The Learning Curve

The Learning Curve

Address: 91 Union Street, TQ1 3AG Unique reference number (URN): 54877

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders create a highly inclusive culture. They actively promote opportunities for learners who are not in education, employment or training. They work extremely well with learners who face barriers to education and training, including those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or have experience of being in care. Leaders ensure all learners have access to rich experiences that consistently enhance their opportunities for development, including community events, work experience and residential activities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders implement clear strategies that consistently, swiftly and accurately identify the needs of learners. They understand well the barriers that learners face. They actively seek to reduce these barriers by providing support that is adapted well to learners’ individual needs. Leaders carefully monitor the progress of learners and use data well to identify learners at risk of falling behind.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders reduce the financial burden for all their learners by providing free bus passes, free breakfast and personal care products as required.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders train tutors comprehensively to enable them to support learners with SEND. Tutors systematically review and adapt support over time. Leaders responsible for SEND share their knowledge well to help tutors. Leaders communicate effectively with other organisations to provide collaborative support to help young people achieve their aspirations.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand their strengths and areas for development. They actively look for areas to improve and develop their courses to reflect the needs of their learners and stakeholders. Leaders take action to improve their curriculum, such as providing more engagement with a wider range of employers. Leaders are rightly proud of the difference they make to learners' lives and celebrate this in events where learners showcase their projects and reflect on their learning. Trustees are clear in their vision and commitment to a person-centred approach. They aim to support young people who have experienced barriers to their education towards employment, education or greater independence.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees are also leaders in the wider organisation. This gives them close oversight of the curriculum and the outcomes for learners. Trustees and leaders make decisions in the best interests of learners. Partner organisations, such as the King’s Trust, support trustees well to maintain high-quality programmes. Trustees use knowledge gained from the wider organisation well to challenge and support leaders.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide staff with relevant training that helps them to understand their learners well. For example, tutors understand the welfare system so they can help learners to know the advantages of employment. Leaders support tutors to develop their teaching skills and to gain qualifications. However, leaders have not ensured that all training promotes the most effective teaching practices.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel valued by leaders. Leaders are mindful of staff workloads and are accommodating of staff needs as well as those of learners.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders and tutors prepare learners effectively for their next steps, helping them to develop the skills and knowledge needed for life and work. Most learners achieve positive outcomes, gaining their planned qualifications and often progressing into further education or voluntary work. Learners complete activities that demonstrate their increased confidence and self- awareness and improved communication and self-presentation skills.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners broaden their understanding of society by meeting new people and experiencing different work and community settings. For example, learners visited major Plymouth retailers to secure raffle prizes to raise money for charity. Learners have also gained new skills through volunteering with a dementia support charity and helping to refurbish a community building.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders rightly identified the need to increase the proportion of learners progressing into employment. In response, they have recently increased planned visits to workplaces and engagement with a broader range of employers, and they aim to provide work experience better tailored to learners’ interests.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders select effective curriculums that help young people with multiple barriers to learning engage or re-engage with education. These curriculums align with local priorities, particularly supporting young people not in education, employment or training. Leaders plan their curriculums well to build learners’ confidence and work-readiness. Tutors plan curriculum content well, combining classroom sessions, work-related learning, volunteering and work experience effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and tutors accurately assess what learners know and can do at the start of their courses. Tutors use this information well to plan personal and curriculum goals with learners that reduce barriers to their learning. Tutors quickly establish positive and trusting relationships with learners. Learners value how well staff know them and support their ambitions. Tutors support learners to swiftly develop and apply new skills with increasing independence. For example, tutors help learners create effective CVs on their own and showcase their strengths to employers. Tutors teach learners essential work-related vocabulary and workplace-relevant skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors are highly experienced in supporting young people facing significant life challenges. They use this expertise to enrich learning and broaden learners’ experiences. Learners value highly tutors’ passion and commitment.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors have received recent training on the programmes they teach, but limited training to further develop the craft of teaching. Tutors mostly use helpful teaching strategies. They provide constructive feedback to learners, but limited opportunities for learners to share and reflect on their learning. Tutors successfully promote teamwork through paired and group activities, and they integrate English and mathematics skilfully to reinforce essential skills.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Learners study in safe, supportive environments where leaders and tutors prioritise their wellbeing. Learners are confident that leaders will respond positively, swiftly and effectively to any concerns they raise.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders set high expectations for learners’ attendance, rigorously following up on any reasons for absence. Most learners attend well each day and arrive ready to learn, but leaders recognise that a minority of learners’ attendance is not high enough. Those who attend participate in lessons and contribute to discussions with enthusiasm.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Learners on twelve-week programmes typically complete two weeks of relevant and useful work experience. Learners on six-week programmes visit workplaces and take part in volunteering. These activities play a substantial role in overcoming learners’ barriers to learning, improving their communication and self-confidence. Tutors teach learners how to keep themselves healthy and safe, including recognising and avoiding the risks of radicalisation. Most learners have a good understanding of life in modern Britain, diversity and fundamental British values.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders use highly trained staff to provide learners with effective careers education, information, advice and guidance. This helps learners to develop their understanding of careers that do and do not match their talents and aspirations.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners enjoy the variety of experiences they encounter on their programmes. They value the opportunities they have to develop their social, employability and work-related skills, such as working as part of a team. Learners recognise the improvements they make in developing these important skills, often rapidly, compared to their starting points. Learners build their confidence, for example in talking to a variety of people in unfamiliar situations.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners appreciate that tutors support and challenge them successfully to take steps outside of their normal comfort zones. This builds their resilience to change. For example, learners rise to challenges, including community volunteering, visits to employers, work experience placements and residential activities. These valuable experiences help learners to develop their interpersonal skills and apply their learning of employability skills in real-life situations. Learners gain a better and more realistic understanding of the world of work, including employers’ expectations. This helps them make more informed decisions about their future career choices.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners are prepared well by their tutors for the processes involved in finding, applying for and interviewing for employment. Learners appreciate the individual approach that tutors provide to each of them to get to know their aspirations and any specific needs. Tutors tailor individual activities for learners to best support their development.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners feel welcome and safe in their lessons and gain a broad understanding of how to stay safe in their communities. Learners build their understanding of making a positive contribution to society and are rightly proud of their involvement in community projects.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners feel well-supported at each stage of their journey and strongly believe the knowledge and skills they gain on their courses have a positive impact on their lives and their prospects of employment.

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Lead inspector:

Lowenna Bradley, His Majesty's Inspector

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Next steps

• Leaders should further increase the proportion of learners successfully entering and sustaining employment. • Leaders should further strengthen the development of tutors’ teaching skills to enhance the range of strategies used. • Leaders should further strengthen strategies to improve the attendance of learners with the most significant barriers to learning.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with trustees, leaders, managers, tutors and learners during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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About this inspection

The Learning Curve is part of a wider organisation, the Eat That Frog Group. At the time of the inspection, The Learning Curve had seven learners in learning, aged between 16 and 18. Four learners were studying programmes called TEAM, in association with the King’s Trust in Torbay. They were studying 12-week courses at level 1 that focused on personal development and employability. Three learners were studying six-week programmes in Plymouth, called the LEAP programme. These courses focused on preparation for work and further education.

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About this inspection

The provider operates in Torbay and Plymouth and provides face-to-face teaching and training. They target their programmes towards learners who are not in education, employment or training.

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About this inspection

CEO: Ian Powell The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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national average

'This provider' and 'national average' figures are taken from the publicly available DfE achievement rates. Where the DfE have supressed the figures, usually due to small cohorts, this has been mirrored in the Report Card and will be shown by an 'S'.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standards expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standards set out in statutory and non-statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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