Fairfield Farm College (Fairfield Farm Trust)

Published date 7 January 2011 Inspection Number 360956 Unique reference number: 131875

p.1

Name of lead inspector: Margaret Swift HMI

p.1

Type of provider: Independent specialist college

p.1

Address:

Fairfield Farm College Dilton Marsh Westbury BA13 4DL Telephone number: 01373 866061 Fairfield Farm College

p.1

Information about the provider

1. Fairfield Farm College is an independent specialist college (ISC) for young people with learning disabilities, offering residential and day provision for learners aged 16 to 25 years. At the time of the inspection the college had 38 learners ranging from 16 to 22 years of age.

p.2

Information about the provider

2. All learners have a learning disability and some have associated medical needs and sensory impairments. Some learners have complex needs requiring specialist support. The complexity of the needs of the learners at the college has increased in recent years.

p.2

Information about the provider

3. The college, which is based in Wiltshire, consists of a 25-acre farm site, a farm shop (which closed for redevelopment at the end of July 2010) and five houses all located within two hundred yards of the farm.

p.2

Information about the provider

4. All learners follow courses in independence skills, personal, social and health education and careers education. There are pre-vocational training options in farming, engineering, horse studies, horticulture, and woodworking skills. Work- based learning options are available in catering, horticultural retail and customer care and office skills. All second and third year learners take part in work experience with an appropriate level of support.

p.2

Information about the provider

5. The college, which forms the major part of Fairfield Opportunity Farm (Dilton) Ltd, is a limited company with charitable status. It is overseen by a board of trustees who monitor its performance. The operational management of the college and the charity is conducted by a senior management team consisting of a principal/chief executive officer, curriculum manager, support manager and director of resources.

p.2

Information about the provider

6. The college provides training on behalf of the following providers:  Wiltshire College.

p.2

Information about the provider

7. The following organisation provides training on behalf of the college:  Wiltshire College.

p.2

Provision for young learners:

Further education (16 to 18) 12 full-time learners

p.2

Provision for adult learners:

Further education (19+) 20 full-time learners

p.2

Summary report

Grades: 1 is outstanding; 2 is good; 3 is satisfactory; 4 is inadequate

p.3

Grade

Leadership and management 2 Safeguarding Equality and diversity

p.3

Overall effectiveness

8. The college’s overall effectiveness is good. The college has a good capacity to improve the outcomes for learners and the quality of provision. It has made good progress with the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Learners achieve well and make an outstanding contribution to the local community. There is a broad curriculum with a good range of vocational options available both within the college and at local further education colleges. The work experience opportunities for learners are excellent. Learners develop very good skills and high levels of confidence, which enables them to successfully move onto further training or into employment when they leave college. Teaching and learning have improved since the last inspection and are now good. Literacy, numeracy and communication skills are fully embedded within all lessons. There is though insufficient use of information learning technology

p.3

Overall effectiveness

(ILT) in teaching and learning, with an over-reliance on paper-based resources. Support for learners is good. Learners benefit from very good partnerships with local schools, colleges and community groups. Leadership and management are good, as is governance. Self-assessment is good and the report is accurate but not sufficiently evaluative. Equality and diversity are promoted well, but the college needs to make improvements to some of their buildings to meet the accessibility needs of all learners. Measures to keep learners safe are good, as is value for money.

p.3

Main findings

 Outcomes for learners are good. Achievement of National Open College Network credits and internal qualifications is good. Learners make good progress into further education, work experience and paid employment. However, more needs to be done to measure the progress learners make during their time at college in order to demonstrate the progress they make in relation to their starting points.  Learners make an outstanding contribution to the community. They take part in a wide range of activities, which help them develop their confidence and social well-being. Learners make informed choices about what they eat and they keep fit and healthy through the wide range of sporting activities available to them. They develop responsibility for their own safety.  Teaching and learning are good. Teaching is lively and engaging with a wide range of practical activities, but little use is made of ILT. Literacy and numeracy

p.3

Main findings

are fully embedded. Initial assessment is used effectively to identify short-term targets which are integrated into each lesson. Learners receive appropriate feedback and encouragement from teachers.  Teachers are appropriately qualified. All support staff have, or are in the process of obtaining, teaching support qualifications and this is having a positive impact on the learners’ experience. The observation of teaching and learning scheme is thorough and provides good evaluative feedback to teachers. However, there is insufficient analysis of the impact on learning.  Programmes meet the needs and interests of learners very well. There is a good range of short courses in the first term to ensure learners experience the full range of the college’s curriculum. Learners follow an individualised programme, can gain accredited qualifications and have excellent opportunities for work experience.  The college makes extensive and very effective use of local partnerships to

p.4

Main findings

increase access for learners to a wider curriculum. Reciprocal arrangements with local colleges provide learners with opportunities to work towards qualifications in areas such as functional skills and horse care.  Learners receive good support from their tutors and key workers on an individual and group basis. Support for speech, language and occupational therapy is adequate. Learners have excellent support for work experience, thus ensuring they develop the skills required to enable them to move successfully into employment. Transition arrangements have improved significantly and are now good.  Leadership and management are good. Managers work creatively to implement national and local initiatives. The college uses its strong community links to the advantage of learners. Well-designed customised management information systems facilitate the effective implementation of the 24-hour curriculum. Continuous professional development of staff is good. Turnover of staff is low

p.4

Main findings

and their morale high.  The board of trustees supports the college well. Trustees focus strongly on financial and business arrangements and actively monitor the educational performance of the college. Members bring a wide range of specialist knowledge and skills to their work with the college. However, the board’s strategic vision is not yet complete.  The college engages very effectively with users to identify necessary improvements. Frequent surveys of the views of all key users include learners, staff, parents, visitors, employers and work placement providers. Managers collate and analyse feedback promptly and implement improvement plans. Recent improvements include the redesign of the college website and radical changes to learner reviews in order to engage learners better.  The arrangements to ensure learners’ safety are good. Learners understand how to keep themselves safe in a wide range of situations and take

p.4

Main findings

responsibility for personal safety. Staff training is well planned and improves staff understanding of potential risks to learners and how to manage sensitive situations. Good working relationships are in place with relevant agencies.  The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Learners’ awareness and understanding of local, national and international cultures is now good. Learners are becoming more confident in identifying and challenging inappropriate or unfair behaviour. Accessibility is satisfactory for most learners. However, a few areas of the college require some improvements to fully meet the needs of all learners.  Self-assessment and evaluation of the quality of the college’s work are now good. The college has very robust continuous quality improvement processes. A newly designed process involves staff fully in self-assessment. However, the presentation of data on learners’ outcomes is not sufficiently clear and the

p.5

Main findings

current self-assessment report is insufficiently evaluative.

p.5

What does Fairfield Farm College need to do to improve further?

 Continue the work on measuring the progress learners make in relation to their starting points so the college can demonstrate how successful their learners have been during their time at the college.  Critically analyse and evaluate the very good data collected from the observations of teaching and learning in order to demonstrate the impact on learning and further improve the college’s action planning.  Develop the use of information learning technology to improve the teaching and learning experience for learners.  Ensure that the new self-assessment report is less descriptive and more evaluative and data on learners’ achievements are presented in more meaningful ways.  Implement improvements to key areas of the college to ensure that all learners’ needs are met.

p.5

What learners like:

 having and making friends  feeling safe  working outside with the animals  becoming more confident and independent  the helpful tutors and support staff.

p.5

What employers like:

 the valuable environmental work that learners do for the company  the good communications with the college.

p.6

What employers would like to see improved:

 learners working longer hours in the summer.

p.6

Capacity to make and sustain improvement Grade 2

9. The college has made good progress since the last inspection and has good capacity to improve. Outcomes for learners have continued to improve and are now good. Learners make good progress to further education and work experience or employment. Leadership and management are good. Managers and staff share the same ambitious vision for the college and achieve most of the targets set. Trustees take an active role in monitoring performance. Self- assessment is good, although the 2008 to 2009 self-assessment report was insufficiently evaluative. Value for money is good.

p.7

Outcomes for learners Grade 2

10. Outcomes for learners are good. Achievement of external qualifications, such as literacy and numeracy and National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 1 qualifications, is good. Achievement of National Open College Network credits last year was good at 100% and achievement of the college’s own internal qualifications is also good.

p.7

Outcomes for learners Grade 2

11. Learners make good progress into further education and work experience or paid employment. The college holds detailed data on the progress of learners and where they move on to when leaving the college. However, it needs to do more to measure the progress learners make during their time at college so it can demonstrate the progress learners make in relation to their starting points.

p.7

Outcomes for learners Grade 2

12. Learners report they feel very safe. They know whom to go to and what to do if they have a problem or feel unhappy about a situation. The college has a very strong focus on supporting and enabling learners to be responsible for their own safety.

p.7

Outcomes for learners Grade 2

13. The college offers an excellent range of activities aimed at keeping the learners fit and healthy. Learners are able to make informed choices about what they eat and the activities they do to remain healthy. There is a healthy living club where learners are able to explore and try out different recipes and activities in a fun environment.

p.7

Outcomes for learners Grade 2

14. Economic and social well-being is good and learners make an outstanding contribution to the community. The learners develop good employability skills through their work experience and develop good financial skills through a variety of college activities. They take part in a wide range of community activities and charity events. Recently they held a spotty horse gymkhana for Children in Need. Learners take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme with great success. The work learners are doing on recycling in the college and the community is outstanding.

p.7

The quality of provision Grade 2

15. Teaching and learning are good. Teaching is well planned, lively and engaging with a wide range of practical activities, but there is insufficient use of ILT in teaching and learning. When planning for lessons, teachers focus on learners’ choices and interests, which are identified through the very thorough and detailed initial assessment. In the first term learners experience the whole range of the curriculum, which enables them to make informed choices for the rest of their programme. Literacy, numeracy and communication skills are fully embedded within all lessons.

p.8

The quality of provision Grade 2

16. Teaching and support staff are appropriately qualified. Observation of teaching and learning is thorough and teachers receive good evaluative feedback. However, the college does not sufficiently analyse the data from the observations to measure effectively the impact on learning. Assessment is fair and is endorsed by external verification. Learners enjoy their lessons and develop good self-assessment and team-working skills.

p.8

The quality of provision Grade 2

17. Programmes meet the needs and the interests of the learners well. Each learner has an individual programme and all have a good range of work experience placements. An innovative development has led to learners being given a weekly area of responsibility in the residential units. Learners have to make decisions relating to work needed within their areas. This encourages learners to take ownership of their area and to recognise when work needs to be done, thus developing their independent living skills ready for transition to living in shared housing in the community.

p.8

The quality of provision Grade 2

18. The college makes very effective use of local partnerships to increase the availability learners have to a wider curriculum. Reciprocal arrangements with local colleges provide learners with opportunities to study for external qualifications. Enrichment activities are excellent and learners are involved in a wide range of local and countywide events.

p.8

The quality of provision Grade 2

19. Care, guidance and support are good. Initial advice and guidance are very well structured and detailed. The process for interview and selecting learners is thorough. Baseline and diagnostic assessments are used well to plan the learners’ programmes and identify the support learners require. The learner review process is now excellent, having been improved this year to become more learner centred. The learners are empowered to make decisions about their current training programme and about their future.

p.8

The quality of provision Grade 2

20. Very good support is provided for each learner on an individual and group basis. Support for speech and language is adequate as is access to occupational therapy. Support for learners on work experience is excellent, thus ensuring the learners gain the maximum benefit and the skills required to enable them to move into employment. Transition arrangements have improved significantly and are now good. The college’s own ‘Moving On’ programme is well structured and effectively supports learners in successfully moving on to their next stage, whether that is to further study or employment.

p.8

Leadership and management Grade 2

21. Leadership and management are good. Since the last inspection, the college has significantly improved outcomes for learners. Managers find creative ways to implement national and local initiatives and the significant new building programme has been particularly well managed. The college uses its strong community links to the advantage of learners. The new management information system facilitates the effective implementation of the 24-hour curriculum. Arrangements for the continuous professional development of staff are very effective and induction arrangements for new staff are good.

p.9

Leadership and management Grade 2

22. The board of trustees supports the college well and members bring a wide range of specialist knowledge and skills to their work. Trustees focus strongly on financial and business arrangements and are active in monitoring the educational performance of the college. They request and receive meaningful data about a wide range of quality measures. Trustees with special responsibilities have had safeguarding or equality and diversity training, but understanding of equality issues is not yet fully developed for all members. The board’s strategic vision is not yet complete.

p.9

Leadership and management Grade 2

23. The arrangements to ensure learners are safeguarded and protected are good. Actions since the last inspection have led to significant improvements, particularly in the early identification of vulnerable learners and improved mechanisms for reporting concerns by staff. Training in safeguarding for staff is good. A recently-developed e-safety policy ensures that learners do not have access to inappropriate websites when using college equipment. Learners are also made aware of the risks of using social networking sites or of giving out personal information. Good working relationships are in place with relevant agencies. A single central register confirms the enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks of all staff. Risk assessments are fit for purpose and cover all college and residential activities, including work experience and off-site visits. At present, learners are not sufficiently involved in planning and

p.9

Leadership and management Grade 2

24. The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Outcomes for learners from identified groups do not show any significant variation. The redesigning of the curriculum has increased learners’ awareness and understanding of local, national and international cultures. The excellent communication between college and residential staff ensures any instances of unfair treatment or discrimination are managed promptly and effectively. Learners are becoming more confident in identifying and, where appropriate, challenging inappropriate or unfair actions in college and the wider community. Observations of teaching and learning now comment on equality and diversity, but these comments tend to be descriptive rather than evaluative. Accessibility around the college is satisfactory for most learners. However, some areas of the college require improvement to meet fully the needs of all learners.

p.9

Leadership and management Grade 2

25. The college engages very effectively with users to identify necessary improvements. Frequent surveys of the views of learners, staff, parents, visitors, employers and work placement providers provide the college with a rich source of information on the quality of their provision. Managers collate and analyse feedback promptly and implement improvement plans. The redesign of the college website and radical changes to learner reviews in order to engage learners better are good examples of recent improvements.

p.9

Leadership and management Grade 2

26. The process for self-assessing the quality of the college’s work is now good, although the 2008 to 2009 self-assessment report was insufficiently evaluative and the presentation of outcome data is not sufficiently clear. The college has very robust continuous quality improvement processes including effective arrangements for observing teaching and learning. The business improvement team meets frequently and continuous improvement is recognised by staff to be the responsibility of everyone.

p.10

Leadership and management Grade 2

27. Value for money is good. Outcomes for learners have shown significant improvement and are now good. The college has good resources but some classroom accommodation is not currently fit for purpose.

p.10

Information about the inspection

28. Two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and two additional inspectors, assisted by the provider’s curriculum manager, as nominee, carried out the inspection. Inspectors also took account of the college’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, comments from the funding body, the previous inspection report, reports from the inspectorate’s quality monitoring inspection, and data on learners and their achievement over the period since the previous inspection.

p.11

Information about the inspection

29. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and emails to gain the views of learners and employers. They also looked at questionnaires learners and employers had recently completed for the provider. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. Record of Main Findings (RMF)

p.11

Fairfield Farm College

Learning types: 14 – 16: Young apprenticeships; Diplomas; 16-18 Learner responsive: FE full- and part-time courses, Foundation learning tier, including Entry to Employment; 19+ responsive: FE full- and part-time courses; Employer responsive: Train to Gain, apprenticeships

p.12

Fairfield Farm College

Outcomes for learners 2 2 2 How well do learners achieve and enjoy their learning? 2 How well do learners attain their learning goals? How well do learners progress? How well do learners improve their economic and social well-being through learning and development? How safe do learners feel? 2 Are learners able to make informed choices about their own health and well being?* How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community?* 1 Quality of provision 2 2 2 How effectively do teaching, training and assessment support learning and development? How effectively does the provision meet the needs and interests of users? 2 How well partnerships with schools, employers, community groups and others lead to benefits for learners? How effective are the care, guidance and support learners receive in helping them to achieve? Leadership and management 2 2 2 How effectively do leaders and managers raise expectations and promote

p.12

Fairfield Farm College

ambition throughout the organisation? How effectively do governors and supervisory bodies provide leadership, direction and challenge?* How effectively does the provider promote the safeguarding of learners? 2 How effectively does the provider actively promote equality and diversity, tackle discrimination and narrow the achievement gap? How effectively does the provider engage with users to support and promote improvement? How effectively does self-assessment improve the quality of the provision and outcomes for learners? How efficiently and effectively does the provider use its available resources to secure value for money? *where applicable to the type of provision Grades using the 4 point scale 1: Outstanding; 2: Good; 3: Satisfactory; 4: Inadequate Overall 16-18 Learner responsive 19+ Learner responsive Approximate number of enrolled learners Full-time learners Part-time learners 38 17 21

p.12

Fairfield Farm College

Overall effectiveness 2 2 2 Capacity to improve 2 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

p.12

Fairfield Farm College

To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann’s Square Manchester M2 7LA

p.13

Fairfield Farm College

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.13