London Cactus Limited

London Cactus Limited Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider.

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Name of lead inspector: Claudia Harrison, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

1st Floor, Spectra House 10 Spring Villa Park London HA8 7EB Monitoring visit: London Cactus Limited, 23 and 24 July 2025

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Context and focus of visit

London Cactus Limited (London Cactus College) was inspected in September 2024. 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 resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

London Cactus Limited operates under the name London Cactus College. It is an independent learning provider located in the London Borough of Harrow. At the time of the inspection, there were fewer than five adult learners studying the level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care and children and young people’s services and fewer than five adult learners studying level 3 business.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have designed a suitable new process for assessing learners’ existing skills and knowledge in more detail. They plan for tutors to give new learners a detailed initial assessment and then have frequent review meetings to test learners’ progress against their starting points. Due to the small number of learners starting courses since the previous inspection, it is too soon to see the impact of the changes to initial assessment. Leaders have been too slow to implement the new progress reviews with existing learners.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers check if learners have prior experience or qualifications and then place them on the correct course. In level 3 business, tutors tailor the course well. They check what learners already know from their experience in sales and move through content more quickly if learners have prior knowledge. Where learners have limited or out of date prior knowledge, tutors adapt teaching so that they can cover gaps in their knowledge. This means that learning is suitably personalised to help learners gain new knowledge and skills.

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Reasonable progress

When new learners enrol, staff check whether learners have any additional learning needs and put effective support in place.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers do not routinely check at the start of their course that learners have suitable levels of English to complete their assignments. Leaders have Monitoring visit: London Cactus Limited, 23 and 24 July 2025 plans to evaluate new learners’ literacy skills more thoroughly, but these tests are not yet in place for current learners.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have taken the sensible decision to specialise in fewer adult learning courses, focussing on areas where they have sufficient expertise to design well-planned curriculums. These health and social care and nursing courses meet the needs of the local and regional economy where there is a significant need for care workers and NHS nurses.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have improved the sequence of the level 3 business and level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care and children and young people’s services curriculum since the previous inspection. Tutors teach modules in a logical order that builds on learners’ knowledge. For example, on the level 5 diploma, tutors first teach learners about the basics of children’s homes then health, safety, and healthcare, before moving into child protection legislation and regulation. Tutors run activities such as group discussions on serious case reviews where learners reflect on what could be done differently, bringing together and applying their knowledge of legislation and health and safety in children’s homes. This helps learners gain knowledge in sufficient depth to be able to apply it in their work or future careers.

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Reasonable progress

Governors have suitable strategic oversight of the curriculum offer and planning. For example, following the previous inspection, they monitored and held leaders to account well for the re-sequencing of the level 5 health and social care.

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Reasonable progress

Suitably qualified and experienced staff now monitor the quality of teaching well. Leaders have implemented effective practices such as visits to online lessons where managers observe the strengths and areas for development accurately. They give tutors helpful personalised feedback which has contributed to them becoming better teachers. For example, they feel more confident teaching online lessons where they have developed effective techniques to check learners’ understanding.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers now provide teaching staff with suitable professional development opportunities, such as how best to support learners with SEND. Experienced managers help tutors plan online lessons that include a range of assessment techniques to support learners with various levels of prior experience Monitoring visit: London Cactus Limited, 23 and 24 July 2025 and a range of needs. For example, level 3 business tutors present information clearly. They routinely check learners’ understanding using well planned assessment points. Tutors teach all learners well regardless of their needs.

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Reasonable progress

Governors have suitable oversight of the quality of teaching. They have supported leaders to implement changes. For example, they approved the appointment of new managers to improve the oversight of teaching, learning, and staff development.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have produced a suitably ambitious plan to improve careers advice. Leaders plan to introduce activities such as CV and interview workshops and employer talks. However, these plans are in their initial stages and leaders have not yet fully implemented them.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have made reasonable progress in making improvements to the advice and guidance that staff give learners during their course. Assessors now discuss careers pathways with learners at the start of their courses. For example, they talk to level 3 business learners about roles such as marketing assistant, sales executive, or business developers. They also discuss further education options such as degree level qualifications and professional certifications. Learners know about the various roles they could apply for on completion of their course, such as marketing managers, business development managers, events, and exhibition managers. By the time they complete their courses, learners have a sound understanding of the range of jobs or further qualifications they could move on to.

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Reasonable progress

Staff ask learners about their career goals and use this information well to help learners take steps towards achieving their ambitions. For example, tutors and managers have arranged work placements for learners on the level 5 health and social care who want to manage children’s care homes. They have also put them in touch with previous learners who now do this role. The former learners give them advice such as how managers work with different local authorities. This better guidance has contributed to learners gaining managerial roles on completion of their courses. Monitoring visit: London Cactus Limited, 23 and 24 July 2025 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

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Reasonable progress

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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