Made Tech Limited

Made Tech Limited

Address: 35-41 Folgate Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6BX Unique reference number (URN): 2804853

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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

Leaders and staff from across the organisation work effectively to create a positive culture of inclusion. Staff take pride in creating a learning and work environment where apprentices are supported and nurtured. Staff actively recruit and support apprentices who have not considered a career as a software engineer.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff quickly identify any additional needs that apprentices may have during their induction to the company and the course. Where staff identify apprentices need support, they make adjustments such as using transcription software to help apprentices take notes during lessons. Staff use the information they have about apprentices’ existing technical skills and any additional needs they have to carefully match them to projects that would enable them to develop their technical skills and thrive.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff have received training on how to support apprentices effectively. However, some of this training is outdated and needs updating. Tutors meet with each apprentice and their delivery manager frequently. They carry out useful progress review meetings that help to ensure that apprentices get the support they need to progress with their apprenticeship. Staff use these reviews to set specific targets to help apprentices develop the skills they need to become competent software engineers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are passionate about developing the next generation of software engineers. They have carefully selected the DevOps engineer apprenticeship rather than a software development apprenticeship, as it provides apprentices with a greater range of opportunities in different aspects of software development. Leaders have worked closely with the delivery teams and principal engineers to ensure that the skills apprentices are taught meet the needs of the company and the clients they work with.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the provision well. They have effective quality assurance arrangements in place which include suitable external scrutiny and challenge. This results in appropriate quality improvement actions which focus on improving the apprentices' experience. Leaders get frequent feedback from apprentices on their experience, which has resulted in changes being made to the timing of certain modules, such as the clean code module.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff have the required expertise. They provide suitable opportunities for staff to attend training to update their technical skills such as in generative coding and deployment platforms. Staff receive appropriate training to develop their teaching practice.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are proud to work for the company. This is because they enjoy working with apprentices on real client projects and seeing the apprentices develop into competent software engineers. Leaders are considerate of staff workload and wellbeing, with staff being able to work from any of the regional offices or from home. Staff get protected time when teaching so that they can focus solely on their lessons.

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Achievement Expected standard

The small number of apprentices who have completed their apprenticeship achieved their qualification. They have all remained with their employer, and most have been promoted to associate or mid-level software engineer roles. Apprentices who have faced barriers such as being neurodiverse achieve as well as their peers.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices gain useful skills and knowledge as part of their course, in particular the importance of green software and the ethics around the use of artificial intelligence in software. Apprentices are supported by their peers and tutors to present their ideas to colleagues, and feedback from other apprentices is thoughtful and helps the apprentice to reflect on their own work and performance.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop their technical vocabulary and mathematics skills. They communicate more effectively with project delivery teams and clients when explaining aspects of the code they are writing. The mathematics skills that apprentices acquire helps them to improve their coding skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have created a curriculum that quickly develops apprentices' software development skills so that they can make an important contribution to the projects they are working on. They have sequenced the curriculum well so that apprentices learn the basic skills they need to start working on client projects. Apprentices are taught how to code the interface of the software which users will interact with. They are then taught more complex skills such as writing code that works on the computer server and also interacts with databases. Staff ensure that apprentices complete aspects of their technical training in an order that is most appropriate for them and the client project they are working on.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors and project delivery staff are highly skilled software developers. The majority teach apprentices effectively in classroom sessions and in their workplace. They maintain apprentices' motivation and interests by using a range of real-life examples they have worked on to bring topics to life. They skilfully use a range of assessment methods to check apprentices' understanding. Tutors provide helpful feedback on apprentices' work, identifying where they can make improvements in their code and their written work. This helps apprentices to develop their work to an industry standard. Tutors, apprentices and their workplace mentors meet frequently to discuss the progress that apprentices make. They set apprentices meaningful targets, most of which relate to the skills they need to develop or hone before the next review. This helps apprentices to remain motivated and want to develop.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff have created a calm and respectful environment throughout the organisation, where apprentices, project delivery teams and tutors all work alongside each other. Leaders make their expectations of apprentices very clear at the start of their training. They are clear about the standards of professional behaviour they expect and reinforce the importance of behaviours such as always having their camera on during online meetings and lessons.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices' attendance at lessons is very high. On the rare occasion that an apprentice cannot attend a lesson, they are able to catch up using the range of online resources available to them.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff provide age-appropriate information on topics such as mental and physical health, safeguarding and the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. However, staff do not revisit topics such as how to maintain a healthy lifestyle frequently enough with apprentices. This is particularly important as apprentices spend a significant amount of time working in front of computer screens.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from careers advice as part of their course which enables them to make informed decisions about their next steps. However, occasionally tutors do not provide apprentices with information about the full range of career options available to them as software engineers outside of the company.

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

Apprentices enjoy working for Made Tech. They value being able to work on live client projects from very early on in their apprenticeship. This helps them to understand how to apply what they have learned in real-life projects.

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

Apprentices learn in an inclusive professional environment in which individual differences are respected. They are taught by subject experts who continue to work on client projects. Apprentices quickly acquire substantial knowledge and skills that they can apply to client projects, such as working on front-end interfaces, server-based processing software or databases.

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

Apprentices who experience barriers to their education, such as being neurodiverse or having struggled with their mental health, receive effective support from staff, who adapt teaching to take into consideration their needs. The small number of apprentices who have completed their apprenticeship have achieved their qualification and have been promoted to more senior roles.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

Apprentices develop sound understanding of the importance of fundamental British values and how these relate to their roles. Apprentices know how to keep themselves safe, including staying safe online. They understand the specific risks of extremism and radicalisation based on their regional office location.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff revisit topics related to maintaining a healthy lifestyle so that apprentices understand how to maintain good physical and mental health. Leaders should provide apprentices with comprehensive information on the full range of career options available to them in the software engineering sector. Leaders should ensure that apprentices benefit from high-quality training regardless of who is teaching them.

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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 the chief executive, leaders, managers, tutors, non-executive directors and apprentices during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Made Tech Limited is a provider of digital, data and technology services to the UK public sector with offices in London, Manchester, Bristol, and Swansea.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 12 apprentices all of whom were their own employees. They were enrolled on the level 4 DevOps engineer apprenticeship. All apprentices are over 18 and work at one of Made Tech's offices.

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About this inspection

Learning & Talent Development Lead : Cheryl Peet 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.

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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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