OFSTED 2026 Report published URN 2625244

Ofsted Recognises "Strong Standards" Across our Entire Provision.

Independent recognition of the quality, ambition and impact our apprentices and employers experience throughout the apprenticeship journey.

Every graded area Strong standard
Safeguarding Standards met
Learn About This Result Download Offical Report
Strong standard in every area
Inclusion Strong
Leadership & Governance Strong
Achievement Strong
Curriculum, Teaching & Training Strong
Participation & Development Strong
Safeguarding* Met
Inclusion Strong standard
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*Safeguarding is only judged as 'met' or not met

What Does Our "Strong Standard in every area" Mean In Practice?

Our inspection provides independent evidence that Nine Dots delivers more than apprenticeship training.

We help people develop skills they can actually use, and help organisations turn learning into better performance.

Training people actually use

Coaches connect learning directly to real workplace situations so apprentices can apply new knowledge in their day-to-day roles.

People become more capable

Apprentices develop the knowledge, confidence and professional behaviours required to take greater responsibility at work.

Measurable workplace impact

Ofsted found that apprentices' learning leads to tangible improvements in organisational processes, systems and decision-making.

A provider you can trust

Curriculum quality, learner support, achievement, leadership, inclusion and safeguarding were independently scrutinised as part of our inspection.

Choosing an apprenticeship provider affects much more than the qualification you achieve.

At Nine Dots, you can expect:

  • Expert coaches who understand the real workplace
  • Individual coaching and support
  • High expectations alongside practical help when you need it
  • Training connected directly to your role
  • Opportunities to practise and apply what you learn
  • Support with your career development and next steps
  • A safe and inclusive learning environment

Understanding the Grading System

Ofsted Have Moved Away From A Single Judgement...

The previous system gave providers one overall effectiveness grade. Under the renewed framework, the important parts of a provider's work are assessed separately.

Exceptional Single judgements here are extremely rare!

STRONG STANDARD
Nine Dots Acheived This in EVERY Area

Top 4% of Inspected Main Training Providers
achieved this in all graded areas
Expected standard Meets Ofsted's high expected standard
Needs attention Some improvements are required
Urgent improvement Significant and urgent improvement required

How The Renewed Grading System Works...

Expected standard means meeting the relevant legal, statutory and professional expectations.

Strong standard is not simply a new name for Good. To achieve Strong standard in an evaluation area, a provider must meet all of the expected standards and all of the additional Strong standards for that area.

Strong is a deliberately demanding benchmark. Achieving it across every graded area provides assurance across the entire apprenticeship experience rather than relying on one headline judgement.

Safeguarding is evaluated separately as either met or not met.

The inspection in detail

What Ofsted Found at Nine Dots

Below is a more detailed look at each area and what the findings mean for employers and apprentices.

What Ofsted assesses

How well a provider identifies and removes barriers to learning, including for apprentices with special educational needs and/or disabilities, additional learning needs, temporary vulnerabilities or other challenges affecting learning or wellbeing.

What Ofsted found
  • Leaders were firmly committed to providing the best support strategies for apprentices
  • Leaders and coaches consistently and skilfully identify support needs and barriers, put adaptations in place quickly and review their effectiveness systematically
  • Support is revised or reduced when an apprentice is ready to work more independently
  • Close monitoring of apprentices with additional needs or temporary vulnerabilities, detailed scrutiny of outcomes and comprehensive staff training
What this means

Support is not a generic add-on. It is identified early, tailored to the person and reviewed as their needs change. Apprentices receive the help they need while developing confidence and independence.

What Ofsted assesses

Leadership ambition and integrity, quality oversight, governance, staff development and wellbeing, and whether leaders act effectively to improve apprentices' experiences and outcomes.

What Ofsted found
  • Leaders were highly ambitious for apprentices' success and explicitly clear about their expectations for high-quality training and successful outcomes
  • Very effective systems for oversight, monitoring and quality improvement, enabling leaders to identify concerns accurately and act swiftly
  • Leaders understand the quality of provision in detail, monitor performance carefully and provide targeted support where needed
  • Governors bring relevant expertise and offer significant scrutiny and challenge, while staff benefit from relevant professional development and focused feedback
What this means

Quality is actively managed. Employers can expect a provider that listens, responds and keeps improving.

What Ofsted assesses

The progress apprentices make from their starting points, the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours they develop, the quality of their work, successful completion and readiness for their next steps.

What Ofsted found
  • Leaders' work to improve quality had produced substantial improvements in achievement
  • Across the curriculum, apprentices master new concepts securely, refine their skills and apply their learning fluently and to a high standard at work
  • Apprentices are well prepared to take on greater responsibility and move into positive destinations

Apprentices' work leads to tangible improvements in organisational processes, systems and decision-making.

What this means

Achievement is about more than completing a qualification. Apprentices develop the confidence and capability to improve how work is done and contribute more strongly to their organisations.

What Ofsted assesses

What is taught, how learning is sequenced, the expertise of trainers and coaches, the quality of teaching and assessment, the relevance of training to employers, and whether the curriculum is ambitious and accessible.

What Ofsted found
  • Leaders have a highly accurate understanding of curriculum and teaching quality and act quickly when concerns arise
  • Curriculum plans are reviewed and adjusted frequently so that content remains aligned with industry standards and apprentices have time to learn, practise and apply new knowledge
  • Employers are closely involved in ensuring training is relevant to workplace practice
  • Apprentices benefit from a rich, carefully tailored curriculum that includes valuable additional knowledge and professional skills beyond the core programme
  • Targeted questioning, scenario-based activities and purposeful assessment deepen understanding, while frequent checks on learning and constructive feedback support continued progress

Trainers and coaches are industry experts who connect learning directly to workplace contexts.

What this means

Learning is not delivered as a standard package. It is current, carefully structured and connected to the apprentice's role.

What Ofsted assesses

Attendance and participation, professional conduct, wider personal development and wellbeing, careers guidance, and preparation for future learning and employment.

What Ofsted found
  • Leaders and staff set very high expectations for conduct and achievement
  • Apprentices attend well, arrive punctually, submit work on time and participate readily. They respond positively to feedback, take ownership of their progress and show resilience while managing workplace pressures
  • Careers guidance was purposeful, ongoing and highly effective. Aspirations are established early and revisited so apprentices understand progression routes and can plan their next steps with confidence
  • Apprentices valued interactive workshops, high-quality resources and online learning tools, as well as coaches who were experienced, friendly and constructive

Apprentices were extremely satisfied with their training.

What this means

Apprentices develop more than technical knowledge. They build professional behaviours, confidence, resilience and career awareness.

Safeguarding is assessed separately
What Ofsted assesses

Whether leaders and governors fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities, whether concerns are identified and acted upon, and whether learners are kept safe and feel safe.

What Ofsted found
  • Our safeguarding standards were met
  • Leaders and those responsible for governance had established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility
  • Concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed, helping apprentices to be safer and to feel safe
What this means

Apprentices can focus on learning in an environment where their welfare is taken seriously, staff understand their responsibilities and concerns can be raised with confidence.

Always improving

What Ofsted Asked us to Keep Developing

Strong performance does not mean standing still. Ofsted identified only two next steps for our continued development...

Wider Development Opportunities

Continue building meaningful opportunities for apprentices' wider development into the curriculum

Quality Oversight Continuity

Maintain close oversight of teaching quality and apprentices' progress, including on newly introduced courses

These priorities align with the continuous improvement already recognised throughout the report: Reviewing our curriculum, responding to evidence and maintaining consistently high standards as our provision develops.

The grading is a fantastic achievement for Nine Dots...

But for us, this has always been about more than an Ofsted result.

We care deeply about great training, meaningful learning and helping people build better careers and better workplaces. That means listening, improving, challenging ourselves and never standing still.

For Employers

It means working with a training partner who genuinely cares about your people and your organisation.

We create learning that is relevant, practical and connected to the real workplace - helping people grow in confidence, build new skills and make a meaningful difference at work.

For Apprentices

It means having expert coaches who get to know you, believe in you and want you to succeed.

You'll be challenged, supported and given learning you can actually use - building the confidence and skills to move your career forward.

Ofsted recognised Nine Dots as "Strong standard in every graded area" and we're incredibly proud of that.

But we're even more proud of what sits behind it: a team that cares, apprentices who grow and succeed, and employers who see the difference that great learning can make.

We'll keep listening, keep learning. keep improving and keep putting people at the heart of everything we do.

View the
Offical Report

What inspectors found

Report Highlights

Apprentices are extremely satisfied with their training and the environment in which they work.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices make rapid, sustained progress from their starting points.

Page 3 · Apprenticeships - Achievement

Trainers and coaches are industry experts.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Curriculum and teaching

Apprentices make strong progress and achieve highly.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices benefit greatly from extremely effective individual coaching and support.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices benefit from a rich, carefully tailored curriculum.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Curriculum and teaching

Coaches skilfully link learning directly to real workplace contexts.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Curriculum and teaching

Apprentices are very well prepared for their next steps.

Page 3 · Apprenticeships - Achievement

They produce consistently high-quality work and make tangible improvements to organisational processes, systems and decision-making.

Page 3 · Apprenticeships - Achievement

Leaders' reflective, evidence-informed approach drives consistently high-quality teaching and training.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Curriculum and teaching

Apprentices are able to apply their learning with confidence and precision in their job roles.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Curriculum and teaching

Apprentices are rightly impressed by their coaches, whom they find to be experienced, friendly and highly constructive.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Coaches demonstrate a strong commitment to helping apprentices to achieve their goals.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Coaches skilfully help apprentices to apply theoretical concepts to real work scenarios.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices master new concepts securely, refine their skills with precision and apply their learning fluently and to a high standard in the workplace.

Page 3 · Apprenticeships - Achievement

Apprentices report that their individual coaching and support is both motivating and immensely supportive.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

The curriculum is highly inclusive.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Curriculum and teaching

They gain valuable additional knowledge and professional skills that enable them to excel in their roles, progress rapidly and contribute more confidently in the workplace.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Curriculum and teaching

Careers guidance is purposeful, ongoing and highly effective.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Participation and development

Apprentices show high levels of motivation and dedication to their courses.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Participation and development

Apprentices take ownership of their progress and apply their learning confidently in the workplace.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Participation and development

Apprentices especially value the interactive and interesting workshop content.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Leaders are highly ambitious for the success of their apprentices.

Page 2 · Inclusion, and leadership and governance - Leadership and governance

Leaders have an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the quality of provision.

Page 2 · Inclusion, and leadership and governance - Leadership and governance

Leaders have very effective approaches for oversight, monitoring and quality improvement.

Page 2 · Inclusion, and leadership and governance - Leadership and governance

Apprentices benefit from extremely well-contextualised resources that very effectively prepare them for future leadership roles.

Page 3 · Inclusion, and leadership and governance - Leadership and governance

Apprentices look forward to their workshop sessions and attend very well.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Teaching is well structured, with targeted questioning, scenario-based tasks and purposeful assessment that deepen apprentices' understanding.

Page 4 · Apprenticeships - Curriculum and teaching

Governors are highly experienced with relevant backgrounds and specialisms.

Page 2 · Inclusion, and leadership and governance - Leadership and governance

Apprentices feel comfortable to share experiences and network with like-minded professionals, which broadens their knowledge.

Page 5 · What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider
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