Langdon College

Langdon College

Address: Jack Block House, Rectory Lane, 333 Edgware Road, London, HA8 7LF Unique reference number (URN): 131910

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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 Expected standard

Leaders gather helpful information about students who have barriers to their learning, such as eligibility for free school meals, care experience or financial difficulties. They share this with teachers, who use it well to inform individual learning plans, ensuring that students are supported to participate in learning. However, leaders do not yet carefully analyse this in sufficient detail to make evidence-informed adaptations to their inclusion strategy.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have taken positive steps to improve how they monitor students' progress from their starting points. Teachers track progress against education, health and care plan outcomes well, adapting teaching and support strategies to help students progress against their goals and become more independent.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Teachers and teaching assistants are supported with training to equip them with the skills to identify and implement teaching and support strategies, continually adapting them to help students to achieve their best.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders collaborate with employers and care stakeholders within the Kisharon Langdon charity, who advise on how the college can extend the curriculum to support appropriate work experience for students. Leaders have identified a need to extend beyond their current partners to provide a broader range of opportunities for students to develop their independence.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and trustees have a clear vision to provide high-quality education for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities in the Jewish community. They have recently implemented a new curriculum that is better designed to help students develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours as they progress towards independence. The curriculum is now more in line with the expectations of a specialist college. Leaders acknowledge that they are still on a journey to improve and develop the curriculum offer further, ensuring that it remains varied and challenging for students as they progress through college.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have made significant changes to the board of trustees. The newly formed board initially took a very hands-on approach to supporting leaders in bringing about rapid improvement. The board has helped to drive necessary improvements to the curriculum, safeguarding and health and safety. Board members use their expertise in further education and skills well to help to provide an improved educational experience for their students.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Members of the board of trustees have developed an understanding of the strengths and areas for development. They clearly understand that their role is to continue supporting and challenging leadership, ensuring that the information they receive enables them to carefully monitor progress in implementing sustainable quality improvements.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel well supported by leaders, with access to training that enhances their teaching skills and supports their career progression. Leaders are mindful of staff workloads and recently reduced teaching time to support the implementation of a revised target and tracking system.

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Achievement Expected standard

Students make appropriate progress towards achieving their personal goals, such as selecting and using kitchen equipment safely, washing their hands appropriately, sharing with peers, communicating effectively and making choices. They make at least the planned progress towards the outcomes identified in their education, health and care plans.

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Achievement Expected standard

Students' work is at or above the expected standard, and students demonstrate their new skills through practical activities, such as running and managing the college coffee morning and designing a learner voice feedback box, which allows them to make suggestions for improving the college.

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Achievement Expected standard

The majority of students move on to positive destinations, including paid or voluntary employment. Staff ensure that students' transition to adult services is well planned, and that students continue to maintain the independence that they have gained in college. However, these opportunities could be expanded more widely beyond the Kisharon Langdon charitable group, increasing opportunities for students.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have put in place a new, well-sequenced curriculum that supports students to become more independent and prepares them for adulthood. Teachers adapt and individualise the curriculum, making effective use of starting points to plan learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers create a positive, safe learning environment by using a variety of strategies to stimulate and engage students in lesson activities. Teachers use sensory activities, such as smell and touch, and verbal and visual prompts. Students are able to effectively self- regulate and engage in learning, thereby making progress towards their outcomes, gaining new knowledge, behaviours and skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers carefully sequence lessons to allow students sufficient time to practise and become confident in skills such as verbalising ingredients and equipment or practising fine motor skills. Teachers and staff assess learning and progress against individual targets effectively through a variety of methods, including devices, cards, verbal checks, observations and question-and-answer sessions. They celebrate small steps, encouraging and motivating students to continue to improve.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Students develop the English and mathematics skills they need to achieve their learning goals. Teachers use adult and technical communication and language relevant to the courses students study, helping students understand the language used in the workplace and the wider world.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching assistants are caring and offer support tailored to each student’s needs, helping them participate in lessons and activities as independently as possible. On a few occasions, teaching assistants offer too much help, and in these circumstances, students miss out on working with their classmates to further develop communication skills and friendship groups.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders have created a college environment that is engaging and stimulating. As a result, students attend well and behave appropriately in lessons. They often volunteer answers and engage well in group discussions.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Teachers skilfully teach a challenging curriculum in personal, social, health and economic education that is age-appropriate and sensitive to students' needs. Consequently, students have an appropriate understanding of topics such as healthy relationships and how to protect themselves from harmful online content, which are revisited regularly. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of terms such as grooming and manipulation.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Students develop their understanding of fundamental British values and cultural diversity in modern Britain through a range of creative activities. These activities include visits from external speakers, such as Solutions Not Sides, bringing together 2 speakers from Palestine and Israel to discuss the importance of critical thinking and tolerance for each other.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Students receive clear guidance towards the end of their programme on their next steps after college. Job coaches match work-related learning to students’ career aims at this stage. However, when students take part in work placements earlier in their studies, some of these are not fully aligned to students' interests and needs.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Students participate in a traditional college trip to Israel, which is strongly linked to students' beliefs. Leaders work closely with the Kisharon Langdon charity to support parents and carers of learners in funding this activity, ensuring that all students can participate.

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

Leaders have instilled a culture of safeguarding both among staff and students, creating a safe and inclusive learning environment. Students feel safe and enjoy their learning. They feel confident raising concerns with staff and believe that their concerns will be listened to and taken seriously. Incidents of bullying, discrimination, violence and derogatory language are rare. When they do occur, staff manage them quickly and effectively. Students participate in therapeutic exercise to promote greater physical independence. Arm and shoulder raises help with brushing hair, and practising small arm movements promotes a brushing-teeth action. Students make clear progress towards independent living and gain the skills required for this.

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

Students participate in a range of meaningful work experience activities, including working in the bicycle shop where they change tyres, check brakes, fit wheels and remove inner tubes. This experience helps improve students’ ability to listen to and follow instructions and communicate.

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

Students contribute regularly to their local community. They volunteer at a local food bank, packaging products for distribution to those in need, and visit local schools to talk to the pupils there about life at college.

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

Students become more independent and participate in travel training, using buses, the Tube and walking to reach their work placements. They can explain their routes and how to buy tickets, and many are able to travel independently by the time they leave the college.

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

Students have a clear voice in the college. They are encouraged to share their opinions frequently. Students used their advocacy and agency to lobby leaders for a new water fountain, which has now been installed.

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

Students participate in a traditional college trip to Israel, which is strongly linked to their beliefs. Leaders work closely with the Kisharon Langdon charity to support parents and carers of learners in funding this activity, ensuring that all students can participate in college activities.

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Next steps

Leaders should be proactive in using data about the progress of disadvantaged students to make and implement evidence-informed adaptations to the inclusion strategy. Leaders and trustees should continue to monitor the quality of the curriculum accurately to ensure that students are quickly supported to become as independent as they are able. Leaders should ensure that teaching assistants do not over-support students in some activities, so that students can consistently build their confidence in communication and expand their friendship groups. Leaders should further develop the careers and work experience programme, implementing this throughout students’ time at the college and allowing students to explore their interests throughout their time at college.

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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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Team inspectors:

Nicola Adams, Ofsted Inspector Benjamin Walsh, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

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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21

Inspectors spoke with students, employers, leaders, teachers, teaching assistants, job coaches and trustees during the inspection.

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21

Langdon College is part of Kisharon Langdon, a registered charity. It is based in London, providing education and support with a Jewish ethos. Learners have a variety of special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as social and emotional difficulties. At the time of inspection, 21 students were enrolled.

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21

Learners participate in 4 strands of learning dependent on their starting points. These are achievement, independence, employability and/or transition, which are personalised to learners' individual learning plans to support them in developing the skills that they need for adulthood after college.

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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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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 standard 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 standard 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

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Urgent improvement

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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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