London Professional College Ltd

London Professional College Ltd

Address: Moorfoot House, 221 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9FJ Unique reference number (URN): 1247994

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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

All staff have a secure understanding of the potential barriers faced by adult learners, many of whom have been out of education or employment for some years.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have developed an effective system for the early identification of learners’ support needs. Using initial assessments and interviews, staff and learners work together to declare or identify additional needs. Staff then add suitable support, such as targeted help with academic writing for learners who have English as an additional language.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Where needs arise during the course, such as illness or family problems, staff add support promptly. Tutors add measures such as extra individual tutorials and adjusted deadlines for assignments. High-quality support is in place until the learner catches up.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Heads of faculty have developed a logical and effective approach to assessing and reviewing learners’ work. Tutors monitor all learners’ progress closely and add more practise should individual learners need it. Leaders have provided suitable training for tutors in this approach.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Highly individualised support is in place for the very few learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These learners make expected progress. However, a few tutors have not had training in how best to support learners with SEND in their lessons.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Since the previous inspection, London Professional College has become part of Planet Education Networks group. This has resulted in changes to the strategic direction of the organisation, which governors and leaders have managed well. Leaders and governors have strengthened their focus on qualifications that prepare adult learners for higher education. Leaders collaborate effectively with employers and universities to gain a sound understanding of their requirements. They have carefully planned access to higher education and business diploma courses that help adult learners from under-represented backgrounds gain the skills and qualifications they need to enter higher education or employment.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and heads of faculty have appropriate systems in place to monitor the quality of the education that they provide. They communicate information well to an experienced board of governors. This helps governors to understand the provider’s strengths and priorities for improvement and provide leaders with effective support and challenge. For example, governors helped leaders to strengthen policies and practices around the ethical use of artificial intelligence.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide a staff training programme that is based on an accurate evaluation of the quality of teaching. Heads of faculty use information from supportive lesson observations to identify training needs. Tutors are well supported to develop their online teaching skills and subject knowledge. Leaders and managers are kind and considerate of their staff’s welfare. They manage workloads well. They provide a calm, well-resourced working environment. Staff have access to useful health and wellbeing benefits through their membership of the provider’s sister organisation. Staff rightly feel valued.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Heads of faculty and tutors have planned the curriculum effectively. Learners develop a secure understanding of foundational topics before moving on to more complex concepts. For example, on the access to higher education nursing course, learners gain an understanding of the basic responsibilities of being a health care professional before they apply their learning to medical ethics and managing risk.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have developed a suitably ambitious curriculum. Heads of faculty arrange activities such as additional talks which enhance learners’ experiences. In a few cases, tutors do not provide enough academic challenge for learners with high starting points. Leaders plan to increase activities that go beyond the basics of the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff understand the barriers that adult learners may face. Tutors ensure that all learners can study around other commitments. They adapt lesson timings to be flexible around school timings. Heads of faculty have built time into lesson plans to give additional support for learners who need extra help with their academic writing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders make sure that tutors have the skills they need to teach effectively. For example, business tutors have recently gained assessor qualifications. Tutors use a variety of assessment methods well and provide learners with useful feedback.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors skilfully use different teaching techniques to check and reinforce learning. Through careful questioning, tutors ensure that all learners contribute to discussions, so that they can check learners' application of key concepts. Nursing learners apply specialist terminology well, demonstrating good understanding of professional skills and qualities and why they are important in clinical settings.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff set high standards for learners' attendance and professional behaviour. They communicate expectations clearly to learners in a helpful student handbook and at the start of lessons. Staff and learners actively foster a culture of mutual respect where bullying and discrimination are not tolerated. Learners take part enthusiastically in the online lessons and enjoy their studies. They attend their lessons well.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders plan the curriculums well to include relevant content about the rule of law and the importance of tolerance and respect. Tutors teach nursing learners about laws that relate to their future careers, such as the Equality Act. Learners have a secure understanding of fundamental British values.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Tutors provide learners with relevant information and wider opportunities to prepare them for their careers and next steps. Access to higher education nursing learners receive high- quality information about university choices. Staff arrange for visits from NHS and university speakers, who give nursing learners helpful information. Such opportunities are less well developed for business learners. Typically, learners are well prepared to move on to their next stage of learning or employment.

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Achievement Needs attention

Too few level 3 business diploma learners achieved their qualifications in the planned timeframe. Leaders acted decisively to help some learners complete their qualification after the submission deadline. However, achievement remains too low.

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Achievement Needs attention

Learners achieve their personal targets well. They develop useful new skills and behaviours that they apply to their learning and current employment. For example, NHS care workers on the access to higher education nursing course learn about the 'SOFT' communication framework which helps them communicate effectively with non-verbal patients at work.

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Achievement Needs attention

Learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities such as dyslexia, produce high-quality written work.

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Achievement Needs attention

Tutors prepare learners well for their next steps. Access to higher education learners are ready to go on to university. The vast majority have university offers that meet their subject and career ambitions. Most business administration learners move on to positive destinations such as higher education or sustained employment.

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

Learners appreciate the kind and supportive staff who use interactive and interesting lessons to build a cohesive community. They quickly develop a strong sense of belonging. They enjoy their experience and would recommend the provider to a friend.

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

Learners benefit from expert teaching. They find tutors to be knowledgeable and helpful. Tutors give learners clear explanations and build in extra time for learners to ask questions and practise tasks if they need more time to understand content. Access to higher education nursing learners quickly develop useful knowledge that they can apply in their current NHS jobs or future work as nurses.

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

Learners achieve their personal targets very well. They develop the confidence and communication skills that they need for their next steps into education and employment. However, learners on the level 3 business course did not achieve their qualifications well enough last year. Too many did not complete within the planned time. Leaders have made appropriate changes to the course, but it is too soon to see the impact.

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

Learners get the support they need to make progress, regardless of their personal situation. Many learners have been away from education for some years, and they feel well supported to return to the classroom because staff understand well the challenges that some adult learners can face. For example, if learners are struggling to complete assignments due to family circumstances, tutors help them through extended deadlines and extra one-to-one support sessions.

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

Tutors embed additional content in the curriculum that is relevant for adult learners. This includes carefully considered topics such as cybersecurity, healthy relationships and domestic abuse. Learners develop a secure understanding of how to protect themselves and others from harm.

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Next steps

Leaders should take action to improve the timely achievement of learners on level 3 business diploma courses. Leaders should make sure that teaching staff have training in how best to support learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders should strengthen their work with universities and employers so that learners on business courses have opportunities to excel in the development of relevant employability and academic skills and knowledge. Leaders should strengthen the level of challenge in the curriculums to include significant additional learning opportunities that take learners beyond the basics of their courses.

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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 governors, senior leaders, heads of faculty, tutors, admissions staff and learners during the inspection.

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Lead inspector:

Claudia Harrison, His Majesty's 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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Adult learning programmes

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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Adult learning programmes

London Professional College (LPC) is an independent learning provider. Its head office is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Since 2022, LPC has been part of Planet Education Networks group. LPC uses funding from advanced learner loans to provide adult education courses in business and nursing. At the time of this inspection, there were 32 adult learners enrolled. There were17 learners studying the access to higher education diploma in nursing, fewer than 5 learners studying the access to higher education diploma in business management and 12 learners studying towards the level 3 diploma in business and management. All teaching takes place online.

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Adult learning programmes

Director of academic operations: Arafat Hossain

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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. 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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