Founders and Coders CIC

Founders and Coders CIC

Address: 27 Dingley Place, London, EC1V 8BR Unique reference number (URN): 2656257

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.1

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.

p.1

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders promote an inclusive culture where everyone is welcome. Fundamental to their vision is increasing access and opportunities for people who would not traditionally consider a career in the technology sector.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Staff have an appropriate approach to assessing and reviewing the needs of apprentices. They are suitably trained to provide the support required. Apprentices receive the ongoing support they need, mostly through the inclusive teaching practices that teachers implement. Staff support apprentices with temporary barriers to learning effectively, so they remain on their apprenticeships.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders quickly identify apprentices at risk of falling behind. They closely monitor the progress of all apprentices and intervene when needed to help them get back on track with their studies. However, leaders and those responsible for governance do not monitor closely enough the progress and achievements of groups of apprentices with differing barriers to learning to assess whether the support they provide is having the most impact.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Teaching staff have used their experience and expertise on supporting apprentices with barriers to learning to develop a range of learning platforms that are fully accessible by all apprentices. The learning platforms adapt to apprentices' preferred approaches, for example the use text or voice when accessing the platform.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders encourage a culture of collaboration and professional learning. Staff have a genuine interest in how people learn best. They read academic papers extensively to keep their pedagogical and technological knowledge up to date in this rapidly moving field. Staff have ongoing discussions on the best ways to teach new concepts to apprentices. They are current practitioners and keep their technical skills up to date. They have well-established networks that they use to share knowledge.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of their provision. They have high expectations and a strong ongoing focus on improving the quality of teaching. Leaders have prioritised improving their management of data to increase accuracy. However, it is too early to fully see the impact of this on published data.

p.2

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Those responsible for governance understand the context of the provider and the challenges they face. Governors challenge leaders appropriately to ensure that they do the best for their apprentices. They encourage leaders to manage risks appropriately and consider the values of the organisation when making decisions. However, the information that leaders provide to governors on the quality of training is not detailed enough for them to have a full understanding of the standard of teaching. Leaders are considerate of the wellbeing of their staff. They provide staff with autonomy and support. Staff appreciate a shorter working week and frequent dialogue with leaders.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders are advocates of peer-led and mastery learning approaches. Apprentices teach each other concepts, share ideas and provide ongoing feedback to each other. They frequently revisit and repeat concepts they have studied. This helps apprentices to retain and fluently apply their new learning.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teachers are highly skilled and experienced. They adeptly link more advanced concepts, such as the clustering of vectors and indexing, to fundamental knowledge that apprentices have learned previously, such as vector mathematics. Teachers swiftly incorporate innovative ideas and products into their programmes so that apprentices learn the latest technology, which is often not yet known in their companies.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teachers use assessment extremely well to ensure that apprentices receive frequent ongoing feedback that helps them to improve. As well as the ongoing peer-led feedback that apprentices receive during sessions, leaders have designed a bespoke learning platform. This provides apprentices with an individualised learning experience based around their needs and starting points. Inbuilt artificial intelligence assistants provide apprentices with instant feedback on the quality of their work. This helps apprentices identify any errors and the improvements needed.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have designed programmes that closely link workplace activity with the face-to-face training that apprentices receive. Leaders work closely with employers and apprentices to ensure that the projects apprentices complete in the workplace add value to their companies, while also developing apprentices' skills and interests. Teachers closely monitor the progress apprentices make with their work-based projects. They provide frequent one- to-one coaching to ensure that apprentices continue to develop their skills in the workplace.

p.3

Participation and development Strong standard

Staff provide apprentices with highly individualised and relevant careers advice, guidance and coaching based on their long-term career aims. This helps apprentices to consider the

p.3

Expected standard

right career pathway for them. Leaders work with apprentices to help them build their professional networks and provide apprentices with support to help them prepare for interviews and technical aptitude tests and to write CVs. They encourage apprentices to be part of career-mentoring schemes. Leaders support apprentices who want to set up their own companies with the requirements for self-employment.

p.4

Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff support apprentices very well to develop their interests and wider skills. Leaders and managers plan opportunities for apprentices to participate in social action projects and community initiatives. Machine learning apprentices showcase their work in free community workshops offered by the provider. Through these activities, apprentices build their confidence and develop their public speaking skills.

p.4

Expected standard

Leaders have designed a comprehensive personal development programme. Apprentices complete a wide range of wellbeing and employability modules, depending on their needs. Through these modules, and their teaching sessions, apprentices develop a strong understanding of areas such as psychological safety and the responsible use of technology.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices mostly achieve their qualifications in the planned time. This is not fully reflected in the 2024/25 published data due to leaders' historic inaccurate submissions and handling of data. Of those apprentices who achieve their apprenticeships, a high proportion achieve merit or distinction grades.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices, including those with barriers to learning, quickly gain new advanced knowledge and skills from their starting points. They become more adept at systems thinking and learn more about the architecture of code. They become confident pitching ideas to clients and teaching challenging concepts to their peers. Apprentices produce work of an industry standard.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices are well prepared for their next steps. On completion of their apprenticeships, most secure employment in the sector. Several set up start-up technology companies.

p.4

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

Apprentices are highly motivated and passionate about their learning. They thoroughly enjoy their training and are keen to attend their sessions. Teachers closely monitor attendance, and in the few instances where apprentices miss sessions, teachers provide the support they need to catch up.

p.4

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

Apprentices relish the collaborative approach that leaders encourage during training sessions. They find their sessions challenging but fun. They value working with their peers to solve problems and develop their understanding of new and challenging concepts. They find that working with people with a variety of diverse backgrounds and ideas brings different perspectives that enriches their learning. Through this approach, they develop deeper knowledge and become more confident voicing their opinions at work.

p.4

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

Apprentices are proud to showcase the interesting and varied projects they use their new skills to complete. They develop the skills to lead projects across their organisations, such as introducing artificial intelligence (AI) voice agents.

p.5

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

Apprentices flourish and develop as individuals. Teachers encourage apprentices to explore more deeply areas that interest them, such as ethics. Apprentices research and present their findings to their peers. This encourages discussion of wide-ranging issues, such as inbuilt bias in models, the environmental impact and harms of machine learning, as well as how to ensure that people interact with chatbots in an ethical way.

p.5

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

Apprentices study ambitious programmes that extend their understanding of new advanced concepts. On their level 6 machine learning courses, apprentices learn complex content on concepts, such as world models and learned simulators, vision transformers and multi- modal AI vision. Teachers ensure that apprentices master the specialist skills and fluently use the specialist vocabulary needed to work in the rapidly changing field of machine learning.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders should improve their oversight and checking of data submissions to ensure that they are accurate and reflective of apprentices' achievements. Leaders and those responsible for governance should improve how they monitor the progress of differing groups of apprentices with barriers to learning so that they can fully assess the impact of the support they provide. Leaders should further strengthen governors' oversight of the quality of training that apprentices receive.

p.5

About this inspection

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

p.5

About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, apprentices, teachers, governors and employers during the inspection.

p.5

About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

p.5

About this inspection

Founders and Coders CIC is an independent learning provider based in London. It offers apprenticeships in the digital sector. Training is mostly face to face, with apprentices attending weekly sessions in London.

p.5

Team inspectors:

Nirosha Holton, Ofsted Inspector Lynda Bourne, Ofsted Inspector

p.6

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.

p.6

Apprenticeships overall achievement rate

At the time of the inspection, there were 25 apprentices in learning. Twenty-two apprentices were studying level 6 machine learning engineering. The remainder studied level 4 software developer. There were a further 11 apprentices who were awaiting their final assessments or their results. These apprentices were studying either the level 4 software developer or the level 7 artificial intelligence data specialist apprenticeships.

p.6

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

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

p.7

Urgent improvement

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

p.7

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. 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 .

p.7

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 .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8