Lambeth College Ofsted Report

Full report

Information about the provider

• Lambeth College is a general further education college situated in the borough of Lambeth in south London. The college has campuses in Clapham, Brixton and Vauxhall. Just over 40% of the college’s learners are resident in Lambeth, with around 30% of other learners resident in surrounding London boroughs. Three quarters of the learners at the college are adults. Lambeth is an extremely diverse borough, both ethnically and socially. Over 150 different languages are spoken within the borough. A large proportion of them face significant personal and financial challenges in their everyday lives, although the borough has areas of marked prosperity. Employment in the borough is mainly in the public sector, education and health, although many residents travel to work in central London. The composition of the college’s learners reflects the diversity of its local communities.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and managers should build on their successful work to improve the achievements of learners, ensuring that achievements improve on all levels and on all courses, and that more learners achieve high grades.
• Managers must ensure that teachers fully use the information gathered from the initial and ongoing assessment of learners, to plan and teach lessons that set high expectations and meet individual learners’ needs, and that their teaching and assessment strategies ensure good progress for learners.
• Building on the good practice in the management of apprenticeships by the college’s subcontractors, managers must improve target-setting and progress reviews for college-based apprentices to ensure that more apprentices complete their programmes in the planned time.
• Senior leaders need to ensure that the new management arrangements for English and mathematics have maximum impact on the improvement of teaching and learning, outcomes for learners and learners’ attendance, by:
  • placing an uncompromising emphasis on high-quality teaching and learning
  • requiring that all staff fully promote the benefits to learners of improving their skills in English and mathematics
  • continuing to prioritise the close monitoring of learners’ attendance in English and mathematics, against clear attendance targets, and that learners fully understand the need to meet them.
• To further support learners’ understanding of the world of work, managers need to ensure an increase in the pace of securing external work experience for learners on study programmes.
• Improve learners’ independent learning and encourage their greater use of the college’s virtual learning environment; ensure that all teachers are helped to make best use of distance learning resources and to develop resources in their subject areas.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The interim principal, in post since August 2016, and her senior leadership team have a clear and realistic view of the college’s position, including the recent challenges to its financial status, and are pursuing sensible actions to remedy weaknesses. Some of their actions are already improving outcomes and the quality of provision, but they know that there is much work still to do.
• Governors and senior leaders have maintained a clear ambition to grow provision and meet local labour market needs, aligned to local enterprise partnership priorities. For example, apprenticeship provision has expanded to meet local construction needs, and a new level 3 apprenticeship has been started with a subcontractor to train apprentices in servicing medical equipment. Communication between senior leaders, external partners, employers and learners is open and constructive.
• The interim principal and senior leaders have clearly identified the key weaknesses in teaching and learning and have prioritised actions to improve these. Performance management of staff has a good focus on ensuring that staff are held to account for learners’ progress. Many members of staff are new to roles but have quickly got to grips with the college’s higher expectations. Managers have closely aligned staff development and training to known weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment.
• The self-assessment process and report give a good account of the college’s strengths and weaknesses, now better supported by improved and accurate performance data. Managers are appropriately critical and their analysis accurately reflects the findings from this inspection. Quality improvement plans are increasingly thorough and leading to improved outcomes for learners.
• Managers’ arrangements to ensure subcontractors meet the college’s requirements are fit for purpose and appropriate. However, the arrangements to scrutinise the quality of content in, for example, apprentices’ progress reviews, are new and managers have yet to apply these procedures to all subcontractors. The college’s ‘at risk panels’ are a good approach to the monitoring of learners’ progress and achievement. They aim to identify issues, and ways forward, for individual learners, by course, teacher and college school.
• The interim principal and senior leaders have maintained a good focus on the development of learners’ skills and achievements in English and mathematics. They have prioritised improvement in these subjects, introducing new management structures and new managers, and funding new resources. Teaching and learning in English and mathematics are improving, as is attendance, but not yet enough, and learners’ achievements remain too low.
• Managers now pay much closer attention to ensuring that learners are placed on the right course, at the right level. Greater effort has been given to following up learners’ destinations, and the large majority successfully progress to further courses or employment. High needs learners go on to positive destinations, despite the provision experiencing significant changes in management. Information on apprentices’ progression to positive destinations requires further development.
• Senior leaders, managers, teachers and support staff, including security staff, have created a college environment that is welcoming and inclusive and where diversity is valued and celebrated. Learning support staff, and learners themselves, promote equality and diversity particularly well through events showcasing equality and diversity themes. Managers have a good understanding of gaps in learners’ achievement and are slowly closing these.

The governance of the provider

• In the last academic year, governors were slow to recognise key indicators of financial mismanagement at the college. Clearer and firmer arrangements to ensure governors’ oversight of the college’s corporate functions are now in place. Governors have improved their skills and the capacity of the governing body to carry out its role effectively, including through the appointment of governors with expertise in financial management.
• Governors are in a strong position to hold the principal, senior leaders and managers to account. They have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the college and of the necessary actions for improvement.
• At the same time as playing a full part in the current review of further education provision in London, governors continue to focus on the needs of the college’s local community. They have a clear position in relation to the college’s preferred options, including a possible merger, but all with a view to enabling already well-developed plans and partnerships, such as the Vauxhall campus apprenticeship development, to thrive.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding procedures are comprehensive. Learner support staff have a pivotal role in promoting safeguarding with learners, as part of the tutorial system and in coordinating any safeguarding referrals. Staff are trained commensurate with their roles, with annual updating. Safer recruitment practices are established and disclosure and barring checks completed and recorded appropriately. Suitable risk assessments are in place where needed.
• A significant proportion of learners have home or other life circumstances that make completing their studies challenging. Effective support from learner development coaches enables learners to continue on their courses and progress. Records of safeguarding incidents and concerns are kept to ensure that learners are supported effectively.
• The vast majority of learners have good awareness of safeguarding, cyber bullying, British values and the dangers of radicalisation, although apprentices are less clear about safeguarding and arrangements to recognise, and tackle, terrorism and extremism.
• All staff promote the ‘Prevent’ duty effectively. Good use is made of partnerships with the police and referral agencies, and staff receive appropriate training. They also promote British values well. Teachers are trained to help them embed the values into lessons and ensure that learners understand principles such as the rule of law, democracy and fairness.
• Subcontractors have a clear understanding of the college’s expectations regarding safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty and how it applies to employees.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, managers and teachers have had a strong focus on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Progress in achieving this is evident in the improvements made in learners’ outcomes, but so far, on all provision types, the quality of provision is not yet good enough, as reflected in too few learners achieving their qualifications.
• Teachers insufficiently promote learners’ good progress and high achievement, for example through target-setting and review. Generic attendance and effort targets, at the start of courses, are useful in promoting the college’s ‘career ready standards’, but following the first review period too many learners do not have personal targets, particularly for English and mathematics. Electronic individual learning plans, used to collect learners’ strengths and learning aims at the start of their studies, are too often incomplete, compromising the effective monitoring of learners’ progress from their starting points.
• Many teachers use initial and ongoing assessment well to record learners’ individual differences thoroughly on group profiles, and a few use these to plan lessons that meet individual needs, for example in hairdressing and beauty therapy. However, too many teachers do not use this information well enough, or regularly enough, to tailor lessons to the varied needs of the learners in the group. Although lesson activities for learners are varied, and many lessons use interactive learning technologies well to keep learners’ interest, teachers’ expectations of learners’ progress in lessons are not always high enough.
• Teachers ensure that learners in a range of vocational lessons make good progress in the development of professional skills, for example by carrying out specific activities to exacting professional standards, such as making a sauce or baking bread, and culinary skills learners at level 1 work very well as individuals and as part of a team. Hairdressing learners explain to clients the benefits of a conditioning treatment for their hair, and in dentistry, learners use a well-resourced dental laboratory and good-quality technical equipment to make moulds for dentures.
• In a significant minority of lessons, teachers do not check learners’ progress closely enough to ensure that they fully understand the topic, or have completed the task set, so that they make the progress of which they are able. For example, teachers’ questions to check learners’ understanding are often directed to the whole group and, as a result, some learners rely on their peers to answer questions for them. In other lessons, learners take too long to complete worksheets or provide only partial responses to tasks.
• Learners’ development of vocational knowledge is developed well through teachers’ use of a good range of teaching and learning methods and resources. These include some well-conceived tasks and case studies that use industry-relevant scenarios to develop learners’ understanding of their chosen careers. For example, teachers make effective use of case studies in health and social care to create discussions that helps learners understand their responsibilities under the ‘duty of care’.
• Teachers and all staff use their skills well to support learners in lessons. Teachers provide effective individual support to keep learners motivated in lessons, and specialist learning support staff ensure that learners who need extra help make progress in line with their peers. The provision of a well-resourced and well-used learning support hub is highly valued by learners, who make better progress through their attendance.
• Teachers’ feedback on learners’ work, an area for improvement in the previous inspection, is now good. For example, in creative arts and media, precise written feedback points clearly to where learners’ work is good, and to how it can be further improved. However, apprentices do not always receive feedback quickly enough, or in enough detail, to enable them to meet course or work deadlines.
• Learners’ understanding of aspects of life in modern Britain is well developed. Learners of all ages and walks of life happily share the safe space provided by the college. Teachers create opportunities to explore learners’ views by responding to topical events such as the American presidential election. Learners on drama courses write and perform a thoughtful piece on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people during the second world war.
• Although the setting and completion of homework is much improved for learners on study programmes, teachers’ encouragement to learners to learn independently, through homework or via the use of a well-populated and effective virtual learning environment, is underdeveloped. There is a renewed focus on the development of the interactive learning platform, but it is not yet well used or fully available to all learners.
• The development of learners’ English and mathematics skills requires improvement. Although specialist teachers of English and mathematics plan lessons that use a good range of interactive resources, and vocational teachers identify opportunities to develop these subjects in their lessons, learners do not always value these essential skills for work as much as their vocational subjects and many make limited progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

• Learners’ attendance is improving, but it is not yet consistently high enough and remains low in English and mathematics and in apprentices’ off-the-job training in the direct delivery programmes. This impacts adversely on some learners’ progress and skills development.
• Securing sufficient external work experience placements for learners on study programmes has not had a sufficiently high priority from managers. Learners’ opportunities for external work experience remain too small and their understanding of the world of work is not developed well enough. Learners do have opportunities to develop their employability skills through attending work-related enrichment activities, which provide breadth to their understanding of the world of work.
• Managers have not ensured that all learners have ready access to online learning and the college’s virtual learning environment. Opportunities vary too much from course to course and teachers are not all sufficiently skilled in preparing, or using, learning materials for their learners to be used outside lessons.
• Learners behave well and demonstrate good levels of respect for staff and for their peers. Elected course representatives work cooperatively with managers to secure improvements for all learners, for example improving the quality, variety and pricing of the food in the food hall.
• Teachers ensure that learners’ development of practical skills is good; for example, in creative media production learners develop good cinematography and audio skills. Learners attend a good range of enrichment activities in sport, but with currently significantly more male learners participating than female learners.
• Managers and teachers ensure that learners benefit from good pastoral support and from attending well-planned tutorial programmes. These develop and reinforce learners’ understanding of British values and of how to keep themselves safe, including from the dangers of radicalisation. Learners feel safe and understand how to report any concerns. The quality of the taught tutorial sessions is currently not consistently good enough for all learners and they are not sufficiently helped to understand their targets.
• Learners are positive about the good information and advice they receive and with improvements in enrolment and induction procedures. Careers guidance is strong and supports learners’ career plans and progression well. Support for learners applying for higher education is good.

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, when outcomes for learners were inadequate, the proportion of learners completing their courses successfully has improved markedly, although it still remains too low.
• Overall, the much larger number of adult learners perform significantly better than learners aged 16 to 18, especially at levels 1 and 2. Learners aged 16 to 18 perform best on level 3 courses, most of which are vocational study programmes. Outcomes for these learners show a three-year trend of improvement to around the national rate for similar colleges.
• In contrast to the previous inspection, when learners’ progress in their subjects was too variable, the progress that they make now is often good. However, too few learners achieve high grades in their examinations. In the current academic year to date, more learners have remained on their courses, compared with the same period in 2015/16.
• The achievements of apprentices at the previous inspection were inadequate, but their overall achievement now is high, although not consistently so across all programme areas. More work needs to be done to improve apprentices’ achievement within the timescales agreed for their programmes.
• Achievement rates for learners who were formerly looked after children continue to be high, as at the previous inspection.
• Learners’ successful completion of their functional skills and GCSE English and mathematics requires improvement. In 2015/16, learners’ overall success in these subjects fell and the proportion of high-grade passes for GCSE English and mathematics is particularly low.
• As at the previous inspection, learners’ progression to further studies, both within the college and to other education and training, and employment is high. Around 80% of learners completing their courses in 2015/16 progressed within the college or moved to further and higher education courses. Progression to higher education has improved since the previous inspection, with many of the level 3 vocational learners applying successfully to higher education, with an increasing number going to more prestigious universities.
• Learners with high needs often make good progress on their courses and are prepared well for, and are often successful in, their progression to higher-level courses.

Types of provision

16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

• The college provides programmes of study for nearly 1,400 learners aged 16 to 18, from level 1 to level 3, in most subject areas. The largest areas are health and social care, business, arts and media, sport, public services and construction.
• The quality of provision on study programmes, while improving and resulting in learners making better progress year on year, is not yet good enough. This is reflected in the fact that the proportion of learners who achieve their qualifications requires improvement, and not enough learners achieve high grades. Too few learners who re-take GCSEs in English and mathematics achieve a grade C or above.
• Managers have not yet ensured sufficient arrangements for learners to undertake external work experience as part of their study programmes. Outside of the subject areas where work experience is mandatory for their courses, arrangements for external work experience opportunities require improvement.
• In the current year, the majority of learners studying vocational subjects make good progress and develop good practical skills and knowledge. For example, creative and media learners develop good skills in making sculptures and health and social care learners become skilled in how to identify and tackle institutional abuse. Learners achieve increasingly well in their vocational examinations, but not yet well enough in their English and mathematics.
• Most teachers plan, and execute, their lessons well, setting clear aims and objectives, and enabling learners to readily review their progress. This is particularly marked in lessons for health and social care and GCSE mathematics. For example, learners make good use of reflective logs to review their progress against their objectives. In a small minority of lessons, the most able learners are not challenged to extend their learning. Teachers do not always gain sufficient participation from all learners and are not sufficiently skilled at judging whether all learners understand and are making best progress.
• Managers’ and teachers’ actions to improve the teaching of English and mathematics are bringing about improvements in the current year. Teachers’ good use of resources, and their planned range of activities in lessons, is resulting in the majority of current learners making the progress expected of them. Learners receive regular homework and benefit from learning outside the classroom. College data shows that learners’ attendance at lessons for English and mathematics has improved this academic year. However, in most lessons observed by inspectors, attendance was not good enough, and well below learners’ attendance in their vocational lessons, hindering the progress of non-attendees.
• Teachers provide effective verbal and written assessment feedback to learners, enabling them to improve the quality of their work. Teachers routinely correct spelling and grammatical errors and encourage learners to develop strategies to improve these. They also reinforce learners’ development of English skills. For example, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) learners develop their pronunciation skills in mathematics classes and health and social care learners develop industry-specific technical terms.
• Teachers ensure that learners develop personal, social and a large number of employability skills. For example, they develop skills such as problem-solving and team-working. Where relevant to their vocational programmes, they learn skills such as solving simultaneous equations, rounding numbers or understanding the language needs of young children. Learners speak confidently and present well. Learners have positive attitudes towards learning in their vocational subjects, although their punctuality requires improvement.
• Teachers and specialist staff help learners to gain a good understanding of career routes, linked to their studies. They benefit from good impartial careers guidance, enabling them to make informed choices about their next steps. They receive sound support in completing their applications for higher education, in preparing curriculum vitae, and in preparing for job interviews. Learners benefit from a range of enrichment activities. For example, learners take part in sports activities, ‘career ready’ programmes and trips, enabling them to develop relevant subject-specific skills.
• Most learners display good behaviours and respect for each other. For example, they work well in groups, take part in collaborative projects and discuss topics in a respectful manner. Learners feel safe and they know which staff to contact should there be any issues. They know how to keep themselves safe and have emergency hotlines to report any issues. Most learners have a good awareness of British values, the dangers of radicalisation and health and safety practices.

Adult learning programmes Requires improvement

• Three quarters of learners at the college are on programmes for adults, and just over half of these are on vocational programmes, with most of these taking at least one English and mathematics qualification. Nearly 1,000 adults study ESOL and 50 are on Jobcentre Plus programmes.
• While there is some good provision on adult programmes, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not consistently good across the provision. Overall, adult achievement last academic year was at the national average, but was much lower in English and mathematics. Managers have identified areas for improvement which match inspection findings closely. The quality of provision is improving, but it is too soon to see the impact of all aspects of improvement plans.
• In many lessons, including plumbing, catering and cognitive behaviour therapy, teachers often use their sector expertise, and knowledge of the learners, to plan and deliver very good learning. These teachers have high expectations of their learners and ensure that they develop their skills and knowledge rapidly. Teachers’ feedback on learners’ performance and questioning to extend learners’ understanding are very good. In an ESOL Jobcentre Plus lesson, learners developed vocabulary for work and language structures extremely well, through well-prepared materials which met the needs of the wide range of learners.
• However, in other lessons the impact of teaching on learning is less effective. Teachers’ checking on learning is not always effective and teaching and learning are too often poor in English and mathematics lessons. Teachers’ strategies to maximise learning are not always effective. For example, teachers’ poor use of questions to the whole group reinforces the reluctance of some learners to participate and to maximise their understanding and learning.
• Staff have recently created much-improved initial and diagnostic tasks to assess learners’ vocational, English and mathematics skills. Learners’ correct placement on courses has improved significantly as a result. However, teachers do not yet use the outcomes of assessments sufficiently well to ensure that learning activities meet whole group and individual learners’ needs. Some activities are too difficult or too easy for learners. Managers have recognised this aspect as a priority for development.
• Teachers ensure that lesson resources and activities meet the career and personal interests of learners well. For example, in a catering lesson, learners used recipes independently to create dishes to a high standard. Their teacher checked not just the production and quality of the food, but also whether learners understood the principles and theory of cooking.
• Too many vocational learners struggle with written and spoken English in their lessons and when doing their assignments. The low standard of written English affects the quality of their work and their ability to achieve high grades. Teachers and managers recognise this barrier to achievement and have had some success in bringing about improvement, but continue to work to better promote language development.
• Behaviour in lessons is good. Learners work well together and participate in activities, and many enjoy their lessons. The focus on the development of work skills and the standard of work in many lessons are good. For example, learners who arrive without the correct safety equipment learn that they may not attend, in the same way that an employer would not allow this at work.
• The previous inspection identified the need to improve learners’ attendance and punctuality. Managers and teachers have worked hard, and to good effect, to improve these aspects. They use data well to chase non-attenders promptly and the college’s in-year data shows definite improvement. A small minority of teachers do not challenge lateness effectively.
• Learners feel safe at the college and their understanding of health and safety procedures, safeguarding and the concepts of the ‘Prevent’ duty is good. Staff and learners put into practice the British values of tolerance and working together harmoniously particularly well in ESOL lessons.

Apprenticeships Requires improvement

• Nearly 1,000 apprentices are in training, around 40% of whom are advanced apprentices. The majority follow programmes in hospitality, construction, business administration and health and social care. Around three quarters of apprentices study through subcontracted providers, specialising in construction, health and social care, and hospitality.
• A significant majority of subcontractors’ apprentices make good progress, as reflected in high success rates, but the college’s direct delivery apprentices do not make good enough progress, with a significant proportion not completing within agreed timescales. Attendance during the week of the inspection was low in a significant minority of college sessions.
• Leaders and managers have developed good links with specialist subcontractors to increase successfully the breadth of apprenticeship provision to meet the needs of learners and to address local skills shortages. Strong partnerships with local employers, Lambeth Borough Council and local enterprise bodies have resulted in innovative solutions to increase employment in the area.
• Teachers in too many of the direct delivery sessions fail to inspire and motivate learners to make good progress. They do not use their knowledge of individual apprentices well enough to plan activities which will stretch and challenge apprentices, particularly the most able, to encourage higher-level thinking skills. Teachers and assessors do not always have high enough expectations of what apprentices can achieve, focusing too much on the minimum expectations of awarding bodies, rather than fully extending apprentices’ skills and understanding.
• Subcontractors plan and manage individualised programmes well, preparing apprentices for the world of work. In contrast, managers’ tracking and monitoring of learners’ progress in direct delivery provision are underdeveloped and do not enable effective interventions to help apprentices who are falling behind. Too many direct delivery apprentices do not have regular assessments and progress reviews and do not complete their framework on time.
• Apprentices develop good practical skills, both at work and during their practical lessons at the college and, as a result, employers value their contribution to the workplace. Most apprentices achieve their functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics, although too few teachers and assessors plan opportunities for apprentices to further develop their skills within vocational lessons and progress reviews.
• Trainers and assessors ensure that apprentices receive very good advice, guidance and support before starting their programmes. Initial assessments of English, mathematics, and prior skills and knowledge of their chosen subject area are used well to match learners with potential employers. Learners are supported well to develop their interview and presentation skills. In hospitality, for example, apprentices demonstrate their practical cookery skills to potential employers.
• In the better off-the-job training sessions, predominantly delivered by subcontractors, apprentices are motivated by well-qualified and experienced specialist teachers, skilfully linking theoretical learning to relevant workplace practices. In individual regular meetings with assessors, apprentices are supported effectively to develop necessary skills and knowledge.
• Apprentices behave well and demonstrate high standards of professional behaviour. Most demonstrate a mature approach to their learning and work well in small groups, sharing ideas and communicating effectively. Apprentices show high levels of mutual respect to their peers and to their teachers and assessors. The majority of teachers and assessors do not plan well enough to broaden apprentices’ awareness of themes of equality and diversity in lessons or progress reviews.
• Apprentices have a sound awareness of how to stay safe and demonstrate good safe working practices in the workplace. A significant minority of apprentices are less clear about the dangers associated with internet safety and radical or extremist views.

Provision for learners with high needs Requires improvement

• The college has 123 high needs learners from seven local authorities. Of these, 96 are on specific high needs courses at the college’s Clapham campus. The rest attend college vocational courses, from entry level to level 3.
• Managers ensure that funding is used appropriately to provide a good range of support to learners, both within and between sessions. Learners study programmes which provide a suitable introduction to a range of vocational skills, although too few have the opportunity to take qualifications in order to evidence the skills and knowledge learned.
• Learners with high needs who have progressed to study programmes, largely at level 2, are supported well by teachers and support staff and readily integrate with their fellow vocational learners. They are equally well provided with specialist resources to enable them to complete their studies successfully and they achieve as well as their peers.
• The large majority of learners progress to suitable further learning in order to extend their skills, for example in being able to live independently or having the opportunity to learn additional vocational subjects.
• Teachers and support staff often provide good teaching and learning, using the thorough and detailed assessment of learners’ skills and knowledge gathered at the start of their courses, to meet education, health and care plans.
• In too many lessons, teachers do not fully develop individual priorities for learners or take enough account of this information to ensure that learners of a higher ability make good progress.
• The recording of learners’ progress and achievement is under developed and does not sufficiently show learners the progress they have made by the end of their courses, compared to their starting points, which is often significant.
• Learners’ standards of work are appropriate to their level of study. Teachers help learners to make good progress in developing relevant knowledge and skills in their vocational subjects, effectively improving their independence and preparing them for their futures. For example, they develop good practical skills in cooking, construction, retailing and ICT. They also improve their English and mathematics skills by, for example, identifying English mistakes in job advertisements, calculating measurements in recipes, and determining how much stock is needed in the college shop.
• Teachers’ feedback to learners on their written work is not always sufficiently detailed to show learners how they can improve or what they have done well.
• Specialist resources to support learners are appropriate, including personal care facilities, and a study room within the library, for one-to-one support, which learners use to help improve their English and mathematics skills. Specialist equipment includes high visibility keyboards and accessible equipment for those with physical disabilities.
• Teachers ensure that learners develop effective personal and social skills. Learners who have high needs value the opportunity to meet learners from other courses in the college common room or in formal learning with, for example, sports learners. They speak confidently of what they are learning and can identify their strengths and what they need to improve to find and apply for jobs.
• Managers have arranged meaningful work experience for learners, together with preparatory sessions to help them apply the skills they have learned at college. For example, they work well, serving customers in the college shop and checking stock, or in the college café where they prepare food and serve customers. There are also opportunities for work experience outside of the college. For example, the college’s effective partnership with a local charity successfully prepares learners for work experience with the local council, supermarkets and hotels. Learners greatly value these opportunities.
• Learners’ attendance and punctuality are good. Their safeguarding is effective. They feel safe in the college, and know how to report any concerns they may have.

Provider details

Unique reference number 130413 Type of provider General further education college Age range of learners 16+ Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 9,397 Principal/CEO Monica Box Telephone number 020 7501 5010 Website www.lambeth.ac.uk

Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships) Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 479 1,795 504 1,397 411 685 0 59 Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 158 510 67 311 2 4 Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total - - - Number of learners aged 14 to 16 - Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding 123 Funding received from: Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors: Achieving Excellence All Inclusive Advice and Training Limited Astro Martin Limited Choice Training Limited Dhuney Corporation Elevate Training Solutions Limited Enterprise LDN Limited Essential Skills Consulting CIC Harriet Ellis Training Solutions Limited HI-Qual Limited Inn Training Limited Iprotech Training Limited King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Let Me Play Limited London Vocational College Limited SIGMA Group Limited Smart Training Associates Limited Solvo Vir Limited Tendean Limited The Construction Skills People Limited The Development Fund Limited The Skills Network Limited White Rose Training Limited

Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the vice principal curriculum, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider's most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

Inspection team

David Martin, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector Rosy Belton Her Majesty's Inspector Philida Schellekens Ofsted Inspector Sherrilee Dougan Ofsted Inspector Lynda Pickering Ofsted Inspector Kathleen Tyler Ofsted Inspector Asfa Sohail Ofsted Inspector Philip Elliott Ofsted Inspector