Ofsted Inspections
The story so far
Across the FI network there have been 5 Ofsted inspections over the last 12 months.
Five Ofsted inspections mean a lot of inspectors and a lot of opportunity for us to reflect on our programmes. Having people from outside of our organisation see the way that we do things and the impact on our apprentices is a valuable experience. Feedback in this way helps to inform the continued development of our programmes and our teams at First Intuition.
What have we learned?
1. It takes time:
There are no shortcuts to success. Working with people who are passionate and knowledgeable about what they do and share this with the learners and employers that they support takes time.
Having a culture where quality is at the heart of the programme and the decisions that you make is similarly not a quick win, but one that needs to be embedded in the way everyone works. To receive a Good or Outstanding rating from Ofsted, a training provider must demonstrate that this is the case.
One inspector remarked that you can’t paint on a culture in a weekend. Wise words indeed!
2. The stronger the team – the stronger the team:
A football manager once gave that quote in a post match interview. Post Ofsted analysis would say the same. Success is not down to any one person or any one thing. A team effort where everyone knows their role and supports their colleagues means that during inspection things go well.
3. There’s always room to develop:
Having a report and a grade doesn’t mean that that’s the end until the next round of inspections. Feedback isn’t something to stick in a drawer to be dusted off once a year. Being driven to continually enhance the experiences for our learners and our employers is an important way to keep quality at the heart of the decisions that we make.
4. Remember to celebrate the success:
A letter received by the then Skills Minister, Alex Burghart, referenced the importance of excellence within further education in helping young people and adults to achieve their potential.
“It is through your organisation and others like you that Britain can equip people with the skills they need to succeed in life.
Please pass on my congratulations to everyone in your organisation, and please take some time to celebrate.”
First Intuition has been awarded the following ratings from Ofsted:
- Outstanding for First Intuition Cambridge Ltd (covering Cambridge, Ipswich, Norfolk, Suffolk Peterborough)
- Outstanding for First Intuition Chelmsford Ltd (covering Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea)
- Outstanding for First Intuition Ltd (covering London, Manchester and Birmingham)
- Outstanding for First Intuition Reading Ltd (covering Reading and Southampton)
- Good for First Intuition Bristol (covering Bristol and Exeter)
Outstanding is not only the highest possible Ofsted rating, but at the time of writing, First Intuition is the only level 7 accounting provider to have achieved this.
Across the FI network there has been much to celebrate, and we look forward to continuing to build on these results.
Read the full Ofsted reports here:
