Liberty College

Overview

Liberty Training is an independent specialist college preparing young people with high needs for employment. The inspection found that leaders have created an “extremely supportive” culture where learners feel safe and are helped to develop confidence and independence. The provider is judged as “Good” across all categories, marking an improvement from its previous rating.

Strengths

• Staff create a “calm environment” with spaces for learners to regulate behaviour and develop social skills.
• The curriculum is structured logically, building on prior learning to prepare learners for adulthood and employment.
• Teaching staff are “calm and considered,” knowing learners “exceptionally well” to provide tailored support.
• Learners benefit from valuable work experience placements and impartial careers guidance, leaving them “confident and positive about their futures.”
• Safeguarding arrangements are “effective,” with a “positive culture” and well-qualified staff ensuring learner safety.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must implement governance arrangements that provide sufficient “scrutiny and challenge” to identify weaknesses quickly.
• Quality assurance processes need to focus more closely on the quality of education and its impact on learner progress.
• Staff should track learners’ attainment of knowledge and skills more effectively to plan training precisely and set clear targets.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that leaders have fostered a positive culture and that the designated safeguarding lead ensures concerns are “expertly managed, recorded and tracked.”