STUDENTS are lacking effective advice to help them realise what they can achieve independently at a college which provides specialist education for young people with learning difficulties.

Birtenshaw Independent Specialist College has been found to require improvement during its first Ofsted inspection.

Every area of the college — effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, personal development, behaviour and welfare, outcomes for learners and provision for learners with high needs — was graded 'requires improvement'.

The college, based in Crompton Way, is part of Birtenshaw, a registered charity, which was established in the 1950s to support children with disabilities. The head office is in Bromley Cross.

The college provides specialist education and support for young people aged between 16 and 25 who have a variety of learning difficulties and/or disabilities and complex health needs, including autism spectrum disorder.

The inspectors found: "Impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance are ineffective and do not raise learners’ long-term ambitions and help them to understand what they could achieve

independently."

Too few learners were said to benefit from 'meaningful external work experience to help them prepare for their stages of adulthood' preventing students from developing their ambitions.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment was described as being 'not high enough'.

Strengths of the college, however, included staff being inspired by their work and students making at least the progress expected of them, particularly in practical lessons

Inspectors reported: "Learners who take accredited qualifications are successful. However, accredited qualifications are not matched to learners’ abilities. All learners who were entered for accredited qualifications in 2016/17 achieved them but all learners achieved the same qualifications at the same level."

They added: "The retention of learners is high. The vast majority of learners are retained and complete their learning programme at the college.

"Learners progress into positive destinations. However, these relate to living arrangements rather than further learning or work."

Birtenshaw has been contacted for a comment.