Landmarks

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Larry Brocklesby Principal Landmarks Littlemoor House Littlemoor Eckington Sheffield South Yorkshire S21 4EF

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Short inspection of Landmarks

Following the short inspection on 13 and 14 June 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The inspection was the first short inspection carried out since the provider was judged to be good in May 2014.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

Trustees, leaders and managers have an ambitious vision for the college and staff have a detailed knowledge of their learners and high expectations of the progress they make at Landmarks. Your learners develop their skills and confidence very well as a result of the purposeful, inclusive and nurturing learning environment that your team create. Your staff recognise the importance of team-working, consequently tutors, learning support assistants (LSAs) and therapists work together very successfully to meet the individual needs of your learners.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

You have overseen a period of significant change during which you and your managers have tackled the issues requiring improvement at the time of the previous inspection; you have also improved the focus of the training you provide to prepare learners for adult life and employment very effectively. The good-quality vocational training you provide in administration, hospitality and horticulture is developed by your detailed understanding of the types of employment that your learners gain when leaving Landmarks. You have very successfully introduced supported internships, and your managers and job coaches provide excellent support to learners and the employers who work with them to enable learners to be successful.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

With effective support from the trustees you have begun to implement your ambitious plan to increase the range and quality of learning environments in which learners are trained. The Archer public house provides excellent opportunities for learners to work in a real hospitality environment. You are soon to purchase a farm to develop further the training in equine work, horticulture and animal care.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

Since the previous inspection you have appointed a significant number of new tutors, who you and your managers are training to meet the high standards you require. Many of the new tutors have been appointed from your LSAs and you have a detailed and robust training plan in place. Your managers rigorously manage the performance of these new tutors. You correctly identify that the tutors need further training and development to provide training consistently at the high standard you demand.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

You and your managers have an accurate view of the many strengths of the college: your team are clear about the areas that need to improve and they have appropriate action plans to make those improvements.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

Safeguarding continues to have a very high priority in the college. The team of staff responsible for safeguarding meet weekly to discuss any learner concerns and safeguarding issues, ensuring that learners are well supported. The record of safeguarding incidents is well maintained and indicates appropriate referral to outside agencies. Managers create detailed individual risk assessments for learners to ensure that staff understand how to prevent incidents occurring.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

Almost all staff have recently had their Disclosure and Barring Service checks updated so that they are all able to work with young people and vulnerable adults. The chair of trustees reviews the single central record monthly to assure the trustees that it is up to date and accurate.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

Staff receive frequent and useful updates on safeguarding issues. They are asked to consider a variety of scenarios, informed by incidents in college or externally, to identify the most appropriate course of action. This training has further improved their understanding of how to keep their learners safe.

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Short inspection of Landmarks

Tutors and managers provide useful workshops to learners on safeguarding and health and well-being topics such as cyber bullying, understanding feelings and understanding changes to their bodies. As a result, learners have a good understanding of what keeping safe means and are confident to raise any concerns they have.

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Inspection findings

 Managers have improved the quality of learning support through rigorous performance management of the LSAs. Managers undertake regular observations of the work of the LSAs in the classrooms and training environments. This enables managers to identify precisely how individual LSAs can improve the support they provide to learners, which ensures that the vast majority of learners are well supported.  The therapy team provides useful ‘spotlight’ training when new learners arrive to highlight the impact and support requirements of specific learning needs. This training prepares LSAs to work effectively with individual learners. The LSAs rightly value the help and expertise provided by the therapy team, and staff work together formally and informally on a regular basis to meet the ongoing needs of their learners.  In a few instances tutors do not direct the LSAs sufficiently well. Consequently LSAs are not clear of the activities that learners should be completing, resulting

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Inspection findings

in these learners having to wait for the next activity or task, which slows their progress.  The assessment of learners’ starting points and long-term goals is comprehensive and staff use this information very well to plan learners’ study programmes. Almost all tutors enable learners to make good progress by identifying the smaller steps that learners need to achieve to meet their long-term goals. The vast majority of tutors plan and provide high-quality learning activities that challenge learners to succeed in achieving their progress targets.  Learners develop their skills and confidence very well. For example, they increase their ability to make eye contact with people they do not know and improve their ability to listen to instructions and take turns. Learners gain good vocational skills such as working in a clean and tidy manner in the kitchen, the importance of good hygiene when preparing food, and handling money correctly. Learners

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Inspection findings

enjoy learning and are rightly very proud of their achievements.  A small minority of tutors do not have a good enough understanding of the skills that their learners need to achieve to be successful and as a result they do not provide effective support or challenging activities for their learners.  Tutors ensure that learners improve their mathematics and English skills very well. Managers have provided staff with training that has improved staff confidence in their ability to support learners to develop these skills. Learners use mathematics and English in the workplace to a good standard; for example, they confidently read instructions, accurately weigh ingredients and speak clearly to attract an animal’s attention. Learners also develop good digital skills, using email, well to make orders for an enterprise project and quick response codes to find recipes.  Managers have ensured that study programmes are carefully designed to meet

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Inspection findings

the needs of each learner. Learners have access to a good range of vocational training to meet their interests. Staff also provide an increasing range of learning activities to develop skills such as independence, teamwork, self-confidence and communication skills. For example, a group of learners are completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and planning a night away camping.  Learners have good access to work experience and work-related learning. Managers work with a range of employers to ensure that as many learners as possible participate in an external work placement that develops their skills as specified in their learning plan. Learners who are not yet ready for external work experience work in the college commercial environments and other areas of the college to develop their skills and confidence, for example by taking on the role of receptionist and welcoming visitors to the college.  Leaders and managers have a resolute focus on learners’ next steps after they

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Inspection findings

finish their studies with Landmarks. They provide excellent careers advice and guidance to learners, and their parents, to help them develop their plans for the future. Learners have regular access to independent careers advice to support them in planning their next steps.  Managers continue to provide good support and guidance to their learners for up to two years after they leave the college. This generous service also extends to employers who can continue to ask for advice to ensure that they provide effective support for the learners they employ. Managers monitor the destinations of their learners for three years after they leave college. An increasing number of learners progress into paid employment or voluntary work.  Managers have successfully developed supported internships which enable learners to have good experience of supported employment. Job coaches support these learners very well to develop independent travel skills and to work with

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Inspection findings

increasing independence in the workplace.

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Next steps for the provider

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the provider

 they continue to develop the skills of tutors so that they: – direct LSAs appropriately in the classroom to meet the needs of all learners effectively – have a good understanding of the skills their learners need to achieve to make good progress – use activities that take account of learners’ needs and challenge them to achieve their potential.

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Next steps for the provider

I am copying this letter to the Education and Skills Funding Agency. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

The inspection team included one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one Ofsted Inspector. We were assisted by the vice-principal as nominee. We met with managers, tutors, LSAs and therapists. We observed teaching, learning and assessment and spoke to learners. We also scrutinised key documentation relating to safeguarding and quality assurance.

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