Stanfords Training Ltd

Stanfords Training Limited Second floor, Wolverley House, 18 Digbeth High Street, Birmingham B5 6BJ

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report:

At the most recent full inspection, the following areas were identified as needing to improve:

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report:

 Make sure apprentices complete their studies on time.  Make sure apprentices attend off-the-job training.  Provide apprentices with frequent and helpful progress reviews.  Improve apprentices’ English and mathematics skills throughout their studies.  Improve the accuracy of initial assessment and use this to inform teaching.

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report:

During the monitoring inspection, inspectors focused on the following themes:

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report:

 What progress have leaders and governors made in ensuring that apprentices complete their studies on time?  What progress have leaders made in ensuring that apprentices attend a well- planned programme of off-the-job training and benefit from frequent and helpful reviews?  What progress have teachers made in improving the accuracy of initial assessment. and how it is used to inform teaching?  What progress have teachers made in improving apprentices’ English and mathematics skills throughout their studies?

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and governance)

At the previous inspection, apprentices on business administration and early years apprenticeships did not complete their studies on time due to staff absence. Since then, despite further temporary staff absences, leaders have improved the progress that apprentices make in these areas. Leaders have recruited well-qualified and effective replacement assessors. Leaders monitor apprentices’ progress closely and act swiftly when apprentices fall behind. Assessors rapidly provide additional individual support for apprentices. Apprentices are making timely progress in business administration and early years. Monitoring inspection report: Stanfords Training Limited 13 and 14 May 2026

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Leaders’ oversight of apprentices’ progress in early years, business administration has improved. However, leaders’ oversight of the progress of apprentices in construction has been weak.

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Too many construction apprentices have withdrawn, and too many are waiting for their planned end-point assessment. Leaders do not report regularly against targets. Their analysis of the reasons for withdrawals lacks sufficient detail. Leaders and governors have responded too slowly in relation to the concerns about withdrawals. Governors have recently taken the decision to suspend further recruitment. They have rightly asked leaders to produce a formal written report with a detailed analysis of the reasons for withdrawals and precise actions for improvement.

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teaching and training)

Leaders have collaborated effectively with assessors and employers in early years, business administration, and construction to ensure that there are explicit and well- planned links between off-the job training and what apprentices do at work. Assessors ensure that apprentices can swiftly practise their new skills and knowledge at work. Assessors make appropriate changes to the order of the curriculum to respond to the needs of for each apprentice and their work setting.

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teaching and training)

In accounting, assessors prioritise preparation for the professional examinations but do not plan sufficiently to enable apprentices to apply their skills in the workplace. Leaders rightly acknowledge that they need to work more closely with assessors and employers in accounting to ensure that apprentices can swiftly apply their new learning at work.

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teaching and training)

Leaders have improved their processes for monitoring apprentices’ attendance at reviews. On all apprenticeships, reviews are frequent and well attended. In most cases, employers also attend. Assessors provide highly supportive reviews and offer apprentices the opportunity to raise any concerns. However, leaders do not ensure that assessors focus sufficiently on improving learning. Assessors rely too heavily on recording the completion of tasks and the recording of events rather than reflecting fully on what apprentices have learned and what they need to improve.

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(Curriculum, teaching and training)

Leaders have improved the processes they use to understand what apprentices know and can do at the start of their studies. Monitoring inspection report: Stanfords Training Limited 13 and 14 May 2026

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Apprentices complete initial assessments to identify what they know in relation to the knowledge, skills and behaviours attributed to the apprenticeship. They also complete a skills scan which identifies their approach to gaining vital employment skills, such as teamwork. Staff have worked closely with employers to understand additional behaviours that are needed and which behaviours would enable apprentices to thrive in their careers. They have added a study skills and work ethic section to the skills scan, which specifically measures attitudes towards attendance, punctuality, appearance, managing workloads, meeting deadlines and communication. For each aspect, leaders ask apprentices to explain how they demonstrate this knowledge or these skills. Assessors then meet with apprentices to ensure its accuracy and to confirm that apprentices are on the most appropriate apprenticeship.

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In most cases, assessors use these measured starting points effectively to inform their teaching. Assessors make changes to the curriculum to meet the needs of individual apprentices. This has enabled most recently enrolled apprentices to make a positive start.

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(Achievement)

Leaders have recently reviewed how assessors teach English and mathematics. They are rightly committed to improving these skills for all apprentices, including those who do not need to achieve functional skills qualifications as part of their apprenticeship.

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(Achievement)

Leaders require all assessors to include the development of English and mathematics skills in their schemes of work. Assessors have recently begun to embed the development of these skills within their curriculum plans. Assessors are creating resources to help apprentices build the skills that they need in their chosen sectors. A few assessors use writing frames to support apprentices for whom English is not their first language. Other assessors break down complex writing tasks into manageable steps. Assessors in early years support apprentices to improve their own levels of numeracy and to consider ways of teaching numeracy to young children. Assessors in construction support apprentices to calculate excavator bucket volumes.

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(Achievement)

Leaders have recently employed specialist tutors to teach numeracy to apprentices who need this functional skill to complete their apprenticeship.

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(Achievement)

Leaders have not yet developed an approach for measuring progress in the development of English and mathematical skills. They acknowledge that they need a way to measure the impact of their strategy and to improve their oversight. Monitoring inspection report: Stanfords Training Limited 13 and 14 May 2026

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Additional next steps

Leaders should continue to work to address the areas identified as needing improvement in the full inspection report.

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About this inspection

This is the first monitoring inspection following publication of the inspection report on 5 September 2025 which found the provider to be requires improvement overall.

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About this inspection

The provider’s previous full inspection was carried out under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) at that time. The renewed EIF took effect from 10 November 2025. The areas for improvement identified at the provider’s full inspection have been cross- referenced to relevant evaluation areas in the inspection toolkit for consideration on this monitoring inspection.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the further education and skills inspection toolkit. The purpose was to identify and report on the provider’s progress in addressing the areas identified as needing to improve since the provider’s previous inspection.

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needs funding at time of inspection

Monitoring inspection report: Stanfords Training Limited 13 and 14 May 2026

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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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