job roles by the staff and their employers. They demonstrate new technical knowledge, such as double entry bookkeeping, tax returns and page accounting and learn important new behaviours, such as communications and dealing with clients appropriately.

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assessments and progress review meetings to

set apprentices useful goals and actions.

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Significant progress

Leaders and managers have made significant improvements in how they use information from initial assessments and progress reviews to set apprentices useful goals and actions. They have revised their entry criteria and strengthened their selection process to ensure apprentices are on the courses relevant to their starting points. Staff ensure apprentices on level 3 courses have at least grade 4 in GCSE Monitoring visit: The Training Place of Excellence Limited, 23 and 24 July 2025 mathematics and English. Where apprentices score low in their initial assessments, staff put them on levels more appropriate to them and refer them to English and mathematics classes. As a result, retention and achievement has significantly improved and is high.

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Significant progress

Tutors conduct timely progress reviews with apprentices and set them clear goals and actions. They align targets well with curriculum content and examinations, focusing on key knowledge and skills that apprentices need to develop and learn. In progress reviews, apprentices reflect on what they need to learn next or in more depth, such as principles of bookkeeping controls or financial planning for different organisations. Tutors then discuss this and note in detail what apprentices need to do to achieve this, such as what materials to use or how to prepare financial statements for sole traders to cover financial planning for organisations.

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Significant progress

Staff use information from initial assessments and progress reviews effectively to set useful actions specific to apprentices’ identified needs. For example, non-English speaking apprentices attend English vocabulary sessions to develop their English knowledge and skills specific to their subject and workplace. Tutors also set specific revision tasks and exercises on topics apprentices struggle with. Employers recognise and greatly value the positive impact of this tailored support for apprentices, which increases their confidence and performance in the workplace. Monitoring visit: The Training Place of Excellence Limited, 23 and 24 July 2025 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

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Significant progress

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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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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

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