Creating Tomorrow College

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Information about this provider

Creating Tomorrow College is an independent specialist college based in Northamptonshire. It is part of a multi-academy trust specialising in the education of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This was the first full inspection since the college opened in 2022. At the time of the inspection, there were 60 learners, all of whom were over the age of 18. Learners were studying at one of three centres, Lutterworth, Daventry, or Wellingborough, and were on one of two programmes. There were 52 learners on an employability pathway and eight learners on supported internships. 18 to 20 June 2025

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

Learners enjoy and highly value their time at college, particularly in their practical sessions in the workplace. They recognise that the skills and knowledge they acquire prepare them exceptionally well for their future employment. Learners have excellent attendance and punctuality, in the same way that they would be required to do for work.

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

Learners very quickly develop the professional behaviours that employers expect of them. Staff clearly explain these expectations at the start of the learners’ courses and explain how they are linked to employment. Learners respond very well and have very positive attitudes. They are highly motivated and supportive of each other. They are very focused on the jobs they want to do in the future and see their course as a stepping stone for work.

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

Staff know their learners very well and create a calm and professional learning environment. They can recognise the signs when learners become distracted and know the strategies that they can use with each learner to keep them on task. For example, staff remind learners about where they aspire to work in the future and why the task they are doing is relevant to these aspirations.

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

Learners quickly develop the confidence and the skills that will enable them to gain and sustain employment. For example, they learn to travel independently. Other learners skilfully present at national conferences of senior educational professionals and business executives about their experience of being a neurodiverse learner preparing for employment.

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

Learners benefit from a highly effective individualised personal development programme. Staff understand very clearly the vulnerabilities of learners and have designed the curriculum to ensure that learners feel safe, supported and valued. Learners get the opportunity to talk about things which affect them most. For example, they discuss topics such as misogyny sensitively and have a clear understanding about what is correct and what is wrong in how people treat each other. They understand that the college is a safe space to talk about the issues affecting them.

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better?

Leaders have a very clear and ambitious vision to prepare learners for adulthood and the world of work. The curriculum that they have designed enables them to achieve this vision. It consists of employability skills, work experience, tutorial topics and core subjects such as English, mathematics and digital skills. Leaders are dedicated and enthusiastic about the college, the curriculum offered and the partners they work with. 18 to 20 June 2025

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Leaders work closely in partnership with employers and local community interest groups to ensure that the curriculum they offer is relevant. The employers they partner with are in the heart of the community where learners live, which ensures that learners have easy access to them. Leaders skilfully support and educate employers about neurodiversity and the challenges it can cause. Employers value this training immensely.

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Leaders have in place a very rigorous process for recruiting learners. They recruit learners who aspire to progress to employment and whose needs they know they can meet. Staff carefully and skilfully assess learners during the recruitment stage to establish their prior knowledge and skills, and then set highly individualised targets for learners that are aligned to the outcomes set in their education, health and care plans. Staff frequently monitor these targets and, when achieved, learners are set more challenging ones.

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Staff assess carefully each learners needs, including assistive technology and, when appropriate, are provided with suitable equipment. All learners are taught about the accessibility tools in their digital skills classes and are supported through low-tech assistive technology, such as symbols and images.

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Leaders have in place very comprehensive and supportive quality assurance systems that ensure that learners receive the highest quality education. They understand the strengths and areas for improvement in their provision and have acted swiftly to address the small number of areas of development identified at the monitoring visit. Leaders identified accurately that tutors’ marking was not meeting their expectations as it was not specific enough. They provided staff with individualised training on marking. This has resulted in a significant improvement and is already having a positive impact on learners’ progress.

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Tutors maintain a relentless focus on developing the behaviours and attributes that learners need for work. They plan very effectively a broad range of activities to support learners to make positive choices about their future careers, including a wide range of relevant and helpful work placements. Learners also take responsibility for participating in and running highly effective learner feedback meetings. They set the agenda, take minutes and ensure that all learners effectively contribute. This prepares them well for running meetings, which will be of value in the workplace.

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Tutors very effectively introduce new topics which are delivered incrementally and repeated, so learners remember what to do. For example, tutors make sure learners know about staying safe online during induction. They then revisit it in taught computer workshop sessions by teaching learners about the importance of privacy settings on social media. In learner feedback meetings, learners explore and gain an understanding of the use of AI deepfakes and misinformation and the dangers that this pose. They are aware of how to protect themselves from online risk.

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Tutors skilfully develop learners’ English and mathematical knowledge and skills. For example, in English, learners develop their understanding of how increasingly 18 to 20 June 2025

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complex sentences are structured, which improves the fluency of their writing. Learners also work on their verbal communication skills, from talking to others in small groups to projecting their voice to a group or in a large space so they can be heard when speaking to an audience.

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Staff provide learners with exceptionally helpful information about what future careers are available to them. Learners benefit from independent career advice and guidance throughout their course and experience many different work-experience options to establish what they like and do not like. Learners are very well prepared for their next steps, with a very high proportion of learners progressing into paid employment.

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Staff are very proud to work at the college. They are passionate about the support and teaching they provide to their learners and the impact this has on their futures. They rightly recognise that their managers are considerate of their well-being, and they value the training and guidance they need to continually improve.

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Leaders are supported by a group of very committed and enthusiastic trustees who work very effectively with the executive management team. They receive detailed papers that enables them to prepare effectively for meetings, challenge and hold leaders to account and bring about continuous improvement. Trustees understand the college and spend time visiting the different campuses, speaking to staff and learners. They are very aware of the strengths and areas of development for the college.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 18 to 20 June 2025

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Provider details

Address Iron Mountain, Floor 2 Unit 2 Symmetry Way Symmetry Park Kettering Northamptonshire NN14 1FQ

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Provider details

Website www.creatingtomorrowcollege.co.uk

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Gareth Ivett

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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 18 to 20 June 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the assistant principal for curriculum and quality, 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

Hayley Lomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Angela Newton-Soanes Ofsted Inspector Julie Gibson Ofsted Inspector Susan Gay Ofsted Inspector 18 to 20 June 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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