Digital Advantage

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection dates: 29 April to 1 May 2025

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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

Digital Advantage is a charity established in 2020. It helps young people with special educational needs and disabilities to gain creative, digital and life skills that will help them to secure paid employment in the digital economy. In 2022, Digital Advantage established Digital Independent Specialist College (DISC), through which it provides formalised education and training programmes.

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Information about this provider

DISC is based in central Manchester. It provides training for young people aged 16 to 24 years of age who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Most learners’ primary diagnosis is autism spectrum condition. At the time of the inspection, there were 43 learners attending the college across four different pathways. Learners attend the pathway most suited to their needs and their distance from the job market. Foundation 1 and 2 pathways focus mostly on helping learners to recover from past experiences and to grow in confidence. The gateway pathway prepares learners for employment and adulthood. The supported internship programme helps them to focus on their chosen career and to become independent. 29 April to 1 May 2025

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

Staff have established a welcoming, calm and highly inclusive learning environment that replicates the demands of a digital workplace. Learners have highly positive and professional working relationships with staff. There is a strong culture of mutual respect. Staff model professional standards and inclusive practices in their interaction with learners and behave as they would at work. Learners model these positive behaviours extremely well with everyone they meet.

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

Staff empathise very well with their learners. They understand the workplace challenges that learners may face and how to support them. Staff teach learners how to dress suitably for an interview and how to make and receive compliments in the workplace that avoid awkward situations.

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

Learners feel very happy and safe at the college. They are enthusiastic, committed to their studies and highly motivated to succeed. Learners appreciate the belief staff have in them and their encouragement for them to go ‘beyond their limit’.

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

Learners develop significant confidence, resilience and problem-solving skills. They learn to overcome their fears and increase their self-esteem. Learners begin to share their new digital skills openly with their peers, staff and employers because staff celebrate their achievements and help them to recognise their considerable talent.

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

Staff support learners to experience new environments and activities that provide them with enhanced opportunities for career development and personal well-being. Learners benefit from independent travel training and a range of enrichment activities. These include chess, cooking and boxing as well as café visits, where they can practise and develop their communication skills in safe spaces.

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better?

Leaders have established ambitious, individualised curriculums to meet the specific needs and interests of learners with neurodiversity and significant barriers to learning. The curriculums equip learners with the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to work successfully within the digital industry and to become active citizens within their local communities.

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better?

Leaders and managers have formed highly effective partnerships with employers and a local design agency. Consequently, learners benefit from working on real industry projects and develop the skills that they need to be successful in their chosen digital specialism. Learners enjoy high-quality, relevant work placements that provide opportunities for them to access a range of job opportunities.

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better?

Staff have a detailed understanding of learners’ individual needs, abilities and aspirations. They skilfully link the requirements of project briefs to learners’ EHC plan outcomes to ensure that learners achieve their personal aspirations and individual learning goals. Staff work closely with parents and carers to understand 29 April to 1 May 2025

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learners’ readiness for employment and the wider support that they will need to achieve their goals. Leaders devise learning activities that involve collaboration with peers, develop communication skills and help learners to overcome their social anxiety and introversion.

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Staff teach the curriculum in a sensible order. They determine what each learner tackles first on their project briefs and the new knowledge and skills that they need to learn to complete them to clients’ requirements. Staff use questioning techniques effectively to check learners’ understanding and to help them to adapt their ideas and designs over time.

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Tutors and industry experts provide learners with detailed and carefully crafted developmental feedback. Learners understand fully how to improve their work without feeling criticised or disheartened and practise their skills repeatedly until they have mastered them. They make good and often substantial progress as a result of this feedback.

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Learners benefit from industry standard digital equipment, software and resources. They frequently access a working digital media studio and podcast suite as part of their learning that emulate what they will find in industry.

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Learners receive effective support from highly accomplished industry experts, who are qualified in pastoral care, behavioural support and psychology. They help learners to overcome the traumatic experiences that they experienced at school and remove their barriers to learning.

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The quality of learners’ work is high. It meets employers’ high expectations and industry requirements. For example, supported interns were commissioned to create a professional video to help learners at a special school to develop signing skills relating to respect and equality. Learners use technical language fluently and confidently. They can articulate key concepts to their peers and staff using correct industry terminology. Learners often produce work that is used by the college in their promotions, such as a ‘zine’ for the forthcoming open evening.

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Most learners progress on to positive destinations. Learners who previously attended the supported internship programme sustain their employment over time. However, learners’ destinations are not always aligned to the intent of a supported internship. On a very few occasions, learners leave the college and are not in education, employment or training.

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Learners apply their English and mathematical skills effectively in their projects. They create blogs, present updates to clients on the progress of their work and use mathematics to design concepts and drawings. However, on a few occasions, tutors do not correct spelling and grammatical errors in learners’ draft work. Consequently, learners continue to make the same mistakes, which could impact on their professional work in the future. 29 April to 1 May 2025

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Learners receive high-quality, industry-specific careers education, information, advice and guidance. Staff use their high levels of expertise within the digital industry to provide learners with comprehensive insights into career pathways. Learners also benefit from employers’ knowledge and their industry requirements to make informed decisions about their next steps.

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Leaders and managers have recently implemented an effective quality assurance and improvement cycle. This has helped them to identify improvements to their curriculum to better meet the needs of a minority of learners, who require more time to become employment ready. As a result, they created the gateway pathway. However, leaders recognise that it is too early to judge the impact of the changes to the curriculum on learners’ success.

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Leaders have established a local governing body to oversee the performance of the college. They have made changes to the governance structure to provide clarity between the college, the charity and the charity’s board of trustees. Governors now receive appropriate reports that help them to challenge leaders about the impact of the actions they take to improve the quality of education at the college. However, governors need more time to fully establish the new structure to be fully effective.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that the new gateway curriculum meets the needs and future aspirations of learners.  Ensure that learners continue to develop their English and mathematical skills to a high standard across the different curriculums.  Establish the new governance structure fully. 29 April to 1 May 2025

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Provider details

Address Holyoake House Hanover Street Manchester M4 4AH

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Caroline Dean

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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 29 April to 1 May 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the head of college, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection 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

Suzanne Wainwright, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Lisa Duncalf Ofsted Inspector Julie Gibson Ofsted Inspector 29 April to 1 May 2025

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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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