Lavender International NDT Consultancy Services Limited

Limited

Address: Technology Centre Advanced Manufacturing Park, Brunel Way, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 5WG Unique reference number (URN): 2791019

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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, staff and employers have developed a highly inclusive and supportive culture. They quickly and accurately identify apprentices’ support needs at the beginning of and during the apprenticeship programme. They provide support to apprentices with a wide range of needs, while always maintaining the highest expectations. This enables apprentices to overcome their barriers to learning and participate in all aspects of the programme. This is particularly the case for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged apprentices, who achieve slightly better than their peers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders, staff, and employers have successfully encouraged women to enter and remain in the non-destructive testing industry. Female apprentices thrive at Lavender. Expert female teaching staff serve as positive role models, inspiring female apprentices to succeed in a heavily male-dominated industry.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders, staff and employers provide very effective support for apprentices who become vulnerable after redundancy and welcome apprentices who transfer from other providers when they shut down. They provide intensive early support, which tapers off once apprentices have settled, and ongoing support for those who still require it. Staff ensure that, when needed, apprentices quickly find new employers and continue to make progress.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff provide highly effective, one-to-one support for apprentices with barriers such as autism and anxiety. This enables these apprentices to thrive and improve their confidence and independence, including on residential training, which is an essential part of their apprenticeship programme.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have a very clear rationale for the 2 apprenticeships they offer. These have been designed to respond to the local, national and international needs of employers to develop a pipeline of well-trained, experienced and talented non-destructive testing professionals.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have very high expectations of everyone involved in the delivery of the apprenticeship programme. Employers are heavily involved in the design and sequencing of the relevant, high-quality programmes that reflect the current and future skills needs of employers and prepare apprentices very well for their increasingly demanding roles.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders recruit staff with substantial knowledge and experience to train apprentices. When staff do not hold teaching qualifications, they are supported well to develop their teaching skills and encouraged to gain recognised teaching qualifications. Leaders care about their staff. They ensure that tutors have manageable workloads. Wellbeing is discussed in frequent one-to-one and monthly meetings, with support provided for staff when required, whether it is related to work or to their personal lives.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders and those responsible for governance are highly committed to the success of apprenticeships offer. They have very high expectations of apprentices and support them well to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need to be successful in the future. Governors and directors know what they do well and have an unrelenting focus on continuous improvement and a clear emphasis on providing a very high standard of training to apprentices. They have a well-considered quality improvement plan that clearly identifies areas to develop to improve the provision they offer.

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Achievement Strong standard

Apprentices achieve very well. They rapidly develop the skills and knowledge they need to conduct their job roles very effectively. For example, they learn how to complete dye-pen tests so they can apply this method of testing in the workplace without supervision. Many apprentices achieve additional qualifications, such as vendor qualifications, which are highly valued by employers.

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Achievement Strong standard

Tutors very skilfully embed English, mathematical and digital skills into lessons. For example, apprentices develop their skills in the use of calculations to determine which component to test first. Apprentices then write detailed and accurate reports on their findings, using technical terminology fluently.

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Achievement Strong standard

Almost all apprentices, including those with barriers to learning, remain in employment in non-destructive testing after they have completed their apprenticeship. A high proportion gain promotion or take on extra responsibilities at work.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders and tutors collaborate very effectively with employers to develop high-quality curriculums that meet employers’ business needs. Leaders routinely add additional content to the curriculums, providing additional learning opportunities for apprentices, such as introducing them to different testing methods. Each apprentice's programme is designed to meet their individual needs and those of their employer. Tutors are experts in the non-destructive testing (NDT) methods that they teach. They teach the curriculums very effectively, supporting and challenging apprentices to gain and apply significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours, and enabling them to become competent NDT technicians. They teach complex technical curriculum content skilfully, breaking this down so that apprentices can apply and connect new knowledge to previously acquired knowledge and skills. This helps apprentices master complex topics and apply these with

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

confidence and fluency at work. Tutors work closely with employers to ensure that on- and off-the-job training are well planned and coordinated.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Tutors assess apprentices’ work accurately against the criteria in the apprenticeship standard. They provide apprentices with helpful feedback about what they have done well and where their work could be improved. Apprentice use this feedback to improve their work. This helps a high proportion of apprentices achieve their qualifications with a distinction grade.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders and tutors provide high-quality, tailored support to apprentices who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who are disadvantaged or vulnerable. Tutors provide support which consistently enhances the opportunities and experiences of all apprentices, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders ensure that staff provide a well-planned, age-appropriate curriculum that meets apprentices' needs. In their monthly training sessions, apprentices learn about topics such as personal safety when working at high-security establishments and about the dangers of those with extremist views when they are working abroad. Additionally, they discuss topics such as healthy relationships and consent with their tutors on a more personal level in their progress review meetings.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Apprentices are very positive about their training. They enjoy their studies and their job roles and are motivated and committed to do well. Apprentices attend well, are punctual and arrive ready to learn.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Apprentices receive very relevant and helpful careers advice and guidance from their tutors at the start of their course and in ongoing discussions. Tutors advise on further courses that apprentices can take, including training on other non-destructive testing methods and higher education courses. Using the information that they receive from their tutors, apprentices make informed choices about career options, such as working offshore, in other countries or their next steps in training. They have discussions with their line managers about increased responsibilities and promotions.

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

Apprentices receive a high level of support from their dedicated tutors. They appreciate the way that staff work diligently to push them positively out of their comfort zones, achieve their very best and become confident adults and non-destructive testing (NDT) specialists. Tutors provide high-quality training to their apprentices, whether one-to-one or in small group sessions. They have extensive backgrounds in various NDT methods, which they use to bring learning to life and explain complex concepts well. Apprentices learn in well- resourced classrooms, with ample testing equipment and artefacts; one for each apprentice being trained.

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

Apprentices make significant progress from their starting points and achieve very well. Most apprentices achieve distinction grades in their final assessments and become valued employees.

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

Apprentices have opportunities to attend science, technology, engineering and mathematics events and conferences. They engage well with professional bodies, which supports their career progression and networking in the industry. Apprentices develop a sense of belonging and enjoy the opportunities that their membership brings, including being able to present at the provider's national conference.

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

Apprentices feel safe. Staff have a strong focus on safeguarding and safety practices and procedures both while in training and at work. Apprentices understand the need for these high standards, to ensure both their safety and the safety of others.

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

Apprentices value the knowledge and skills that they develop. They appreciate the important work they do and understand where their careers in the NDT industry can take them and the salaries that they can expect to earn. Almost all apprentices remain in the NDT profession and take on extra responsibilities at the end of their training.

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

Apprentices' support needs are quickly and accurately identified by staff at the start of their apprenticeship. Staff and employers use this information to provide very effective support for apprentices with a wide variety of needs, while always maintaining the highest expectations. The support provided consistently enhances the opportunities and experiences of apprentices, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure continued improvement to curriculum implementation to achieve and sustain exceptional standards of teaching and training, in order to have a transformational impact for all apprentices.

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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 apprentices, employers, tutors, leaders and those responsible for governance during the inspection.

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Team inspectors:

Rebecca Clare, His Majesty's Inspector Joanne Stork, His Majesty's Inspector Malcolm Fraser, Ofsted Inspector Glenise Burrell, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 21 July 2026

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Apprenticeships overall achievement rate

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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Apprenticeships overall achievement rate

Lavender International NDT Limited was established in 1976 as a training organisation in non-destructive testing (NDT), examinations and consultancy services. In August 2023, it was approved as an apprenticeship provider. At the time of the inspection, there were 145 apprentices of whom 5 were on the level 2 NDT operator programme and 140 were on the level 3 NDT engineering technician programme. Just under half of the apprentices were under 19 years of age.

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national average

'This provider' and 'national average' figures are taken from the publicly available DfE achievement rates. Where the DfE have supressed the figures, usually due to small cohorts, this has been mirrored in the Report Card and will be shown by an 'S'.

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Year This provider National average

'This provider' and 'national average' figures are taken from the publicly available DfE achievement rates. Where the DfE have supressed the figures, usually due to small cohorts, this has been mirrored in the Report Card and will be shown by an 'S'.

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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.

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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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