Trinity Post 16 Solutions Ltd. Ofsted Report

Full report

Information about the provider

• Trinity Post 16 Solutions Limited is an independent specialist college that has been in operation since December 2015. The college is located on a campus in the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, and provides further education and training for learners aged between 16 and 25 who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The campus has a wide range of practical learning areas, including a horticulture garden, a farm, a bungalow, and motor vehicle and construction workshops. Trinity Post 16 Solutions Limited is a private company limited by guarantee operating within a multi-academy trust.
• At the time of the inspection, Trinity Post 16 Solutions Limited had 10 learners enrolled on a programme that aims to provide education, training and support towards independent living, supported employment, further education and community engagement.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and managers should strengthen quality improvement arrangements so that priorities for improvement are clear and are monitored and evaluated closely.
• Leaders and managers should establish and implement a clear strategy so that learners develop the necessary skills to gain relevant qualifications in English and mathematics and to apply them in their everyday lives. In particular:
  • ensure that teachers plan and use English and mathematics resources and activities that are age-appropriate
  • ensure that teachers assess the additional work that learners complete following feedback and help learners to understand how their work is improving
  • support learners to appreciate the links between English and mathematics, the practical work they do and their everyday lives.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and managers have been successful in establishing new provision for learners who have high needs. The provision is of a high quality, and learners make good progress towards their personal, social and work targets.
• Leaders and managers have given a high priority to the development of partnerships with local employers and relevant services. This strategy successfully enables learners to secure work experience opportunities from a wide range of employers and organisations that meet their personal work aspirations well. As a result, learners develop the work skills they require, and most move successfully to appropriate employment or supported internships.
• Leaders and managers use the funding for learners who have high needs well to provide a positive and enterprising learning environment. Learners develop effective practical skills in real everyday work settings.
• Leaders and managers ensure that learners receive good-quality initial advice and guidance at the start of their programme in relation to their work aspirations and ongoing careers education. Most learners achieve their work-related goals.
• Leaders and managers work well with employers, education providers, specialist services and the local authority to provide a curriculum and support that meet the diverse and complex needs of learners. They provide good opportunities for learners to develop the skills that help them to achieve their life goals. They ensure that learners’ personal objectives relate appropriately to the services offered by the local authorities in learners’ home areas and to the requirements of education, health and care plans. Leaders effectively use local economic information and, as a result, now offer a business administration course to meet local needs.
• Leaders and managers engender a culture of inclusivity and respect for learners, parents, carers and visitors. Staff work hard to provide a welcoming atmosphere. Learners develop the skills to manage their behaviour well, and show respect to peers, staff and visitors.
• Trustees, leaders and managers do not use improvement arrangements well enough to evaluate accurately the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. They give insufficient attention to how teaching has an impact on learners’ progress and skills development. Self-assessment focuses on the parent company group and is not sufficiently critical to help leaders and managers to improve aspects of performance more rapidly, particularly learners’ achievements in English and mathematics.
• Leaders and managers do not have a sufficiently clear strategy for the teaching of English and mathematics. They do not place sufficient focus on the development of English and mathematics skills that learners require for their job aim and to achieve their qualification.

The governance of the provider

• Trustees know the college well and understand its challenges. They support the leadership team well to shape plans for the future. Trustees have supported leaders to develop effective partnerships and successfully introduce a broad range of purposeful work experience opportunities for learners.
• Following restructure within the parent company group, Trinity Academy Newcastle, trustees have supported leaders to implement the strategic vision for the new organisation. Trustees have played an active role in ensuring that vocational programmes meet the needs of learners who have high needs. They monitor the quality of the provision diligently and make frequent visits to observe learners’ skills development during practical activities on the campus.
• Trustees challenge leaders to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and learners’ achievements and to ensure effective use of funding and resources. However, they do not receive sufficiently clear or helpful reports on the behaviours that learners acquire or the work skills they develop. As a result, they do not challenge leaders as well as they could to ensure that learners maximise their skills development.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Appropriate policies and guidance are in place in relation to safeguarding arrangements, including the ‘Prevent’ duty. Leaders, managers and staff use procedures well and take appropriate actions to protect learners at risk from harm. A safe recruitment procedure is followed.
• Learners are safe when attending college and when accompanied on external activities. They know how to keep themselves safe, including when undertaking external work experience. Managers and staff regularly update individual risk assessments and care and support plans in relation to learners’ changing needs.
• Staff receive training on safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. They use the training well to ensure that learners are aware of the risks that they may face in their everyday lives.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. Teachers set high expectations of what learners can achieve. They track learners’ progress effectively from their starting points and capture small successes well. Teachers adapt their teaching to meet learners’ changing needs and, as a result, learners make good progress.
• Teachers support learners well to overcome barriers to learning. They use the strategies identified on learners’ education, health and care plans effectively. For example, they support learners to process information and formulate their answers fully. As a result, learners make good progress in developing their vocational knowledge and understanding.
• Teachers skilfully plan and teach high-quality and interesting learning activities that challenge learners to make greater efforts to develop their independence and help them to succeed. They support learners well to take responsibility for their daily travel and for the budgeting, planning and cooking of healthy meals in the bungalow setting. Learners are enthusiastic, enjoy their learning and become more independent.
• Teachers use their knowledge and expertise well. They help learners to develop good practical skills and complete tasks to industry standards. For example, learners mix building materials and correctly apply plaster to walls. They confidently carry out the daily feeding and precise care tasks for a range of animals on the farm.
• Teachers and support staff use questioning effectively to probe, prompt and draw out learners’ understanding. Learners are encouraged to reflect on their prior learning and life experience and to develop their planning skills in lessons and in the workplace. They understand their individual targets and the progress that they are making towards achieving them.
• Too often, teachers do not routinely follow up or assess the additional work that learners complete following feedback. Learners receive helpful feedback that encourages them to take part in extended activities to develop their skills. However, teachers do not check if learners have taken on board their feedback and, as a result, learners are not clear how their work has improved further.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

• Learners benefit from a wide range of practical activities and external work placements linked to their individual areas of interest and their education, health and care plans. They effectively use the links between the work that they complete on the campus and the work that they undertake in the workplace to develop strong practical and organisational skills. This helps them to move on to appropriate work opportunities.
• Learners benefit from effective careers information, advice and guidance from staff and the local Connexions service. Staff ensure that learners enrol on the right vocational course and support them to develop clear and realistic plans for their futures. A high proportion of learners move on to supported internships or employment.
• Learners become more confident, develop a positive attitude to work and demonstrate good behaviour in the workplace. They respond well to instructions and work well independently and in teams. For example, learners can demonstrate the correct way to groom a horse and are confident to explain the benefits of correct grooming methods on a horse’s well-being. They explained how they used their skills and understanding when caring for donkeys that had arrived recently at the farm.
• Learners feel safe at college and demonstrate a good understanding of health and safety practices in practical workshops and on work experience. They know who to go to if they have any concerns. Teachers place good emphasis on safe working practices and learners’ understanding of how to keep safe. Consequently, learners are aware of how to keep themselves safe online and at work, and of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism in their everyday lives.
• Learners consolidate and develop their English and mathematical skills and competencies well in practical sessions. For example, learners estimated the cost of producing a meal and then calculated the price of the food items through online supermarket sites. They were encouraged to compare the total costs with their own estimated figures; they investigated the reasons for different prices and identified how to make savings.
• Teachers deliver a well-planned and varied personal development programme. Learners explore a wide range of subjects and benefit from outside speakers who promote healthy lifestyles. They participate in a range of activities to develop their life and work skills, understanding of relationships and sexual health. Learners enjoy these sessions; they understand their rights and responsibilities and make good use of the skills that they develop to increase their participation in community life.
• Staff are well trained and experienced, and support learners well to manage their own behaviour and to minimise challenging situations. They work well with learners and, where appropriate, with other organisations to provide strategies to de-escalate situations and to support learners to prepare for adulthood. Learners make good progress in managing their behaviour effectively.
• Learners’ attendance and punctuality are good. Managers work closely with parents, carers and support organisations to ensure that they attend regularly, are on time and travel safely. Staff provide good support to learners who are absent through one-to-one ‘catch-up’ sessions and access to online learning materials, where appropriate. Disruption to learners’ progress is minimised.
• Most learners make slow progress in developing the skills that they require to achieve their English and mathematics qualifications in theory lessons. Teachers do not make sufficiently clear links in English and mathematics sessions to individual learners’ vocational aspirations. Too many resources are not age-appropriate, and the majority of activities do not make the learning relevant to learners’ everyday lives and vocational skills development.

Outcomes for learners Good

• Learners make good progress. The proportion of learners who achieve their personal and social development objectives is high. Learners improve their communication skills and develop effective social and practical skills.
• A high proportion of learners complete relevant external work experience. They develop the resilience to work with a wide range of people and develop their skills to professional standards. As a result, most successfully move on to supported internships or employment.
• Learners carry out work-related activities on the campus that help them to develop good everyday living skills and greater independence. Through these activities, they acquire the behaviours and practise and consolidate the organisational skills that they need for a successful adult life.
• For learners who have already completed their programme in the current year, achievement of personal targets is good and all learners have progressed to supported internships or voluntary employment within the community.
• Too few learners achieve their English and mathematics qualifications. Learners who study functional skills mathematics do not achieve as well as learners on functional skills English courses.

Provider details

Unique reference number 142918 Type of provider Independent specialist college Age range of learners Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 16+ 17 Principal/CEO Bill Curley Telephone number 0191 298 6950 Website www.trinity.newcastle.sch.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+ 2 7 - 1 - - - - Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ - - - - - - 16–19 - 19+ - Total - Number of traineeships Number of learners aged 14 to 16 Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

N/A 10 N/A

Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the head of school (post-16 provision), 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, carers 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

Tracey Mace-Akroyd, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Lesley Talbot-Strettle Ofsted Inspector