Elevated Knowledge Ltd

Elevated Knowledge Ltd

Address: 18 Hammond Avenue, Whitehill Industrial Estate, South Reddish, Stockport, SK4 1PQ Unique reference number (URN): 2510885

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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 have established an inclusive culture for apprentices with barriers to learning, disadvantage or special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have strengthened their processes so that apprentices' support needs or barriers to learning are identified quickly and accurately at the start of the apprenticeship. Leaders work well with local partners to enhance the support for apprentices. They have partnered with a specialist provider so that apprentices can access wider support such as mentoring and help in using assistive technology. Staff liaise with local authorities and social workers to update personal education plans and to provide support for care-experienced apprentices.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff complete relevant training to help them to support apprentices effectively. They support apprentices to use speech to text software, break learning into chunks and provide visual aids for those apprentices who struggle to focus and retain information. Apprentices with SEND or temporary barriers to learning mostly make their expected progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders systematically review the support that apprentices receive and the progress that they are making on the apprenticeship. For example, apprentices who require wellbeing support for low self-esteem and social anxiety have their support reviewed weekly so that adaptions can be carried out swiftly reducing support where appropriate.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders broadly understand the strengths and areas for development of their provision, but they have not implemented actions swiftly enough to improve the apprenticeship provision and ensure that it is of a high quality. They have not rectified all the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection and are too slow to identify when their actions are not having sufficient impact.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors are overly positive and do not provide sufficient challenge or hold leaders to account for the pace of improvement. Although governors now receive improved reports, the information is not sufficiently accurate to enable them to challenge leaders robustly. Leaders have a clear strategy for their apprenticeship provision. They work closely with employers to inform the design of the curriculum so that it aligns to employers' needs. This helps employers to grow talent locally, supports recruitment pipelines and improves the number of staff that remain in employment.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders provide professional updating for staff to ensure they remain up to date with industry changes. However, their observations of teaching do not identify precise areas for improvement. This results in a lack of focused professional development to strengthen the teaching skills of staff.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders carefully monitor staff workload and wellbeing. They carry out monthly reviews with staff to ensure that workload remains manageable.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders monitor closely the quality of training provided by their subcontractor. They conduct monthly reviews to review apprentices' progress, attendance and achievement. Leaders observe subcontractor staff teaching and speak to apprentices to assure themselves that apprentices receive high-quality training and make progress.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders and trainers provide apprentices with a welcoming learning environment. Apprentices enjoy and typically attend their training. They feel safe at the provider and have not experienced any bullying or harassment. Apprentices know the process that they need to follow to report any concerns that they have about themselves or others.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Trainers ensure that apprentices have an appropriate understanding of fundamental British values. Apprentices know the importance of being respectful towards colleagues and customers and routinely apply this at work. They adhere strictly to health and safety regulations in a safety-critical work environment. Apprentices maintain work areas and wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders generally ensure that apprentices benefit from wider development opportunities. Apprentices complete qualifications in addition to their apprenticeship, such as overhead crane training, abrasive wheels and manual handling. In a few instances, apprentices are involved in raising money for charity.

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Needs attention

Trainers ensure that most apprentices receive careers information that helps them make decisions about their next steps. Many apprentices have career aspirations within their own organisation. They spend time across multiple departments and sections to gain experience and an idea of where they may like to specialise in the future.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders have taken action to increase the proportion of apprentices who stay on their apprenticeship and achieve. Following a 3-year decline, achievement rates have increased slightly but are still too low.

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Achievement Needs attention

Apprentices studying English and mathematics qualifications receive individual support that prepares them well for their examinations. Most apprentices pass these qualifications at their first attempt.

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Achievement Needs attention

Apprentices, including those who face barriers to learning, make progress from their starting points. They develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need to work effectively in their job roles. Level 3 machining technician apprentices develop their understanding of computer numerical control programming, including the use of complex angles and correcting codes. Apprentices produce work of the standard expected, using accurate technical vocabulary.

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Achievement Needs attention

Apprentices are prepared well for their next steps. Most remain in employment and progress into skilled roles. A few apprentices progress quickly into roles with greater responsibility or continue into higher-level study.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of training that apprentices receive. Their actions to improve the curriculum are not sufficiently targeted to have a consistently positive impact on apprentices. There are too many inconsistences in the feedback that trainers provide to apprentices, and when trainers leave the organisation, leaders do not act swiftly enough to ensure continuity of training.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Trainers plan the curriculum logically so that apprentices build their knowledge, skills and behaviours over time. Many apprentices have no prior sector knowledge or experience and benefit from a prolonged period of off-the-job training to make sure they know the basics before going into the workplace.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Trainers mostly use effective teaching strategies. They use demonstrations, modelling and questioning to develop apprentices’ knowledge and practical skills. Trainers check apprentices' understanding through observation of practice and quizzes. Apprentices recall previous learning, including the importance of checking tolerances, finishes and materials when interpreting engineering drawings and specifications. Most employers regularly attend their apprentices’ progress reviews to plan on- and off-the- job training. Apprentices practise and hone their skills, gaining experience in working in all departments of the business. They appreciate the support that they receive from their employer.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Trainers are responsive to apprentices’ individual needs, providing appropriate additional support. They adapt support as apprentices' needs change by providing additional practical training and individual teaching both at the provider and in the workplace. This helps apprentices to remain in learning and make progress.

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

Apprentices benefit from an open and inclusive culture at the provider and in work. They feel welcomed and valued. Apprentices explain that when they have experienced temporary barriers to learning, trainers and managers have been quick to provide support. Apprentices with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are provided with presentation slides prior to training to alleviate their anxiety. They appreciate the frequent breaks during lessons to promote focus and concentration.

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

Apprentices do not receive sufficient feedback on their work. Although the work that apprentices produce is of the appropriate standard, they do not routinely improve their work further to gain the grades of which they are capable.

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

Too many apprentices do not remain on their apprenticeship. However, those who do remain are motivated to achieve their apprenticeship and progress with their employer. Apprentices benefit from timely rotation across different work areas and are proud that they are trusted to run machines and complete jobs independently. Recently qualified apprentices mentor and oversee the work of current apprentices.

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

Apprentices routinely display professional behaviours at work. They are polite and respectful to their colleagues and customers. Apprentices grow in confidence as they progress through their apprenticeship. They confidently read and interpret complex engineering drawings with a range of mathematical calculations and symbols relating to flatness, concentricity, parallelism, diameter, radius and chamfers.

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

Apprentices volunteer willingly to help at provider open days and evenings. They participate in enrichment activities, such as visits to supplier exhibitions. Apprentices participate in a range of activities to raise money for charity. A few apprentices receive accolades at work in recognition of their high-quality work.

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

Apprentices appreciate learning about wider topics such as suicide prevention and health and wellbeing, so that they can support others. They have a secure understanding about how to protect themselves from risks such as drink-spiking.

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Next steps

Leaders should take action to increase the proportion of apprentices who remain on their apprenticeship. Leaders should implement effective quality assurance arrangements so that they can swiftly improve the quality of training that apprentices receive. Leaders should continue to develop the information that governors receive, so that governors can challenge leaders to make improvements rapidly. Leaders should improve the feedback that apprentices receive, so that apprentices improve their work and achieve the grades of which they are capable. Leaders should provide a programme of professional development, so that staff enhance their teaching skills. Leaders should continue to strengthen the support that they provide to apprentices, so that it makes a significant difference to apprentices' experiences. Leaders should continue to strengthen their careers education and guidance, so that apprentices develop detailed knowledge of their potential future pathways.

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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 HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, managers, trainers, employers, apprentices 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

Elevated Knowledge Limited is a national training provider based in Stockport. It specialises in training in the engineering sector and the lift and escalator industry.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 179 apprentices in learning, of whom 30 were aged 16 to 18. Three quarters of apprentices study at level 3, with the largest number of enrolments on the level 3 lift and escalator electromechanics and maintenance and operations engineering technician apprenticeships. The remaining apprentices study a range of engineering apprenticeships at levels 2 and 3.

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About this inspection

The provider works with one subcontractor, M&E Excellence, which provides training for a very few apprentices completing functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics.

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Lead inspector:

Alison Humphreys, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Steven Ingle, Ofsted Inspector Kim Bleasdale, His Majesty's Inspector Alastair Mollon, 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 18 August 2026

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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 . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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