Metadata Limited

Metadata Limited

Address: 2-6 Cropley Street, London, N1 7GF Unique reference number (URN): 2539235

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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 Expected standard

Staff create a positive and welcoming environment for apprentices. They demonstrate a clear commitment to inclusive practices. They know their cohort of apprentices well and understand that challenging circumstances can create barriers to effective learning. They respond sensitively to put effective support arrangements in place and generally review these frequently.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have a suitable process in place for identifying apprentices’ needs at the start of their programmes. They check whether apprentices have specific needs or other barriers that they need support for and involve apprentices in discussions about strategies that help them to learn. However, leaders recognise that staff would benefit from further training to help learners who have potential barriers to learning, such as special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Apprentices who experience challenges due to personal or health circumstances receive suitably tailored support, including breaks in learning, one-to-one teaching and extra time for assessments. When they return from a break in learning, mentors provide them with helpful extra teaching and make frequent checks on their wellbeing. This helps apprentices to improve their confidence and resilience.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision for their curriculum offer. They focus on providing individuals with the knowledge and skills they need to work as business analysts in a range of key sectors, such as healthcare, public services and local and central government.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a broad understanding of their provision's strengths and areas they need to develop further. They use suitable quality assurance processes to review their improvement actions. However, they do not monitor quality across all areas of their provision frequently enough, such as checking tutors’ teaching, to assure themselves that the quality of teaching is consistently high.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

External advisers are appropriately experienced and have a thorough understanding of the curriculum that is taught. They provide constructive feedback and suitable challenge that enables leaders to continue to develop areas of their provision. They speak very positively about the commitment that leaders have towards their apprentices’ progress and the comprehensive curriculum they offer.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Tutors and mentors are subject experts. They are skilled and knowledgeable in a range of topics, including business analysis, change management and digital transformation. They have current industry expertise and undertake valuable professional development, for example, in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Apprentices benefit from their expertise and study an up-to-date curriculum.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have created a positive working culture. Tutors and mentors appreciate the frequent opportunities to work together closely and clearly share leaders’ organisational vision. They have positive relationships with leaders and feel listened to. Staff feel valued and enjoy working at the provider.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most apprentices achieve their apprenticeship. A high proportion pass with merit and distinction grades. Achievement rates have increased considerably since the previous year.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop the new knowledge, skills and behaviours they need for their job roles. They confidently discuss complex business analysis concepts, such as hypothesis-driven development, constructive challenge and dot voting. Apprentices demonstrate a secure understanding of industry-relevant methodologies.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices apply their learning effectively in the workplace. For example, they identify and engage appropriate stakeholders in business projects and use requirements engineering and process modelling techniques to plan and manage projects successfully. Many enhance their expertise further by completing an additional level 4 diploma and a range of optional accredited certificates.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices produce high-quality work. Their assignments demonstrate sound technical understanding and effective use of business analysis tools in their organisations. Apprentices are well prepared for future progression. Many secure pay increases, expanded responsibilities or higher-level roles on completion.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have designed and implemented an ambitious and demanding business analyst curriculum. This includes accredited certificates and a level 4 diploma beyond the vocational requirements of the standard. Leaders frequently review, evaluate and adapt the curriculum based on changes in the sector and employers’ and apprentices’ needs. They have added extra content, such as in artificial intelligence awareness. They have sequenced the content well to ensure that apprentices secure their knowledge in a range of complex topics to use in the completion of highly relevant business projects.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors and mentors are experts in their subjects. They teach with enthusiasm and clarity. They make online learning interactive, engaging and interesting. Tutors design and set apprentices well-considered and demanding group tasks. They encourage apprentices to think deeply and consider how they will implement what they learn in the workplace.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors use high-quality additional resources to support their teaching. This helps consolidate apprentices’ knowledge of technical, complex processes and analysis tools. For example, tutors use detailed diagrams and graphics to help apprentices visualise processes, such as user journey maps, and to plan a business activity model. In a few instances, apprentices who are new to the course struggle with the intensity of information and find the content overwhelming.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors and mentors give apprentices clear and helpful feedback about their work and their progress. Apprentices respond well to feedback, reflect on their work and, where necessary, resubmit improved work. Mentors collaborate closely with apprentices’ line managers to ensure that apprentices have sufficient opportunity to apply their learning in the workplace.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Since the previous inspection, leaders have taken positive steps to improve the careers information, advice and guidance they give to apprentices. They have implemented a structured careers programme to help apprentices understand the opportunities available to them and to discuss their career aspirations. Most apprentices now know how to prepare for their next steps.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices enjoy working and learning in positive environments. They demonstrate the professional behaviours expected in their workplace and the sector. They have high attendance at work and to their training. Apprentices work with each other respectfully and collaboratively online. They participate enthusiastically in discussions and contribute positively to debates in their group work.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from a range of opportunities to develop their wider skills. At optional ‘lunch and learn’ sessions, apprentices gain an understanding of topics, including artificial intelligence and general data protection regulation. The apprentices who attend these sessions benefit from what they learn.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Many apprentices have access to information and support about keeping mentally well and healthy through resources at their workplace. When they take part in learning activities, they appreciate that tutors create respectful environments where differences of opinion are valued and welcomed.

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

Apprentices improve their confidence. They quickly become adept at using business analysis tools in their workplace. They use their newfound confidence to present their findings to their peers and managers. Employers recognise the improvements in apprentices’ team working skills and that apprentices are more assured in their work. Apprentices study a well-designed curriculum. They attend frequent teaching and mentoring sessions, optional drop-in workshops and monthly lunch and learn sessions on topics such as business change, ethical artificial intelligence and stakeholder engagement. Tutors helpfully direct apprentices to additional resources such as online videos and training courses that help them create digital mind maps, design workflows and run team workshops online.

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

Apprentices experience teaching that is effective and encourages them to discuss and debate their learning. Tutors introduce complex technical concepts clearly, such as anticipatory, momentary, episodic and cumulative experience time spans. They link these well to apprentices’ business contexts. They routinely challenge and correct apprentices’ misconceptions. This helps apprentices to consolidate what they learn.

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

Apprentices benefit from online teaching methods that tutors mostly use effectively. For example, tutors use whiteboards, supporting diagrams and graphics to teach key concepts effectively. They use online breakout rooms to encourage debate and discussion and provide apprentices with constructive feedback afterwards.

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

Apprentices are motivated, and they enjoy their learning. They are keen to do well and achieve their qualifications. They attend well and participate actively in one-to-one mentoring sessions and lessons. They respond positively to feedback tutors give them and demonstrate the professional behaviours expected in the workplace.

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

Apprentices study in welcoming learning environments. They feel safe at work and in training. They know to whom they should report any concerns.

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Next steps

Leaders should provide staff with appropriate training to enable them to support learners with barriers, such as special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders should ensure that tutors teach lessons at a pace that supports the learning of those apprentices new to the programme. Leaders should continue to enhance their quality assurance systems to assure themselves that the quality of tutors' teaching is consistently high.

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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 leaders, managers, tutors, mentors, apprentices, employers and external advisers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Metadata Training Limited is an independent learning provider based in the London borough of Islington. The provider specialises in business analysis, digital transformation and change

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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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national average

2024/25 77 65 Above management. Apprentices study an online curriculum.

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national average

At the time of the inspection, there were 21 apprentices in training. The majority of these were enrolled on the level 4 business analyst standard. Fewer than 5 were enrolled on the level 4 digital product manager standard.

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Exceptional

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

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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. 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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