Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council

Address: The Learning Place, 6 Derby Road, North End, Portsmouth, PO2 8HH Unique reference number (URN): 53941

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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 and staff have established a culture of inclusion and a nurturing learning environment, which stems from their vision to support the most disadvantaged to overcome barriers and make progress personally and academically. Staff quickly and accurately identify barriers that learners may have to learning and the support that learners need. They consistently implement highly effective strategies that enable learners to develop the confidence to take their next steps in their learning, as well as in work and life. The support that staff provide contributes significantly to enabling learners to thrive and achieve.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff receive ongoing, useful training that equips them with the skills to identify barriers to learning and to review and adapt support. They use their skills well to review carefully the impact of support on learners’ progress. They make appropriate adaptations and reductions of support over time as learners grow in independence and confidence. Leaders and staff maintain high expectations that all learners, with the right support, can achieve their full potential.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use data well to inform developments and make improvements. They provide tailored training to help staff provide the right support for learners and to identify the impact of support provided.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the quality of the provision and take swift and effective actions to rectify weaknesses. Leaders use their understanding to identify appropriate staff training. For example, leaders identified that many learners had negative previous experiences of education and were not ready to learn. Therefore, they provided training for staff on specific strategies to support learners to become more independent and motivated in their learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors make sure that the provision relates well to city council strategies and priorities. When making decisions about the curriculum, support and partnerships, they put the needs of leaners first. For example, they have developed useful partnerships to support learners’ needs and break down barriers to employment in the city. Governors receive useful reports that help them to understand the provision and keep close oversight of the progress and achievements of learners. They make sure that they and leaders meet their statutory duties. They challenge and support leaders to make improvements and to provide the most appropriate courses for learners.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors support leaders well to maintain their wellbeing and ensure that workloads are manageable. They are visible and approachable and challenge leaders to look after their staff. Leaders are considerate of staff's wellbeing and workload. They make sure that teachers have sufficient time to complete their work and provide resources to support staff's wellbeing.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners, including those with barriers to learning, make good progress from their starting points. They develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours, which they apply effectively. Learners produce work of an appropriate standard for the level of course they are studying. Those who finish their programme achieve their goals and pass their qualifications. The majority of learners continue to study or move into volunteering jobs or paid employment.

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Achievement Expected standard

Learners value the skills that they gain. Their confidence grows personally and academically. For example, in family learning English, learners learn about compound and complex sentences, so they can confidently help their children with their homework.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders make adjustments to support learners to complete their programmes. For example, they have adapted timetables to meet learners’ caring responsibilities. They understand why some learners leave for unavoidable and, often, positive reasons. As a result, retention is improving.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders use their wide ranging knowledge and insight into local communities’ needs and employment opportunities to provide well-structured courses and curriculums. They prioritise preparing learners for their next steps. They have built and tailored highly inclusive programmes that enable learners to build their knowledge and skills incrementally over time

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Needs attention

and move on to courses that help them to make progress towards further education or employment. Leaders make sure that teachers are sufficiently knowledgeable and experienced to provide high-quality training using up-to-date knowledge.

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Needs attention

Teachers generally teach learners well. They expertly link learning to relevant contexts, which helps learners remember more. They use a range of tailored teaching and support strategies so that learners make good progress and achieve. For example, staff break down tasks, so learners can complete them in smaller chunks, which helps their understanding, memory and organisational skills in examinations. Teachers use effective recap and review activities to ensure that learners have grasped key concepts. For example, the first part of every functional skills session is used to develop spelling and grammar. This helps learners, particularly those furthest from the workplace, to pass their examinations.

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Needs attention

Staff use assessment meaningfully to plan and tailor learning and fill gaps in knowledge. They use the outcomes of assessment to identify common areas for development, which they then cover in subsequent sessions. Teachers regularly check understanding through questioning and classroom tasks. Most learners receive useful feedback on their written work, which helps them to improve and develop their skills.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders and staff have developed a welcoming, respectful and supportive environment where learners feel safe and thrive. They expect learners to display skills that they will need for work as they learn them. As a result, learners attend well and are ready to learn. They benefit from detailed, tailored information about the next steps they can take to help them achieve their goals. Staff promote opportunities for learners to engage in community activities to help them apply their skills, widen their networks and build friendships.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders have developed a culture where bullying and harassment are not acceptable. Learners create their group rules, applying their knowledge of British values, and follow these very well. Teachers expertly embed learning to celebrate different cultures and backgrounds, which help learners understand communities around them and have empathy and respect.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Although leaders have developed a suitable curriculum to help learners stay healthy and safe, learners do not have a sufficiently thorough knowledge of these topics. For example, learners do not consistently understand the risks of extremism and radicalisation so that they can keep themselves safe.

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Participation and development Needs attention

Leaders and staff provide activities and use strategies, which help learners to break down their barriers to success. Learners develop resilience, confidence and independence over time. For example, staff support learners to extend their confidence through volunteering work and joining social groups.

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

Learners describe a sense of belonging at The Learning Place, where they attend their courses. They value the care and understanding that they receive from their first point of contact with staff through to the end of their courses. They talk of transformations to their lives and a refreshed ability to make progress in learning. For example, learners who described themselves as ‘petrified’ to join classes are now moving on to further education.

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

Most learners are highly committed to their learning. They are motivated to attend their lessons where they develop friendships and a community that they previously did not have. They build their confidence and independence during their early tailored learning courses before gaining valuable qualifications and employability skills, which help them to achieve their goals. Consequently, large numbers of learners become volunteers, gain paid work or move into further education.

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

Learners appreciate the time that staff take to support their needs and break down their barriers to success. They receive valuable, tailored support that helps them to attend their lessons, develop study skills and make the progress of which they are capable. As a result, they gain significant, new knowledge and skills and a renewed love for learning.

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

Learners feel safe at The Learning Place. They know who to contact if they have any concerns. They develop their understanding of, and respect for, protected characteristics, fundamental British values and cultural diversity in modern Britain. They contribute well to the safe culture that staff create where they celebrate different beliefs. Learners apply their knowledge fluently and develop a more positive, deeper understanding of their local communities.

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Next steps

Leaders should make sure that learners develop an age-appropriate understanding of the risks of extremism and radicalisation and how to keep themselves safe. Leaders should develop the personal development curriculum to include explicit learning to support learners' health and wellbeing.

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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 leaders and managers, learners, apprentices, teachers, employers and members of the trust board during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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Team inspectors:

Jo-Ann Henderson, His Majesty's Inspector Daniel Lewsey, 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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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Portsmouth City Council is a community learning and skills provider that is based at The Learning Place in Portsmouth. At the time of the inspection, there were 143 learners. There were fewer than 5 apprentices on programme. Due to the low number, this provision was not considered as part of this inspection. Learners study a range of tailored and accredited learning to help build their confidence and employability skills and achieve qualifications.

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Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Community Learning Service Manager: Stephanie Parker

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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

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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