Lighthouse Futures Trust

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection dates: 28 February to 2 March 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Provision for learners with high needs Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

Lighthouse Futures Trust provides programmes to learners with high needs who are aged 16 to 25 years and from Leeds and the surrounding local authority areas. Learners have a range of disabilities, with a large proportion having autism spectrum disorder and/or emotional or mental health needs. At the time of the inspection, there were 24 learners enrolled on a pre-internship programme and 29 learners enrolled on supported internships. 28 February to 2 March 2023

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Staff provide a nurturing and supportive environment that helps learners, including those who are anxious, to settle quickly at college. Learners benefit from learning in spaces that are very calm, quiet and comfortable. When learners struggle with anxiety, staff work with them in a breakout space where they are able to participate in learning activities in a calm and focused manner. Learners who are enrolled on the supported internship programme can access quiet spaces in the workplace when they need to and use headsets to block out noise. They personalise their workspaces, which gives them a sense of belonging.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners behave very respectfully towards each other, visitors, staff and work colleagues. Staff set high expectations for learners’ behaviour, both at college and in the workplace, to which learners respond positively. Learners on the supported internship programme demonstrate exceptionally positive behaviours in the workplace. They meet deadlines, tackle new activities and challenges, and complete tasks to a high standard.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Attendance is high for most learners. A few learners struggle with attendance at their work placement due to high levels of anxiety, and in these instances, staff put interventions in place to ensure that these learners do not fall behind.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners have a very positive attitude towards their learning and are extremely proud of their achievements. They talk confidently about the progress that they have made. Supported interns thrive in the workplace with the support of job coaches and ‘work buddies’ and build up resilience to cope with setbacks. They develop knowledge, skills and behaviours that help them secure sustained employment and develop their careers. Supported interns who have graduated from the programme continue to receive support and often become mentors to others.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners develop an appropriate understanding of British values in tutorial sessions. They discuss a range of ethical and citizenship topics and post a class statement on the website. Learners understand the need to follow rules and regulations and to be respectful of, and tolerant towards, others at college and in the workplace.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners feel safe at college in lessons and in social spaces that they use at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Staff create a safe environment and promote a positive and friendly culture. Learners know whom to speak to if they are worried about anything. Supported interns feel safe at work and know that they can speak to their work buddy or job coach if they have a concern.

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better?

Leaders and managers have a clear, strategic vision to prepare learners for adulthood and to enable them to secure employment. They provide a pre-internship programme to enable learners to develop the skills and behaviours that they need in order to progress to the supported internship programme. Through accessing very 28 February to 2 March 2023

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high-quality work placements, learners on the supported internship programme develop knowledge, skills and behaviours that enable them to gain employment.

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Leaders and managers have excellent relationships with employers. This has enabled them to implement a successful programme of supported internships. The close working relationship with employers enables learners to benefit from high- quality work placements with high-profile employers. For example, learners complete work placements as assistants in the phlebotomy laboratory for the NHS, where they learn to take blood from patients for testing.

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Learners also benefit from work-related activities, such as the use of guest speakers who present on the qualities and characteristics that employers look for in job applicants.

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Leaders and managers recruit tutors who are well qualified and experienced in working with learners with high needs. They provide a broad range of useful training to enhance further the strategies that staff use when teaching, including when working with learners with autism spectrum disorder. Leaders and managers rightly recognise that job coaches who provide teaching have not received sufficient training to develop their skills and have planned more extensive training.

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Leaders, managers and trustees have effective oversight of the quality of the provision. Leaders and managers carry out a range of activities, such as visiting sessions, reviewing learners’ work and talking to learners, to identify areas for development. They have recently begun to carry out reviews of the quality of the practice of job coaches who teach.

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Leaders and managers have accurate oversight of the progress of most learners. They meet frequently to discuss this and to agree interventions and strategies for learners who are at risk of falling behind. However, leaders and managers are not aware that a few learners on the pre-internship programme are capable of making more rapid progress.

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Learners who are taking functional skills English and mathematics qualifications have not, until recently, received a high enough level of support. This impacted negatively on learners’ achievement in these subjects in the previous academic year. Leaders and managers recognised this and have increased the teaching resources in these subjects for this academic year, employing additional specialist tutors. They have also employed an examinations officer to ensure that learners are entered for examinations in a timely manner. As a result, learners are now making appropriate progress in improving their skills in English and mathematics.

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Leaders and managers have introduced valuable staff champions in a number of areas. The speech and language champion works closely with a speech and language therapist to devise individual programmes and to provide training to staff to enable them to embed speech and language strategies in sessions. The mental health champion has developed useful resources and holds drop-in sessions for learners and staff, as well as delivering mental health first-aid training. 28 February to 2 March 2023

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Staff use information from education, health and care plans and initial and diagnostic assessment to identify accurate starting points for learners. They use this information to develop individual learning programmes to enable learners to work towards the learning outcomes recorded in their personal learning plans.

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Tutors plan and deliver the curriculum in a logical order to enable learners to develop progressively the skills and knowledge that they need to move to adulthood and employment. For example, mathematics tutors teach learners how to use simple multiplication before progressing to the more complex use of numerators and multipliers in division calculations.

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Tutors use a range of effective teaching and communication methods to help learners to learn. They break information down, use simple instructions, use pictures and symbols, and deploy assistive technology so that learners can participate effectively in lessons. As a result, learners develop their independence, improve their communication skills and are able to make personal choices.

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Tutors and most job coaches who provide teaching use assessment well in lessons to check learners’ understanding. They use group discussion, quizzes, directed questions and observation to monitor the incremental progress that learners make. However, a few job coaches do not allow learners sufficient time to process information in lessons to ensure that they understand the information and are able to remember it.

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Most tutors and job coaches provide useful verbal feedback to learners when they complete practical tasks and work in English and mathematics sessions. Learners know what they need to do to improve their work further. However, a small number of tutors and job coaches do not provide clear feedback when learners submit written assignments. In these instances, learners are not clear about how to improve their work.

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Learners on the pre-internship programme benefit from working in a simulated work environment where they develop work-related and life skills in a safe environment. They undertake work in areas such as catering, business, marketing and construction. Learners are allocated job activities to complete in an allocated amount of time. As a result, they learn to follow instructions and work to deadlines. They develop resilience as they learn from mistakes that they have made.

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Most learners make expected or better progress from their starting points. Most learners on the pre-internship programme progress to the supported internship. A high proportion of learners on the supported internship progress to full-time employment or careers in roles such as data analyst technician, customer service adviser, chef on cruise ships and warehouse operative.

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Staff provide useful information to learners to enable them to plan their next steps. Learners on the supported internship programme experience different job roles, where appropriate, to help them make decisions. Learners benefit from impartial 28 February to 2 March 2023

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careers advice and guidance from an external provider. They benefit from individual careers support sessions and attend careers fairs and related events.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers have comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures to keep learners safe. They implement appropriate, safe recruitment processes to ensure that staff are suitable to work with learners who are under 18 years of age and vulnerable adults. The designated safeguarding lead and her deputies have carried out appropriate training to enable them to be effective in their roles.

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Safeguarding

Learners have a good awareness of the risks to their personal safety. They explain that they sit near the driver or on the lower deck when travelling on public transport. They understand how to block unwanted friend requests and report offensive messages on social media and they are aware of the consequences if they post offensive or inappropriate messages online.

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Safeguarding

Learners have an appropriate knowledge of radicalisation and extremism. They are aware of how to spot signs that someone might be becoming radicalised, such as having very strong and extreme views and using racist language.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach students well about healthy relationships and consent. Learners have an appropriate understanding of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and what is meant by consent in sexual relationships.

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Safeguarding

Job coaches complete comprehensive risk assessments before learners attend work placements to ensure that learners are safe in the workplace. They identify potential hazards, as well as considering individual learner needs and behaviours.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that job coaches who teach attend effective training to develop their teaching skills.  Take action to ensure that all learners on the pre-internship programme make the progress of which they are capable.  Ensure that all job coaches allow learners sufficient time to process information during lessons to help them to understand and remember what they are being taught.  Ensure that all tutors and job coaches give clear feedback on written assignments, so that learners know how to improve their work further. 28 February to 2 March 2023

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Provider details

Address Moorfield House 11 Alma Road Leeds LS6 2AH

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Provider details

Website www.lighthousefuturestrust.org.uk

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Katie Parlett

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Provider details

Provider type Independent specialist college

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 28 February to 2 March 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the chief executive officer, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous monitoring visit report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Jacquie Brown, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Tracey Mace-Akroyd Ofsted Inspector Steve Kelly Ofsted Inspector 28 February to 2 March 2023

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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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