Excel Training Limited

Excel Training Limited

Address: Unit 64 Century Business Centre Century Park, Manvers, Rotherham, S63 5DA Unique reference number (URN): 2510860

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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 develop positive and trusting relationships with apprentices. They identify early any barriers or vulnerabilities that may impact apprentices’ training. They consider apprentices’ prior experience in education, any diagnosed or undiagnosed learning needs, and any personal circumstances that may impact apprentices’ availability, such as caring responsibilities.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Apprentices are comfortable to share concerns that may emerge during their training, such as the impact of bereavement or financial challenges. They trust that staff will act in their best interests and support them to succeed. Tutors plan teaching sessions around apprentices' personal commitments. They signpost apprentices to external services, such as counselling, where they identify that apprentices would benefit from additional help.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and tutors make appropriate adaptations to support apprentices with identified needs or barriers to learning. Those who speak English as an additional language benefit from video calls and translation tools to aid communication. Those who experience challenges during training receive additional sessions with tutors that support them well throughout the period of need.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders advise tutors well about how to adapt teaching to meet apprentices’ needs. They work closely with tutors to review the effectiveness of the adaptations put in place and adjust support so that it remains proportionate to apprentices’ needs. Leaders recognise the need to ensure that all tutors access training so that tutors can be more autonomous in identifying needs and appropriate strategies.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders’ and governors' oversight of their provision is limited. Their quality assurance processes are not comprehensive enough to identify weaknesses in the quality of the provision. Leaders had not identified weaknesses in the quality of hairdressing apprenticeships. They had not identified limitations in care apprentices’ depth of understanding of relevant topics beyond the prescribed assessment criteria of their qualifications. Although the board of directors meet to discuss the quality of the provision, their focus is on the achievement of qualifications and they do not consider apprentices' training in its entirety.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders understand very well the requirements of the qualifications that apprentices take and the demands of the sectors in which most apprentices train. They take swift action to develop their curriculums in line with sector developments. For example, they increased their coverage of digital care planning in adult care apprenticeships. Leaders work closely with training managers in care settings to identify opportunities to enhance apprentices’ training. However, leaders do not work closely enough with the employers of hairdressing apprentices. They do not coordinate on- and off-the-job training sufficiently well so that these apprentices develop the practical skills their employers need.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Tutors have valuable vocational experience and hold, or are working towards, teaching qualifications. Leaders support tutors to access relevant training that develops their subject and teaching expertise.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders are alert to the pressures that staff may face in their roles. They provide helpful guidance to tutors to minimise burdensome administrative tasks and provide flexibility, when staff require support with any challenges they may face in their personal lives.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders had recently taken action to bring their recruitment processes in line with statutory guidance.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices on adult care apprenticeships make at least the expected progress from their starting points and develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need to succeed in their final assessments. Most achieve their qualifications and remain in employment on completion of their training. Many apprentices go on to higher levels of study with the training provider and secure promoted roles at work.

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Achievement Expected standard

A few apprentices on hairdressing apprenticeships do not develop the skills that they need for employment. These apprentices often need to complete further training on completion of their apprenticeship before they are ready to work in salons.

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Needs attention

Apprentices develop the English and mathematics skills that they need to succeed in training and at work. Hairdressing apprentices use professional language and sector terminology to record chemical treatments on workplace records accurately. Leaders have introduced more digital technology into the curriculums. This has strengthened apprentices’ confidence in using online systems at work.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders' understanding of the quality of hairdressing apprenticeships is limited. They have not identified weaknesses in the quality of this provision, including the quality of feedback that apprentices receive and the effectiveness of the coordination of on- and off-the-job training. Leaders have a broadly accurate understanding of the quality of adult care apprenticeships.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Hairdressing curriculums are not planned or taught consistently well to enable apprentices to build logically on their prior knowledge and skills. Consequently, apprentices on hairdressing apprenticeships have gaps in the knowledge and skills that they need for their current and future job roles.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders design effective individualised curriculums for adult care apprentices that meet the needs of apprentices and their employers well. They use their well-established relationships with employers to discuss emerging skills needs. Tutors attend regional meetings to understand differences in local authority policies around the administration of medication. They use these opportunities to incorporate specialist content into the curriculums that enhance apprentices’ skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Tutors on adult care apprenticeships use their sound sector expertise to inform their teaching. They develop carefully tailored resources, such as workplace scenarios, that enable apprentices to navigate complex situations at work.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Tutors generally use effective teaching strategies. Apprentices access helpful resources that they use to prepare for one-to-one sessions and assessments. Tutors ask probing questions to check what apprentices have learned in readiness for assessment. They adapt their approach where needed. For example, they provide apprentices who are nervous with additional thinking time to construct their responses. However, too often, apprentices cannot recall what they have learned over time confidently and fluently beyond these assessment opportunities.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders and tutors do not develop apprentices' understanding of topics beyond the curriculum of their apprenticeship thoroughly enough. Apprentices are signposted to information about fundamental British values and the risks posed by radicalisation and extremism. However, their understanding of these topics and their relevance to their work and personal lives is limited. A few apprentices benefit from opportunities to take part in additional activities during their training that enhance their experience. Adult care apprentices are signposted to local networking events. They take part in charity fundraising events in the care homes where they work. However, access to these opportunities is dependent on where an apprentice is employed. Leaders do not ensure that all apprentices have access to these opportunities to further develop their skills, interests or aspirations.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Apprentices receive helpful information to enable them to stay safe online, including how to identify scams and the safe use of artificial intelligence. Tutors communicate information about apprentices’ wellbeing at work, including fair pay agreements and the risks of zero- hours contracts. Apprentices learn the importance of mental health and how to identify harmful behaviours.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Staff set high expectations for apprentices’ attendance and professional conduct. Apprentices meet these and demonstrate appropriate professional behaviours in their workplaces. Staff typically work closely with employers to respond promptly to any concerns about apprentices’ attendance or participation in their training.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Apprentices receive appropriate information about future career opportunities and progression routes in the sectors in which they train.

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

Apprentices enjoy their training and are proud of the progress that they make. They value the care and support that they receive from their tutors and the adaptations that tutors make to meet apprentices' varied needs.

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

A few apprentices on hairdressing apprenticeships do not develop securely the knowledge and skills that they need for their current or future job roles. Tutors do not work closely enough with the employers of these apprentices to plan training that develops the apprentices’ practical skills fully. They do not consistently identify gaps that emerge in apprentices’ knowledge and skills in a timely way.

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

Apprentices on adult care programmes achieve highly. Tutors quickly identify any gaps in apprentices’ knowledge prior to formal assessments. They coach apprentices to fill these gaps through additional lessons and support them well to prepare confidently for their final assessments.

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

Apprentices have limited opportunities to develop their skills and interests beyond the qualifications that they are working towards. Tutors signpost apprentices to opportunities available in the local area, such as networking events. However, these opportunities are not available to all apprentices. Tutors do not promote the benefits of participating in wider activities consistently.

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

Apprentices are informed about a range of risks that they may encounter in their work and personal lives. Adult care apprentices learn about cuckooing and how this can affect the vulnerable and elderly service users with whom they work. However, too many apprentices do not have a sufficiently well-developed knowledge of the risks posed by radicalisation and extremism.

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

Apprentices develop valuable professional behaviours for work. They understand the importance of attending training and communicate quickly with tutors, when they may need to reschedule a lesson. They understand the professional standards expected of their sectors and demonstrate professionalism, when managing challenging situations with clients or service users.

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Next steps

Leaders should improve how they work with employers on hairdressing apprenticeships to coordinate apprentices' on- and off-the-job training effectively so that apprentices learn and practise the skills that employers need. Leaders should ensure that, through effective teaching and assessment, tutors develop apprentices’ knowledge, understanding and skills securely so that apprentices are able to remember more of what they learn. Leaders and governors should improve their oversight of the apprenticeship provision so that they understand the quality of training and support that apprentices receive fully. Leaders should support apprentices to understand the risks posed by radicalisation and extremism. Leaders should ensure that apprentices develop a secure understanding of fundamental British values and the relevance of these to their work and personal lives. Leaders should ensure that apprentices across all the apprenticeships they offer

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Next steps

participate in wider opportunities to enhance their skills and experience beyond the qualifications that they achieve. Leaders should maintain newly strengthened processes for recruiting staff in line with statutory guidance.

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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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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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About this inspection

Excel Training Limited is an independent learning provider based in Rotherham. Leaders with employers in adult care services and hairdressing across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

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Team inspectors:

Alison Gray, Ofsted Inspector Sarah Benson-Smith, 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 11 August 2026

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Apprenticeships overall achievement rate

At the time of the inspection, there were 91 apprentices training on apprenticeships ranging from levels 2 to 5. Most apprentices were studying apprenticeships in adult care. There were 12 apprentices studying apprenticeships in hairdressing. A small number of apprentices were studying early years and business administrator apprenticeships. Most apprentices are over the age of 18. Training is on a one-to-one basis, either online or at employers’ premises.

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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

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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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