Thompsons Academy trading as Navigators

Thompsons Academy trading as Navigators Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Steve Kelly, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent specialist college

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Address: Laser House Waterfront Quay Salford M50 3XW Monitoring visit: Thompsons Academy Trading as Navigators, 9 and 10 October 2024

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to independent specialist colleges newly funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’, especially the sections entitled ‘Monitoring visits’ and ‘Monitoring visits to providers that are newly directly publicly funded’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Thompsons Academy trading as Navigators (Navigators) is an independent specialist college that is based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Navigators provides education and training to young people who have special education needs and/or disabilities and social, emotional and mental health needs. Many of the learners have not attended formal education settings for some time or have significant barriers to taking part in education or training.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, 97 learners were studying individualised programmes at community venues across the Greater Manchester area. Ninety-five learners were studying on the passport to work pathway and two learners were studying on the adult life pathway. In addition, 69 learners, aged 14 to 16, were studying on alternative provision programmes with the provider. These learners were out of scope for this monitoring visit.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have begun developing curriculums to meet learners’ needs and interests. However, these are not yet clearly defined and do not sufficiently focus on individual learners’ targets and education, health and care plan (EHC plan) outcomes. Recently, leaders have recruited new senior staff members to ensure that courses focus on developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for learners to be successful. However, this is a very recent development, and it is too early to measure its impact.

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Insufficient progress

Staff use EHC plan targets to set individual goals for learners. Mentors review targets each term and change them as necessary. However, mentors do not sufficiently break down learners’ targets into incremental steps so that they can measure accurately the progress that they make towards their end goals. Monitoring visit: Thompsons Academy Trading as Navigators, 9 and 10 October 2024 Managers have not sufficiently developed quality improvement arrangements to ensure that leaders, managers and governors accurately and fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Although self-assessment and quality improvement plans are in place, they do not sufficiently identify actions required to ensure rapid and sustained improvement.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have developed educational provision to enable young people to participate in education and training and prepare them for adult life. Leaders have identified a need to provide individualised programmes, particularly for those who are not or at risk of not being in education or training.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have successfully created welcoming environments in community venues for young people who have previously been out of education. Centres have spacious breakout areas for learners who have social anxiety. Learners access leisure activities which they can use as part of their learning programmes. Consequently, learners’ attendance improves over time as they become comfortable with the staff they work with and their surroundings.

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Insufficient progress

Learning mentors know their learners well and build positive relationships which strengthen trust. For example, learners can talk freely about personal and social issues such as relationships and social anxieties. Mentors support learners by transporting them to and from college. As a result, most learners become more socially self-confident and build relationships with positive adult role models.

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Insufficient progress

Learning mentors provide too much learning support for the learners in their sessions. For example, mentors in English and personal development sessions do not give learners enough processing time to formulate their own answers or complete their work themselves. As a result, learners do not develop independent study skills and self-confidence in their own educational abilities.

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Insufficient progress

Learning resources are not consistently adapted to meet individual needs. Staff know that learners need to have access to assisted and adapted technologies. However, development in this area has been too slow to meet the needs of individuals. As a result, learners develop too much dependence on mentors and do not always make progress at the level they are capable of.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of the quality of teaching and learning. Leaders have not ensured that quality assurance processes are consistent and do not focus on the ability of staff members to create bespoke and individualised Monitoring visit: Thompsons Academy Trading as Navigators, 9 and 10 October 2024 learning opportunities for their learners. Consequently, they are unable to assess how much progress learners are making independently from their teaching mentors and how much learning is incidental.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have very recently appointed a governance structure to support the development of the organisation. This includes a review of the quality of education and to offer challenge to leaders. Governors recognise the need to strengthen the advisory board to include representatives from further education. It is too soon to see their impact on the quality of learning programmes.

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Insufficient progress

Learners say they feel safe when they work with their mentors. However, individual risk assessments for learners are too generic and do not contain enough information on individual needs and behaviours. This puts learners and staff at risk.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have not ensured that there are suitable safer recruitment procedures in place. At the time of the monitoring visit, leaders had not carried out the full range of appropriate checks on all members of staff before they started employment. Although leaders now complete the checks for newly recruited staff and have reviewed existing procedures, they have been too slow to ensure all existing staff have checks in place. Monitoring visit: Thompsons Academy Trading as Navigators, 9 and 10 October 2024 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

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Insufficient progress

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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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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