Team Domenica

Overview

Team Domenica is an independent specialist college in Brighton supporting young adults with special educational needs and disabilities to enter paid employment. The monitoring visit found that leaders have made "reasonable progress" in designing tailored learning programmes and ensuring high-quality training, while making "significant progress" in establishing effective safeguarding arrangements.

Strengths

• Leaders have developed a "carefully planned curriculum" that effectively helps learners build skills for employment, with the "significant majority" achieving paid work within two years.
• Staff create "calm and purposeful places to learn," breaking tasks down clearly so learners can process information effectively and acquire practical workplace skills, such as barista techniques.
• The college fosters an "aspirational, inclusive environment" where learners feel supported and unjudged, resulting in high attendance and growing confidence.
• Learners engage in community activities and work experience in diverse settings, developing social skills and independence beyond the college’s training cafés.
• Staff are "suitably qualified and experienced," with leaders providing targeted professional development to ensure mentors have the right skills for all placements.

Areas to improve

• The report identifies no significant areas for improvement, noting consistent progress across all monitored themes.

Safeguarding

Leaders have created a "highly effective culture of safeguarding" with comprehensive, age-appropriate policies and skilled staff training that ensures learners are kept safe both on-site and in the community.