The education partnership which runs the new Skegness College has been criticised by Ofsted inspectors for failing to meet student safeguarding standards at another of its colleges.

In its latest inspection on May 5, the education watchdog deemed the Tec Partnership had not met the required safeguarding standards.

The report, published on August 3, states: “Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that adequately protects learners from harm.”

Tec Partnership oversees several colleges across Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire – including Skegness College, in Wainfleet Road – which only opened in January of this year. However, the partnership told Lincolnshire World the “specific issue” that related to the safeguarding concerns did not occur at the Skegness site.

Ofsted said the Partnership did meet ‘expected standards’ across nine areas – including ‘curriculum and teaching’ and ‘adult learning programmes’. However, six areas were deemed to ‘need attention’ – including ‘achievement’ and ‘leadership and governance’.

Regarding safeguarding standards, the inspectors commented: “Leaders do not implement a thorough enough procedure for following up learner absence at the 14-16 academy, particularly where there are known safeguarding concerns. They do not ensure learners' safety and wellbeing by supporting them to return to the academy. They do not liaise with parents sufficiently well. Leaders and those responsible for governance do not monitor safeguarding concerns effectively enough, nor do they accurately fulfil their statutory duties for reporting on 14-16-year-old learners to stakeholders such as the local authority.”

They added: “Leaders have qualified safeguarding staff in place who ensure learners and apprentices understand how to keep themselves and their peers safe. However, they have not ensured a culture where all staff at the Grimsby Institute are vigilant about the potential risks affecting some of their most vulnerable learners.”

A spokesperson for Tec Partnership said: “Our recent Ofsted inspection highlighted numerous strengths across our organisation. Inspectors commended the strong relevance of our curriculum, our direct contribution to meeting local and regional skills needs, and the high level of support provided to our learners and apprentices.

“Our outcome for safeguarding was not as expected due to a specific issue identified within a small area of our wider offer- specifically within our 14-16 provision and a small cohort of 16-18 learners at one of our sites – which we can confirm was not Skegness.

“We have addressed the specific issue raised by the inspectors. Importantly, no learners were ever at risk, as the matter was strictly procedural. Immediate remedial actions have been taken to ensure all processes, without exception, meet the rigorous standards expected across every part of our provision.

“Our commitment to maintaining a safe, supportive, and high-quality environment for all our learners remains absolute. The core delivery, governance, and day-to-day safeguarding across our provision continue to operate with full integrity and rigour.”

“The report praised an apprenticeship curriculum that responds effectively to local and regional needs, noting that most apprentices who achieve their qualification remain in employment - many with the same employer. Inspectors noted that learners and apprentices thrive in an inclusive college culture where they are supported to overcome barriers and stay motivated.”

They added: “The report also identified areas where we can improve further. We welcome this feedback and are already implementing targeted actions to address these priorities across our organisation.”