PMA Ltd

PMA Ltd

Address: (ONE) London Road, 1 London Road, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK9 7JU Unique reference number (URN): 2578373

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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 use a range of appropriate strategies to identify the needs of apprentices before they start their apprenticeship. They review apprentices’ additional learning needs, English and mathematical skills and any personal barriers that apprentices may have. Leaders also identify apprentices who have specific responsibilities, such as caring duties. They keep apprentices’ needs under continuous review, as they realise that apprentices may not disclose their needs at this initial stage or their needs may change.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure that apprentices receive suitable levels of support. When apprentices have significant barriers to learning, leaders provide ongoing pastoral support and work closely with them to help them remain in learning. Leaders do not reduce their high expectations for what apprentices can achieve. Apprentices with barriers to learning make positive progress. Almost all achieve their apprenticeship, and a very high proportion achieve distinction grades.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Well-qualified additional learning support and intervention coordinators provide practical support and guidance. Tutors work effectively with apprentices to break down tasks and set deadlines. They arrange for reasonable adjustments to be put in place, including receiving extra time for assessments.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Tutors receive appropriate professional development about inclusion. They complete training on potential barriers to learning, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, and how to support apprentices.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear strategy for the apprenticeships that they provide. They work closely with employers in the healthcare sector to plan the provision, such as the 4 pathways in the level 3 business administrator apprenticeship, so that apprentices have the specific skills that they need for their roles. Leaders, in consultation with employers, have ceased to offer level 4 apprenticeships, as these did not meet the needs of employers or apprentices.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a broadly accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Where areas for improvement are identified, such as the personal development curriculum, leaders generally take appropriate action to rectify them. Self-assessment and quality improvement processes typically focus on key priorities for improvement and are mostly accurate.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders nurture a supportive environment in which staff feel valued. They carefully consider and monitor staff workload through frequent one-to-one meetings with tutors and facilitators. Leaders offer flexible-working arrangements to meet staff’s individual needs. Staff mostly report that they have a manageable workload.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors have an accurate understanding of the quality of the provision. They receive detailed reports from leaders and challenge leaders to make improvements, such as in careers education. They set leaders clear and measurable improvement actions that are closely monitored.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff benefit from professional development such as industry upskilling to maintain their professional competency. However, they do not routinely receive professional development to improve or update their teaching skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most young apprentices complete and achieve their apprenticeship. Approximately a third of adult apprentices leave the apprenticeship early. Those who leave early typically move out of the healthcare sector, face redundancy or have significant and sustained barriers to their learning. Around three-quarters of apprentices who complete their apprenticeship achieve distinction grades.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices studying towards English and/or mathematics qualifications access training sessions from a specialist tutor, that they find to be useful. Nearing examinations, apprentices meet weekly with their tutor to review practice questions. Almost all achieve their qualifications at the first attempt.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices mostly make expected progress and quickly develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for their roles. Employers value the positive impact that apprentices make in the workplace in, for example, supporting colleagues in other departments such as pathology to navigate changes to the service. Apprentices’ written work is appropriate for the level of their apprenticeship.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a broadly accurate understanding of the quality of curriculum, teaching and training. They work closely with staff to review apprentices’ progress. Leaders ensure that the curriculums are accessible to all and that, where required, interventions are put in place swiftly. Where staff identify that apprentices may benefit from additional support, they provide one-to-one sessions to help them to catch up.

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Needs attention

Leaders ensure that apprentices follow well-planned curriculums. They provide apprentices studying the business administrator apprenticeship with options to study additional pathways. Around half of apprentices access these pathways. They acquire knowledge of patient pathways, patient treatment, diagnosis times and political factors that can impact on treatment, such as budget demands. Apprentices value the specialist knowledge and skills that they acquire in cancer care and clinical coding.

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Needs attention

Apprentices are generally taught well by experienced tutors and specialist facilitators. Tutors and facilitators provide apprentices with clear explanations of key concepts. Tutors break down models of change management into clear components. They provide useful templates that help apprentices to analyse external factors in strategic decision-making. Facilitators present apprentices with detailed explanations of clinical vocabulary used in electronic health records.

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Needs attention

Tutors use appropriate assessment strategies to check and remedy any misconceptions quickly. They use knowledge checks and multiple-choice questions to help apprentices to recap and consolidate key principles. Tutors mostly provide apprentices with constructive feedback. However, in a few instances, feedback is confirmatory and does not identify the steps that apprentices should take to improve their work.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders ensure that apprentices study and work in safe and respectful environments. They promote high expectations that mirror those in the healthcare sector and do not tolerate any instances of bullying or harassment.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Apprentices have high attendance to their training. They are professional and respectful. They keep their cameras on in their online lessons, listen attentively to their tutors and peers and make sensible contributions to discussions. Staff provide apprentices who are unable to attend with access to recordings and additional one-to-one meetings with their tutors to help them to catch up.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders provide opportunities for apprentices to complete additional training. Apprentices attend specialist workshops on topics such as workflow systems in general practitioner practices and preparation for health regulator inspections. They extend their knowledge of leadership and management practices specific to healthcare sectors to prepare them for future employment opportunities.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders have very recently introduced a new personal development curriculum that includes resilience, healthy relationships, money management and career planning. In addition, leaders have introduced career development plans. However, at the time of the inspection, these initiatives were not fully established.

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

Apprentices value their positive working relationships with responsive and supportive tutors who are knowledgeable, approachable and provide effective guidance. Tutors are committed to apprentices’ success and make a significant impact in creating a supportive and motivating learning environment.

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

Apprentices who have barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing are supported effectively by tutors who understand their needs. They benefit from tutors who put in place appropriate strategies to support them to make progress from their starting points. Apprentices are referred to extra support services and agencies, where needed. This includes support and advice in relation to mental health, drugs and alcohol, domestic violence, online safety and money management.

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

Apprentices studying the level 3 business administrator apprenticeship access specialist pathways taught by expert facilitators who continue to practise in the NHS. Apprentices who choose to complete the cancer care pathway benefit from gaining an insight into the function of clinical coding and how to collect and interpret cancer outcomes and services data, in line with the national standard for reporting cancer in the NHS in England. They are taught about specialist functions, such as the role of the National Disease and Registry Service, in determining how data is shared across regions and how complex data is shared across organisations.

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

Apprentices are generally taught well. Tutors use appropriate strategies to help apprentices to understand and remember what they have learned. They share electronic presentation slides from sessions with apprentices and use artificial intelligence to record progress reviews to create summaries of the discussions.

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

Leaders ensure that apprentices are safe in their place of work. Tutors reinforce safeguarding awareness by reminding apprentices about how to report concerns through safeguarding bulletins and progress reviews, ensuring that learners continue to understand reporting routes and available support.

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

Through a recently introduced personal development curriculum, apprentices have begun to study topics, such as resilience, healthy relationships and money management, as well as considering their career plans. However, this new curriculum is not fully established.

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Next steps

Leaders should fully embed the newly established personal development curriculum to ensure that apprentices develop their wider personal skills. Leaders should fully establish apprentices’ career development plans to ensure that apprentices make informed decisions about their next steps. Leaders should provide training for tutors to improve their teaching skills further so that apprentices receive consistently high-quality training.

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Lead inspector:

Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Helen Whelan, His Majesty's Inspector Zoe Ibbotson, His Majesty's Inspector Lynne Carson, Ofsted Inspector Maura Cummins, Ofsted 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 14 July 2026

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Number of learners

Leaders should ensure that tutors provide apprentices with consistent and constructive feedback to help them improve their work.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed 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 and managers, apprentices, tutors, facilitators, employers and governors during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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About this inspection

PMA Ltd is a national independent learning provider based in Cheshire. It specialises in apprenticeships for the healthcare sector. At the time of the inspection, there were 159 apprentices in learning. There were 10 apprentices aged under 19. There were 61 apprentices studying the level 3 business administrator, 19 were studying the level 3 team leader, 6 were studying the level 3 senior healthcare support worker, 6 were studying the community health and wellbeing worker, 44 were studying the level 5 operations manager and 18 were studying the level 7 senior leadership apprenticeship. There were fewer than 5 apprentices studying on the level 2 healthcare support worker, level 4 business analyst and level 4 dental practice manager apprenticeships.

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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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