LifeBridge ASEND

LifeBridge ASEND Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Alison Cameron-Brandwood, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection date: 13 September 2019

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Type of provider: Independent specialist college

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Address: Armandale Road Bolton Greater Manchester BL3 4TP Monitoring visit: LifeBridge ASEND, 13 September 2019

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Context and focus of visit

LifeBridge ASEND was inspected in June 2018. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in addressing the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

The college provides education and support for learners who have moderate to severe learning difficulties and/or disabilities including autism spectrum disorder, hearing impairment, visual impairment and other health needs. At the time of the visit 36 learners aged between 19 and 25 years attended the college, 35 of whom were in scope for the monitoring visit.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have an ambitious vision for learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The curriculum focuses on developing learners’ social, emotional and employability skills. Leaders have high expectations for learners to become more independent and gain employment. Of those learners who left in 2018/19, the large majority went into paid employment or volunteering work. Leaders and managers have made reasonable progress in implementing a challenging curriculum. In English, mathematics and personal development, managers and tutors have developed and implemented individualised programmes that build on learners’ existing skills and knowledge. For example, learners develop their handwriting skills and use more complex sentences in their written work. Learners are set ambitious and challenging targets that lead to qualifications where appropriate. Improvements in the curriculum are less evident in vocational classes and in

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Reasonable progress

enrichment classes than they are in English, mathematics and personal development classes. Leaders and managers have only recently introduced a revised vocational curriculum. Their intention is to ensure that learners are better equipped to progress to employment in their chosen vocational subject. It is too soon to judge the success of this new curriculum in enabling learners to know more and remember more. Leaders and managers have correctly identified that the enrichment curriculum does not always meet the needs of learners. A minority of topics were chosen because the tutor enjoyed the subject or was confident in it. At the time of the visit leaders and managers had not taken action to improve the enrichment curriculum. Monitoring visit: LifeBridge ASEND, 13 September 2019

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Reasonable progress

Trustees, leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They have made reasonable progress in rectifying the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. Leaders, managers and trustees have an accurate understanding of the quality of education. Trustees challenge managers to tackle weaknesses in the quality of education such as the content of the curriculum and timetabling. Most tutors plan activities in lessons that are age appropriate and logically build upon what was covered in previous lessons. This results in learners knowing more and remembering more. Staff take part in and benefit from professional development and training such as in managing challenging behaviour. Leaders have identified weaknesses in teaching practice for individual staff but have yet to put in place specific action plans or professional development to help these tutors to improve.

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Reasonable progress

Trustees have formalised the roles and responsibilities of the board of trustees. However, they have not recruited new members to the board who are wholly independent of the provider. Trustees recognised that they were too involved in managing aspects of the provision. For example, sourcing new premises to meet the planned growth in learner numbers. Trustees have recently recruited an additional leader at LifeBridge ASEND with the intention of speeding up the rate at which improvements are made. The impact of this appointment is not yet evident.

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Reasonable progress

Most tutors challenge learners to build on their existing knowledge and skills to improve what they know and can do. Tutors use the outcomes of assessments of learners’ starting points to accurately identify the English and mathematical skills which learners need to improve. Learners work towards challenging targets in English and mathematics based on their prior learning. Tutors use a range of resources and activities to support learners to achieve their individual targets. For example, learners use money management and budgeting skills successfully when shopping. In vocational lessons, tutors do not plan sufficiently well to ensure that learners can improve the specific English skills they need to focus on. Most tutors make good use of education, health and care plans to plan activities that will enable learners to become more self-reliant. For example, as a key step to getting a job, where appropriate, learners’ targets include the skills and knowledge to enable them

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Reasonable progress

to travel independently. Tutors review learners’ targets frequently and set new goals so that learners build on the skills they have gained. For example, once learners know how to format a simple document electronically, they then learn how to format a range of documents such as posters and curriculum vitae. Learning support workers provide appropriate support to help learners work independently. Monitoring visit: LifeBridge ASEND, 13 September 2019 During the monitoring visit learners developed their understanding of British values. In most lessons visited, tutors used demanding activities and skilful questioning to help learners know more and remember more about this topic. For example, learners linked what they remembered about British values to a recent shopping trip. They knew that a cyclist had observed the law by riding on the road and not on the pavement. However, a few learners did not participate fully in lessons and tutors did

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Reasonable progress

not take the necessary steps to remedy this. Monitoring visit: LifeBridge ASEND, 13 September 2019 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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