Tech Educators Ltd

Tech Educators Ltd

Address: Fuel Studios, Pottergate, Norwich, NR2 1DX Unique reference number (URN): 2748179

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders are advocates for widening participation. They set very high expectations for all learners to access training. Leaders prioritise recruitment from groups underrepresented in the technology sector and learners who are harder to reach due to socioeconomic disadvantage. Leaders raise learners’ aspirations about their ability to follow a career in the digital sector. Learners recognise their potential and develop strong ambitions for progression.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff identify and assess learners' needs swiftly. They agree reasonable adjustments early and review adjustments frequently, adapting and reducing them as circumstances change. Leaders provide staff training that covers adaptations to meet learning needs. This training strengthens staff capability to help to reduce barriers to learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders reduce barriers seamlessly through effective strategies and timely interventions. Leaders use a range of data and information to accurately monitor learners’ progress. Leaders evaluate the impact of support and make further improvements where needed.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff taper assistance intentionally. This helps learners develop independence over time. Leaders and staff model inclusive values daily. This contributes to the creation of respectful relationships and reliable support that strengthens learners’ confidence and sense of belonging. As a result, learners experience an inclusive culture that adapts to their individual circumstances.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear, purposeful vision of offering digital skills training to support underrepresented groups to enter the technology sector. They place inclusion, high expectations and learners at the centre of all decision-making.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders understand their strengths with precision. They use ongoing evaluation and external challenge to identify and make improvements. Leaders act with discipline and follow improvement activity through rigorously. This contributes to securing sustained improvements in the quality of teaching and in learners' outcomes.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have successfully established an effective governance structure. External governance provides scrutiny and constructive oversight, ensuring leaders are held to account for the quality of the provision.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders maintain highly effective oversight of the quality of training across the provision and ensure teaching remains consistently strong. Where performance needs improvement, leaders intervene promptly.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders provide high-quality professional development for staff, including those who are new to teaching. Staff access an extensive training programme that builds both teaching and technical expertise. Leaders check how well staff implement what they learn from the training and use this to inform further professional development. Leaders create a respectful and supportive working environment. They celebrate success, manage workload thoughtfully and maintain an open dialogue with staff. This helps ensure staff remain motivated and feel valued.

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Achievement Strong standard

Learners make extensive progress from their starting points, rapidly developing valuable digital, mathematical and English skills. Learners speak positively about the confidence they gain and how the course helps them refine their career or business goals, such as using AI to improve marketing products and professional communication.

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Achievement Strong standard

Learners produce work of a very high standard. Digital marketing with AI learners create professional presentations that add value to their businesses. Software development learners progress from building simple websites to producing more complex projects, such as functional blogs in a short space of time.

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Achievement Strong standard

Learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, largely achieve their Skills Bootcamp outcomes and are well prepared for their next steps. Because of their Skills Bootcamp courses, most learners go on to secure employment or enhance their business operation.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders work closely with employers and stakeholders to develop very high-quality digital Skills Bootcamps that meet national and local skills priorities. They use their extensive network to consult on technical content and the latest tools, including AI models, cloud platforms and specific databases. As a result, learners receive training that reflects up-to- date industry practice and meets funding body and employer needs.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have developed a well sequenced and highly inclusive curriculum that enables learners to develop essential digital and workplace skills. Instructors first teach digital innovator learners how to use core digital tools, applications, project management tools and a range of AI tools before teaching them to use spreadsheets and the principles of data management and analytics. This ensures learners gain the skills needed to support their future careers. Instructors understand learners’ starting points very effectively. They take care to capture motivations, support needs and any required adjustments to teaching that need to be made. Instructors and teaching assistants adapt learning by providing one-to-one support, extra time, rest breaks and recorded sessions.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Instructors and teaching assistants are subject experts. Instructors use their current industry expertise to make sessions engaging. They present complex technical knowledge in learner friendly language, helping learners become fluent with technical terms and language.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Instructors and teaching assistants use a wide range of assessment tools to check learning, including questioning, online chat, digital reactions and interactive whiteboards. They provide timely, constructive and encouraging written feedback that helps learners further improve the quality of their work.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Learners benefit from highly effective, personalised careers advice. They access weekly careers sessions, a dedicated adviser, CV support, mock interviews and practise technical tests. Learners benefit from this ongoing guidance beyond their course, through a 'lifetime membership' to support their future career ambitions.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Learners know how to report concerns about bullying or inappropriate behaviour and feel confident staff would act promptly. They understand online safety well, recognising phishing risks and the need to protect personal data.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders provide a wider curriculum that effectively reinforces fundamental British values, healthy relationships, wellbeing and awareness of radicalisation and extremism. These themes are introduced at induction and threaded through the programme. Learners use an effective digital platform to explore short, engaging local and national news articles, including emerging cyber threats, which keeps learning relevant and deepens learners’ understanding on these topics.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders set high expectations for attendance and commitment. Software developer learners complete a taster session, project and interview before starting, helping them understand course demands and the importance of punctuality and completing work on time. Attendance and participation are strong across all programmes.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders provide valuable opportunities beyond the curriculum, including hearing from guest speakers and mentoring, which develop learners’ collaborative and entrepreneurial skills.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners experience a highly welcoming and inclusive learning environment. Learners feel safe, valued and feel able to participate. Staff place a high priority on wellbeing, which helps learners to develop their confidence and a sense of belonging. Learners across the digital Skills Bootcamps gain substantial new knowledge and skills. Many start their course with little or no previous experience. Software developer learners gain the core web and programming logic skills that are needed for junior developer roles. Digital innovator learners collaborate on joint projects, applying a range of digital skills. Digital marketing learners increase productivity using AI tools and use analytics to enhance their businesses. Learners make significant progress and are well prepared for their next steps.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Teaching staff know their learners well and provide tailored support that meets individual needs. Learners with barriers to learning feel understood and supported. Learners who are disadvantaged or who are hardest to reach benefit from life changing opportunities that help them build confidence and independence for a career in technology. For example, learners who previously struggled to leave their homes, successfully complete their course and attend graduation to celebrate their achievements.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners develop a sense of community and value the diversity of experience within their course. Learners are highly motivated, proud of their work and contribute positively to the learning environment. For example, digital innovator learners undertake joint projects, where they assign roles and present their work collaboratively.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners enhance their confidence and digital proficiency through wider development opportunities. Learners participate in local ‘hackathons’, promoting teamwork, innovation and practical application of technology. Learners also use a variety of digital platforms, coding tools and collaborative technologies. This is helping them develop the skills needed for future study and employment.

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Next steps

• Leaders should continue to refine how they identify and monitor learners' progress so that they can sustain the very high outcomes for all learners. • Leaders should further strengthen the level of external challenge to continue to achieve very high standards and outcomes.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with learners, leaders, managers, instructors, teaching assistants, local authorities and employers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Tech Educators Ltd is an independent learning provider that provides Skills Bootcamps for adult learners to meet digital skills shortages.

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Lead inspector:

Rochelle Saneria, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Penny Fawcus, His Majesty's Inspector Julia Stevens, Ofsted Inspector Emma Helkenberg, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it. Tech Educators are based in Norwich and have 2 additional centres in Cambridge and Hull.

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Exceptional

During the inspection, there were 158 adult learners. The majority of learners were studying digital marketing and software development courses. The remaining learners studied digital innovator, AI literacy and L&M digital transformation. Bootcamps run from 10 to 16 weeks with training facilitated mostly online.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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