Onelab College

Name of lead inspector: Saher Nijabat, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September 2025

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Type of provider: Independent specialist college

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Address:

7 Corsican Square Unit 605 London E3 3YD Monitoring visit: Onelab College, 24 and 25 September 2025

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Context and focus of visit

Ofsted undertakes to carry out monitoring visits to independent specialist colleges newly funded by the Department for Education. 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

Onelab College is an independent specialist college in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. Leaders started offering funded provision in 2024. They offer bespoke education and training for learners aged 16 to 25 who have autism spectrum disorder and other moderate needs. Leaders prepare learners for independent living, further education and/or employment through programmes lasting from one to four years. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 36 learners in learning. All learners have an education and health care (EHC) plan.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not plan all areas of their curriculum consistently well. They work well with the local authorities and local special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) providers to develop bespoke learning programmes for their learners. However, leaders have not ensured that all parts of the learning programme, such as work placements, are suitably well thought through.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not adapt the English and mathematics functional skills curriculum well enough to meet learners’ individual needs. Staff do not consider individual gaps in learners’ knowledge or focus on their specific areas for improvement. As a result, learners do not make expected progress in these subjects. Staff teach courses, such as business and creative media production, in a coherent manner.

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Insufficient progress

Due to struggles with high staff turnover, leaders have not implemented suitable quality checks to assure themselves of the quality of teaching their learners receive. For example, they do not check the suitability of their process for recognising and recording learners’ progress and achievement. Governance arrangements are underdeveloped. Consequently, senior leaders do not have sufficiently detailed or accurate oversight of all aspects of their provision. While leaders recognise their Monitoring visit: Onelab College, 24 and 25 September 2025 areas for improvement, they have been too slow to take suitable action to rectify these.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders do not make sure that the quality of teaching and learning is of a consistently good standard. Instructors, who know their subjects well, have not received sufficient training in specific SEND strategies to teach their learners. In too many instances, instructors do not ask appropriate questions to check learners’ understanding. They overlook learners’ misconceptions and move too quickly through the content of the lesson. Consequently, learners miss opportunities to deepen their understanding and to expand on their thoughts.

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Insufficient progress

In most instances, learners develop new knowledge and skills through their training, including communication skills and independence, that are essential for their next steps. Instructors teach learners how to use shapes in technical drawings and gradually develop their product design skills. Learners create good quality products that sell in the college pop-up shop, including jewellery, gift boxes, and customised clocks. When introducing new concepts, such as mind maps, instructors creatively use yarn and ribbons to illustrate how ideas and subjects physically connect. Learners enjoy these activities and most achieve their qualifications. Those who complete their programmes go on to supported internships at the local hospital and catering outlets.

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Insufficient progress

Staff do not track learners’ progress towards all aspects of their learning programmes appropriately. In addition, instructors do not set clear targets and goals specific to learners’ starting points or linked to their EHC plan outcomes. Although instructors use observations, photographs and videos of learners’ work well to demonstrate learners’ achievements, they do not record these achievements effectively. Consequently, both staff and parents are not clear about the progress that learners make towards their EHC plan outcomes or from their starting points.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have put in place effective arrangements to ensure the safety of their learners. Staff teach learners how to lead safe and healthy lives. For example, they discuss with learners the risks they may face outside college and in their communities. Learners feel safe and explain correctly how to keep themselves safe while using public transport and working online. Monitoring visit: Onelab College, 24 and 25 September 2025 Senior leaders do not update all essential records suitably. While staff deal with safeguarding incidents appropriately, they do not always maintain detailed enough records of these. Consequently, it is not always clear what actions were taken or outcomes achieved. Monitoring visit: Onelab College, 24 and 25 September 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

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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

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