First Intuition East and North Limited

First Intuition East and North Limited

Address: 35 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 1NT Unique reference number (URN): 1278598

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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 promote an inclusive and supportive culture. Staff identify apprentices’ needs and barriers to learning quickly and accurately and put appropriate support in place promptly.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Tutors and coaches provide effective individual support that helps apprentices to participate in training and make good progress. Coaches implement comprehensive support plans and discuss the effectiveness of this support during apprentices' progress reviews. They also agree any changes to support that are necessary.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and inclusion lead staff provide effective training for teaching staff about support strategies. Inclusion lead staff provide tutors with useful guidance and help sheets. Consequently, tutors know how to adapt their teaching appropriately and arrange reasonable adjustments where required.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have recently enhanced the inclusion and progress data they capture and report on. They use this information to understand better the progress of apprentices with additional needs and barriers to learning, allowing them to intervene with any support more quickly.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate view of their strengths and areas for improvement. They have managed the recent merger of 3 regional providers effectively. Leaders continue to streamline and enhance reporting systems across the larger organisation for better data capturing to help leaders with quality review and improvement across the provider.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors and non-executive directors provide highly effective oversight of the apprenticeship provision. They scrutinise quality, safeguarding, compliance, risk and subcontracted provision rigorously through meetings and performance reviews. They use their expertise to challenge leaders’ interpretations of performance information and to evaluate the impact of improvement actions. This has led to leaders strengthening information-sharing between teams and more accurate evaluation of the impact of teaching and the quality of support for apprentices.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders establish purposeful partnerships with employers, professional bodies and regional stakeholders that significantly enhance apprentices' training. These partnerships help shape relevant accountancy curriculums. They work with employers and specialist services effectively to secure workplace adjustments and mentoring support for apprentices, helping apprentices to thrive in their roles.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders create a positive culture in which staff feel valued, listened to and well supported. Leaders respond constructively to staff feedback and have introduced enhanced wellbeing and family-friendly benefits, flexible working arrangements and wider professional development opportunities. Staff receive tailored professional learning, helpful peer support and access to expertise across the wider group. Leaders oversee subcontracted provision well. They complete rigorous due diligence, performance monitoring and lesson observations on the small amount of subcontracted provision. This help to ensure staff at the subcontracted provision maintain quality and safeguard apprentices.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders' ambitious vision for developing ‘future ready accountants’ helps to shape a highly effective curriculum offer. They work very well with employers to co-design flexible programmes that respond to accountancy sector needs.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders meet employers' and apprentices’ needs by carefully adapting the content of curriculums to workplace demands. The highly effective ‘impact skills programme’ develops apprentices’ confidence, workplace effectiveness and readiness for promotions. Flexible examination arrangements and individualised adaptations enable apprentices to participate fully in their learning and succeed.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Tutors bring complex accountancy concepts to life, using their extensive industry experience and expert teaching skills. This helps to make learning memorable for apprentices. Tutors model tax calculations step by step and link these to the importance of independent reviews and protecting the integrity of financial reporting.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Tutors sequence learning skilfully. They build on apprentices’ prior learning and work experience to develop understanding of increasingly complex concepts. Tutors teach apprentices to question, analyse and evaluate information professionally, logically and systematically, enabling them to retain knowledge.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Tutors use probing questions effectively to develop apprentices’ professional curiosity. Tutors help apprentices to use specialist terminology confidently, which prepares them for challenging professional examinations and employment.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Tutors and coaches use varied and very well considered assessment methods and provide constructive feedback on apprentices’ work. This helps apprentices to improve the standard of their written work during their studies.

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Expected standard

Leaders incorporate professional qualifications beyond the requirements of the apprenticeship at level 4 and 7. This provides apprentices with a licence to practice and chartered status, and enables them to progress in their careers.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders have created a highly inclusive culture in which apprentices from diverse backgrounds participate confidently and learn respectfully together. Leaders have developed a tailored wider learning programme that reflects apprentices’ ages, circumstances and career stage. Apprentices learn about equality, healthy relationships, financial scams and professional conduct. This supports apprentices to develop their confidence, resilience and respect for others.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Apprentices demonstrate exemplary attitudes to learning and their work. They attend punctually, participate enthusiastically and behave professionally in this highly regulated sector. Leaders monitor attendance and participation in learning closely. If they need to, they quickly provide opportunities for apprentices to catch up or to have additional study time. This means that apprentices remain on track with their studies and make progress.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Leaders provide meaningful opportunities to develop apprentices’ leadership and independence. Through the ‘impact skills programme’ apprentices collaborate on projects that involve problem-solving, risk management and sustainability. Many apprentices volunteer and promote the finance sector as a career in schools’ events.

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Participation and development Strong standard

Apprentices receive highly effective careers guidance. They understand the career progression routes and further study they can undertake once they complete their apprenticeship. Tutors and coaches enable apprentices to make informed decisions about their next steps.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge, skills and professional behaviours. They confidently apply their learning at work, including completing bank reconciliations, using industry accounting software and they can explain complex financial information clearly to clients. Employers value highly the contribution that apprentices make to their businesses.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most apprentices achieve their qualifications. However, achievement rates are too low for apprentices aged 16 to 18 at level 4 and for those studying at level 7. Historically, apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities have achieved less well than their peers. Leaders have implemented appropriate actions to improve these outcomes. Early indications are that apprentices are making better progress and achievement rates are improving. Apprentices are well prepared for their next steps. Most remain with their employers, gain promotions or progress to a higher-level accountancy apprenticeship.

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

Apprentices experience accountancy training that is highly reflective of industry standards and is very well organised. They enjoy the small groups they study in and the way their tutors draw on their extensive experience of accountancy to bring learning to life. Apprentices benefit from high-quality resources, including online practise papers that help them to prepare for their challenging formal examinations.

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

Tutors support apprentices to gain highly valued technical skills and achieve professional qualifications. Apprentices become well equipped to deal with clients independently and to take on more responsibility at work, such as mentoring junior accountants. They rightly recognise that their demanding courses prepare them well for their future roles in accountancy and help them to become well-rounded professional accountants.

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

Apprentices are highly motivated to succeed on their courses. They grow greatly in personal confidence as a result of their studies. They develop important workplace skills, such as communication, leadership and problem-solving. For example, they become confident to work with clients independently and communicate complex technical matters into an understandable context.

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

Apprentices successfully develop their wider knowledge during their training. They gain a sound awareness of tolerance and diversity, working respectfully with a range of clients from different cultural backgrounds. Apprentices also understand well the relevance of professional ethics, confidentiality and managing sensitive data. They have a strong awareness of how these topics relate to their accountancy roles.

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

Apprentices consistently praise the support they receive from tutors and coaches. They find staff approachable, responsive and willing to go above and beyond to help them succeed. Apprentices value the personalised guidance they receive about their studies, wellbeing and career development. They feel well supported to overcome challenges and remain focused on achieving their goals.

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

Apprentices feel safe in learning and in their workplace. They know who they should report any concerns to and know they will be dealt with promptly.

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Next steps

Leaders should fully embed the new data capture and reporting processes across all regional training centres, so that they can identify emerging trends, intervene promptly and evaluate the impact of their actions on apprentices’ progress and outcomes. Leaders should continue to implement actions to improve achievement rates for apprentices with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, those studying at level 7 and apprentices aged 16 to 18 on level 4 apprenticeships.

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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 leaders, managers, non-executive directors, tutors, coaches, employers and apprentices 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

First Intuition merged 3 providers and regions (Leeds, Chelmsford and Cambridge) in 2026 to become First Intuition East and North Limited. They are an independent training provider and part of the First Intuition (FI) Group. The provider trains accountancy apprentices across the East of England and Yorkshire and Humber, with main training centres in Cambridge, Ipswich, Norwich, Chelmsford, Sheffield and Leeds. Teaching and training mostly takes place face to face.

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About this inspection

At the time of inspection, the provider had 1395 active apprentices. Most were aged over 19 years of age, with 16 apprentices under the age of 19. The majority of apprentices, 799, were studying the level 7 accountancy taxation professional. There were 312 apprentices studying the level 3 assistant accountant apprenticeship, 249 apprentices were studying the level 4 professional accounting technician apprenticeship and there were 35 apprentices studying the level 2 account assistant apprenticeship.

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About this inspection

There were fewer than 5 apprentices working towards achieving mathematics and/or English qualifications.

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About this inspection

The provider works with 3 subcontractors for a small proportion of their provision. RELX Limited (trading as Tolley) teach specialist taxation training to a very small number of apprentices on level 4 and 7 apprenticeships. The other 2 subcontractors form part of the FI group and teach to a small number of apprentices, who are located outside of the provider's region.

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About this inspection

The percentage of learning aims successfully achieved data in this report card is the most recently published qualification achievement rates for First Intuition Cambridge. This data does not represent a full data set for First Intuition East and North Limited as these results were collated before the merger.

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Lead inspector:

Rochelle Saneria, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Vicki Locke, His Majesty's Inspector Alan Winchcombe, Ofsted Inspector Penny Fawcus, His Majesty's Inspector Emma Helkenberg, 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 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

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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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