The City of Sunderland College

Northumberland College at Kirkley Hall Inspection report for further education college

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Unique reference number SC046042 Inspection date 24/05/2012 Inspector Karen Forster Type of inspection Social Care Inspection

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Setting address Northumberland College, Kirkley Hall, Kirkley, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, NE20 0AQ

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Telephone number 01670 841 200 Email mo.talbot@northland.ac.uk Registered person Northumberland College Head/Principal Nominated person Christopher Todd Date of last inspection 09/10/2009 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children’s Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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About this inspection

This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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Brief description of the service

Northumberland College maintains Kirkley Hall campus as a learning and living environment for students. There are currently 10 full-time resident students aged under 18 years of age. In addition, there are a number of flexi boarders within the same age range, who reside within the halls of residence during animal duty programmes. The content of the learning programmes for resident students is varied, but is mainly land based in nature.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is satisfactory.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

This inspection is a stand-alone welfare visit, covering all of the key standards for accommodation of students under 18 by Further Education colleges. The three recommendations raised at the last inspection were also reviewed with the college.

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Summary

The college's boarding provision for students aged under 18 is judged to be satisfactory with good features. Areas of strength include the pastoral care of students and the leadership of the residential provision. Areas for development include: the management of environmental risk; recruitment procedures; the quality of the living accommodation, including the area provided for private meetings; the recording of fire checks and personal care plans for students; and minor omissions within the health care and bullying policy.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection in October 2009, there were three recommendations made for the boarding provision. The college has completed phase one of the accommodation improvement plan, which was the subject of a recommendation at the last inspection. The college has improved certain features of the residential accommodation. However, the provision is basic and in need of further development to meet the standards and the needs of the resident population. Therefore, a further recommendation is made in this area.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection a recommendation was made in relation to the balance of both female and male support staff. The college has successfully addressed this issue and the recommendation is met. The college now provides all students with suitable access to male and female support staff.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The third recommendation at the last inspection related to the quality of self-catering provision within the halls of residence. This recommendation is met, as the college has enhanced the self-catering and dining facilities.

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Helping children to be healthy

The college's arrangements for first aid and health care for resident students are good. Students receive suitable and timely first aid and health care as necessary. There is a slight administrative shortfall, in that the college does not have a policy regarding parental permission for the college securing access to medical or dental treatment on behalf of students when required. However, this does not impact on the resident group's access to suitable health care.

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Helping children to be healthy

Students are well supported in relation to any health or personal problems. In those cases where students have ongoing support needs, there is no facility to collate their recorded strategies within a central record. However, there is a good amount of information securely stored in a number of places, which is used well to inform the pastoral care of students. This means that students feel well supported through times of stress and difficulty.

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Helping children to be healthy

Students receive good support to self-cater within the halls of residence. The students have the choice of good quality internal catering provision, which is available on site for two meals a day on weekdays. Set meals or food sundries can be purchased from this outlet or from the weekly trip to a local supermarket. The self-catering arrangements within the halls have been improved since the last inspection. Additional cooking and dining facilities have been provided. This means that resident students can easily prepare and consume their own meals.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The college's arrangements for keeping students safe are satisfactory. In practice, students are protected from all bullying and harassment. However, the college's anti- bullying policy does not include reference to cyber bullying. Resident students feel safe on campus, and suitable safeguarding procedures mean that students are protected from abuse.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Students and staff understand the clear student disciplinary policy. This policy is consistently implemented, which means that students find it fair and proportionate. Students' complaints are adequately responded to, and students know how to complain. Students are adequately protected from the risk of fire, although there is a lack of detail within the recording of the college's fire safety tests, in relation to the accommodation's fire bells, emergency lighting and fire appliances.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Students' personal privacy is suitably respected by support staff, and they respect the privacy of their peers. There is evidence of some careful selection and vetting procedures for all staff. However, there are certain gaps in these procedures, for example, they do not include telephone reference verification. This means the college's procedures are not fully in line with the standard. The college is highly vigilant over visiting work forces, and works well to protect students from unsupervised contact with unchecked adults. There have been recent positive developments in the college's checks on adults resident on site, who are not employed by the college. However, the college's practice in this area is not fully compliant with the statutory guidance on safer recruitment. A gap exists in relation to agency confirmation that their staff deployed to live on site have been subject to the elements of safer recruitment guidance.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Resident students aged under 18 years have designated living accommodation which is well secured from public intrusion. Access to the halls is suitably protected by an effective fob system. In addition, the wardens operate a consistently implemented signing-in system, which monitors movements both in and out of the halls.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Students are given reasonable protection from the majority of safety hazards, although the college's own risk management strategy for the wide-opening windows on the first floor of the halls is outdated, and completion dates have expired. This means that there is no up-to-date risk management statement in relation to this issue.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Students receive a positive level of effective personal support from college staff and contracted counsellors. Mentor and warden staff, and designated programme area leaders provide consistent and helpful support and advice to individual students. Students value this support network, and parents are reassured by its effectiveness. Drop in and programmed counselling sessions are available in college, which students find highly supportive and easily accessible. In the majority of cases, the area used for counselling and private discussions is the warden's office. Although this area is private, it is positioned in a corridor of heavy traffic and the room is fitted out as an office area. Therefore, this multi-functional room does not entirely lend itself to counselling use.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Students do not experience inappropriate discrimination; they feel respected and treated as individuals. The college policy on equality is clear, and its implementation is well monitored by the leadership team and governing body. Practice reflects this policy, which helps to promote an obvious mutual respect between adults and young people within college.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Students are consistently enabled to contribute to the operation of residential provision in the college. The group makes good use of consultative forums and feedback to mentors on ways to improve the residential experience. The students feel that their views are taken on board by the senior staff, and find the leadership team very approachable and accessible during their time in residence.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Students are well supported in maintaining private contact with their parents and families. Parents confirmed that they feel well informed and up to date with any events within college. The positive lines of communication are consistently upheld between both college staff and families and young people and their families. Comprehensive written contact is also evident, with the use of detailed information booklets and admission material, for example. This means that students receive detailed guidance at their course application stage and upon arrival at the college. Therefore students feel informed and aware that they can approach their mentor for further information.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The college's organisation of residential provision safeguards students' welfare. There are designated halls of residence for those resident students who are aged under 18 years. Furthermore, those areas offer separate living accommodation for female and male students. Students are provided with adequate living accommodation. The college is implementing an improvement plan for the residential accommodation, and there have been improvements to the fabric of the halls and to certain fittings. However, the quality of the living accommodation remains at a basic level. For example, there are only hand-washing facilities in the bedrooms, carpets are very worn and stained, and students can only be offered bunk-bed facilities. Students have adequate toilet and washing facilities. These are shared by students on each of the corridors, which means that they are designated for either male or female users. The facilities are clean, and in the main, suitably ventilated.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The welfare of students is safeguarded and promoted while accommodated away from the college on short-stay field trips. Clear risk assessment procedures apply to these excursions, which promote the safety of all participants.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. The college has taken positive steps to provide both female and male role models for resident students. These developments have impacted positively on students. The college's leadership team, having revised several of the college's policy statements, is careful to complete equality impact assessments on each new policy statement. These assessments are detailed and clearly capture and rebalance any negative impact on equality, caused by new policy and procedures.

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Organisation

There is a clear statement of the principles of residential provision and student support at the college. This information is readily available and more recently provided in a comprehensive students' booklet. In the main, risk assessment and record keeping contribute well towards the promotion of students' welfare. There are recording issues within some areas, which include the risk assessment of first floor windows, fire checks and personal care planning. These areas are referred to earlier within this report. The electronic mentor recording system is a strength, as it captures an individual's involvement in any incidences and the support provided post incident. This means that support for individual students is well informed and consistent as all support staff can access the database.

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Organisation

Students are adequately supervised by staff. There is an approachable warden network, that is based within the halls for the under 18 year olds. There is an additional positive measure of a signing in and out system, and both systems provide a suitable level of supervision for younger students.

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Organisation

The college remains without a permanent Principal, which has meant there has been a level of uncertainty within the college. This has meant a certain lack of executive direction for the boarding provision. However, the appointment of a committed and well-respected Vice Principal has provided a positive stable influence. This clearer shared vision has already impacted positively on students, who take great pride in being resident students and wish to rejoin for the next academic year. Support staff are well motivated towards their responsibilities for resident students and have adequate induction and continued training. These staff members follow clear residential and welfare policies within their practice, and use their skills well to inform the support of resident students.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):  set out in their information for parents and students their policy on parental permission for securing access to medical or dental treatment on behalf of students when required (NMS 14.11)  develop personal care plans for students where required, that include all of the personal support data that is currently stored in relation to that individual (NMS 16.4)  ensure that the college's bullying policy includes guidance regarding cyber bullying (NMS 2.2)  ensure that the hall's records of tests carried out on emergency lighting, fire alarms and fire fighting equipment are detailed and complete (NMS 24.3)  ensure that the the college's system for recruiting staff who will work with students under 18 includes all of the elements listed within the standard (breach of NMS 34.2)

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Recommendations

 ensure that the college's vetting and checking procedures for adults living on campus that are not employed by the college are in line with the standards and current stautory guidance (NMS 34.6 and Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment In Education DCSF 2010)  ensure that the risks presented from first floor windows without window restrictors are managed and strategies follow current risk management statements (breach of NMS 42.2)  ensure that the space provided by college for students to discuss personal matters with counselling and mentor staff is private and suitably furnished for such dialogue (NMS 13.2)  continue to monitor, review and improve the quality of the living accommodation for resident students. (NMS 36)

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