Cornwall College

Further Education college residential provision inspection report

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Inspection Number: 10017754 URN: 1233463

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Further Education College residential provision

Inspection dates 23/02/2016 - 25/02/2016

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Further Education College residential provision

Overall effectiveness This inspection: Requires improvement

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Further Education College residential provision

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected

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Further Education College residential provision

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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This college requires improvement because:

 Practices across both residential sites are not yet consistently good; this includes weaknesses in the quality of care, safeguarding and the effective leadership of both sites. Senior leaders are aware of some of the weaknesses and have increased the student service manager’s responsibilities to develop practices across both sites. These improvements are in their infancy and the management team’s monitoring and oversight of both services needs to improve to further drive developments.  Safeguarding systems to protect residential students are not fully effective. The child protection procedure was not adhered to on two occasions. Safer recruitment practices require improvement in respect of obtaining references from an applicant’s previous child care employer and to verify vetting checks completed on agency staff.  The quality of record keeping is varied, recordings lack attention to detail. A number of documents including care plans and young people’s risk assessments

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This college requires improvement because:

lack information about how staff should support student’s individual needs. Additional information held by the personal learning team (PLA) is not routinely shared with the wardens. In addition, there is currently no written policy or Further Education college residential provision inspection report

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This college requires improvement because:

Inspection Number: 10017754 URN: 1233463

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This college requires improvement because:

guidance for staff on managing student’s sexual health and relationship needs, although in practice, a range of services and support is provided.  The single study blocks on one site, lack sufficient privacy in the communal areas as there are no curtains at the large windows. Currently there is no telephone on one site for learners to use should they need to, without having to ask staff.  The procedure for residential learners who go missing needs strengthening. The procedure does not take into account residential learners who may leave the site without authorisation. The records of missing incidents are documented in a generic daily log book, making auditing of trends and patterns difficult. In addition the records do not evidence the follow up work taken with the residential learner upon their return.  Support and development for staff across the two sites requires improvement to be consistently good. Staff on one site receive regular supervision and poor

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This college requires improvement because:

performance issues are dealt with well by senior leaders. Staff on another site do not all receive regular supervision. As a result, some staff are not clear about their roles and responsibilities. Training and qualifications for warden staff needs updating. They do not currently receive training in supporting residential learner’s mental health needs, despite the staff teams identifying an increase in these needs over the past year.

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This college has the following strengths:

 Residential learners are happy at the college. They feel safe and well cared for by the staff teams. Some learners describe the wardens as ‘legends’. Residential learners feel they have good relationship with the staff and they value staff treating them as adults. One learner said that in their experience this was the best place they have lived. Residential learners know the staff on duty and said they could contact them when they need them.  Most but not all, residential learners are able to take advantage of a wide range of activities. These opportunities are fun and purposeful, helping to develop residential learners practical skills, emotional resilience and self-confidence. The ‘Sportsmaker’ programme has encouraged residential learners who are not elite athletes or undertaking sporting courses to take part in sport for fun. Further Education college residential provision inspection report

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This college has the following strengths:

Inspection Number: 10017754 URN: 1233463

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This college has the following strengths:

 The provider has changed how accommodation is allocated. This improvement has led to residential learners from different courses sharing accommodation blocks and resulted in improved integration across the college. Residential learners acknowledged this improvement saying ‘we look out for each other’ and ‘it is a good community to live in’.  The Personal Learning Advisor role (PLA) has been a very positive development. These staff work together with the student services team to support learners and provide pastoral care. These teams provide learners with workshops and guidance on keeping safe, cyber safety and healthy relationships.  Residential learners’ academic achievement is higher than non-resident learners. The college prepares the learners well for the next stage in their life, including their skills for employment.  Consultation with learners across the both sites is good. Residential learners feel

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This college has the following strengths:

their views are listened to, valued and acted upon by staff.  The college has a welcoming environment. The grounds provide a very pleasant rural environment in which the residential learners can live, develop and strive to achieve their academic goals.

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What does the college need to do to improve further?

 Ensure the college has, and follows, an appropriate policy on protection of students under 18 from abuse, and response to allegations or suspicions of abuse, which is consistent with local Area Child Protection Committee procedures, and is known to staff and students. (National Minimum Standard 3.1)  Ensure there are individual records for students under 18 containing relevant health and welfare information provided by parents or students themselves, which specifically set out any individual health needs that require to be met while the student is at college (where the college has been informed of them), and the means by which the college will meet, or assist the student in meeting, these needs. (National Minimum Standard 7.2 )  Ensure written records are kept of all medication, treatment and first aid administered to students, giving name, date, medication/treatment, reason for administration (if not prescribed), which is signed by the responsible member of

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What does the college need to do to improve further?

staff and is regularly monitored by an appropriate designated senior member of staff. A record is also kept of any refusals to accept and take medication usually administered by college staff, and of the return of any medication being kept and/or administered for a student to that student at the student’s request. (National Minimum Standard 14.9)  Ensure any significant health and personal problems of individual students which arise, of which the college is made aware, are identified and managed appropriately. Students with medical difficulties or disabilities, or requiring special treatment or management because of health or welfare problems, are given suitable support, and activities are adapted as appropriate. Where a student has health or personal support needs sufficient to require awareness, support or monitoring by a number of staff, the college establishes a personal care plan for the student, in consultation

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What does the college need to do to improve further?

with the student and that student’s parent, which is communicated to staff with a need to know its content, and is followed effectively. (National Minimum Standard 16.1 16.3, 16.4)  Ensure risk assessments and college record keeping contribute to students’ welfare. (National Minimum Standard 21)  Ensure students under18 are sufficiently supervised during free time to reduce significant risks to their welfare, given their legal status as children, while preserving their freedom to participate in student activities and to access local facilities outside the college. In particular the procedure for dealing with missing students’ needs to be strengthened. (National Minimum Standard 28)  Ensure all staff with particular responsibilities for the supervision of residential students or the provision of student welfare services have job descriptions reflecting those duties, have appropriate competence, receive induction training in those

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What does the college need to do to improve further?

responsibilities when newly appointed, and receive regular review of their supervisory and student welfare practice, with opportunities for continuing training. (National Minimum Standard 30)  Ensure Students’ personal privacy is respected. (National Minimum Standard 33.)  Ensure recruitment of all staff (including ancillary staff and those on a contract/sessional basis) and volunteers who work with students under eighteen includes checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service at the Standard or Enhanced level as applicable to their role, and with a satisfactory outcome. There is a satisfactory recruitment process recorded in writing. In particular the college should obtain references from applicants previous child care employers.(National Minimum Standard 34)  Ensure the college does not allow any member of staff (including ancillary staff, sessional/contract staff or volunteers) to have regular contact with students under

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What does the college need to do to improve further?

18 unless that member of staff has been satisfactorily checked with the Criminal Records Bureau. In particular the college need to take steps to verify the records held by any employment agency they use to provide staff. (National Minimum Standard 35)

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Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Good  Residential learners make good progress from their starting point on admission to the college. They benefit both academically and socially from being residential. This is demonstrated by the higher levels of academic success residential learners achieve compared to non-resident learners.  Residential learners speak positively about life at the college. They feel they have positive relationships with the staff. They said the wardens are good at getting the more reserved learners to join in with activities and events. One learner said this is ‘The best place I have lived. I’ve had to move about a lot in my life and this is the first time I have had stability. The wardens here really care about us’.  Residential learners feel they live in a supportive community. One learner said ‘We look out for each other and that’s what makes it a nice place to live’. They cited being able to live together with students from different courses as the

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Inspection judgements

reason for the good relationships. They also feel the college experience has helped them to grow in confidence enabling them to try new experiences and make new friends. It has provided them with a number of practical independence skills which they find useful.  Residential learners are well prepared for the next stage of their lives, including further education and employment. The college has good links with employers and uses their feedback to improve the services they offer learners. Learners have good work experience opportunities. In addition, some residential learners are employed by the college in the catering and housekeeping teams.  Overall there is a good range of fun and purposeful activities residential learners can take part in. In one residential provision on one site, residential learners do not have the same activity opportunities as the learners on the other sites.  The ‘Sportsmaker’ programme has increased learners sporting opportunities and

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Inspection judgements

physical activity. The college has some elite sportsmen and women but far from alienating the other learners this programme has been used to promote sport and exercise for everyone.

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Inspection judgements

Quality of service Requires improvement  The college does not meet all of the National Minimum Standards relating to quality of care. The weaknesses particularly relate to the quality of care plans, individual risk assessments and the management of medical and health needs.  The care plans and risk assessments lack detail of the residential learners identified needs, how these are to be addressed and what support they are receiving. In addition, some of these plans were out of date. One warden had not read these documents and as a result, he was not aware of some key risks for residential learners he was directly responsible for. Additional support plans are sometimes written by the PLA team. These plans are not routinely shared with the wardens, this limits the effectiveness of the strategies developed to help minimise any risks.  The arrangements for the management of residential learners’ health care are not

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Inspection judgements

robust. Not all wardens are familiar with the identified health needs of the residential learners they are caring for. Leaders and managers have not ensured that all wardens have read care plans and risk assessments so that they understand individual needs. At one site, the records relating to medication and residential learners health are not comprehensive. In addition wardens had not ensured the safety of one residential learner’s medication. However, on the other site, the practice of managing medication including ensuring a robust audit trail, has improved since the previous inspection.  The majority of residential learners have documents in place giving consent to medical treatment and/or specific activities. These documents are not in place for two of the residential learners from overseas.  Work is undertaken on residential learner’s sexual health and relationship needs. However, there is no policy or specific written guidance for staff on how to

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Inspection judgements

manage and support these needs. This lack of clarity could lead to inconsistencies in staff practice.  Across the two sites there is a range of accommodation. Overall, the residential learners are happy with the accommodation and feel it meets their needs well. There is a rolling programme of refurbishment. However, improvements are needed to make some of the accommodation more homely and increase privacy. For example, the single study blocks lack curtains in the communal lounge areas. Action was taken during the inspection to address the lack of privacy found in one bathroom. Residential learners like and benefit from this year’s accommodation arrangements. They enjoy living with learners from different courses and felt this arrangement helped them all to mix more and provided a good spirit of community across the college.  The majority of residential learners have their own mobile phones and laptops

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Inspection judgements

which they use to maintain contact with their family and friends. Currently only one of the college sites has a telephone that residential learners can use without asking staff. Learners on the other site do not have the same provision.  The role of the personal learning advisor (PLA) is valued by the residential learners. In addition to providing support for residential learners they play a key role in meeting their pastoral care needs.  Activities that are on offer to residential learners include a wide range of on and off site experiences. Most residential learners have good access to, and make good use of the activities. However, the small group of learners with additional needs who live in accommodation away from the main sites do not have the same activity opportunities due to the lack of regular access to transport; needed to access a equivalent good range of community activities.  Wardens consult well with residential learners when planning activities and ensure

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Inspection judgements

their ideas are included in the monthly program. Residential learners make good use of the common rooms, and social areas and facilities across the sites, including the college bar, library and sports center. The college has a variety of methods for consulting with residential learners. Learners felt these were generally effective.

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Inspection judgements

 The catering provision at the college is good. There is a well-balanced menu that caters well for residential learner’s dietary needs. The majority of residential learners were positive about the food, although not all. Residential learners have good opportunities to share their views on the food with the catering team. Action is taken in response to the learner’s feedback.

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Inspection judgements

Safeguarding Requires improvement  The college does not meet all of the National Minimum Standards relating to safeguarding. Staff at one site did not follow the college’s safeguarding procedure and ensure that two concerns about one residential learner were reported correctly. This potentially placed a residential learner at risk. All other safeguarding concerns have been appropriately referred and action taken in line with the guidance given by the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). The quality of records maintained on safeguarding concerns varies across the two sites. At one site records were clear and provided a comprehensive chronology of the events. At the other site, records were found to be lacking in detail.  The verification of the vetting checks carried out on staff requires improvement. Two references are obtained for staff, typically this includes the current employer and a personal reference. However, it is not customary to obtain an additional

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Inspection judgements

employer reference even when the previous employment involved child care. One of the sites employs security staff from an employment agency. Senior leaders do not verify that the recruitment agency has carried out the required checks on their staff. Applicant’s suitability is assessed during interview and includes a written test about safeguarding scenarios. Currently the response to these scenarios is not included in the scoring system used to evaluate a candidates potential for employment.  The quality of information documented in residential learners’ risk assessments requires improvement. Where a risk of self-harm has been identified, the written risk assessment does not include clear strategies for how this risk should be managed. As a result, one residential learner’s needs have responded in different ways by staff.  The current systems for knowing the whereabouts of residential learners requires

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Inspection judgements

improvement. Staff rely on residential learners telling them if they go off site and expect them to be in their residences by 11pm. Residential learners know these rules and the majority said they abide by them. There is a good system to identify if learners are not in their residences by 11pm and staff act appropriately to locate them. However, further consideration is required to ensure a clear procedure is in place to manage times when residential learners leave the site without telling staff. The records of residential learners who are observed as, or reported as missing, are documented in the daily log book amongst all the daily observation recordings. There is no specific missing person record. Records do not show what follow up work took place with residential learners once they have returned to ascertain their well-being.  The management of residential learners’ behaviour is effective. Residential

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Inspection judgements

learners reported that expectations regarding behaviour are clear and sanctions are fair. The college does not use physical restraint currently but is going to provide staff on both sites with training in this area should it be required.  Residential learners reported that bullying is not an issue at the college. They said any incident is reported to staff and they are swift to respond. Residential learners said they look out for each other, they feel safe and happy at the college.  Staff at the college have received training in identifying and responding to extremism and radicalisation. Knowledge from this training has been used to identify a learner who may be a risk. Appropriate referrals were made and the learner concerned received additional support from staff.  The support systems in place for residential learners during the college day are good. The PLA role and the student services teams are pivotal in providing this

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Inspection judgements

support. These teams work with the residential learners on how they can protect themselves in terms of cyber safety, sexual exploitation and abuse. This could be further enhanced by additional work during the evenings with residential learners.  The management of health and safety is good. Regular checks are undertaken on the utilities and equipment and comprehensive records are maintained. Action was taken during the inspection to remedy fire door weaknesses on one site.  There is a clear disciplinary procedure in place to deal with staff poor performance issues. Senior leaders have effectively implemented this procedure on one site but, this response is not yet as robust on the other site.

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Inspection judgements

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement  Leaders and managers understand some of the weaknesses in the quality and consistency of work across the two sites. The student services manager has been deployed specifically to manage both sites and drive forward improvements. This work is in its infancy and as a result, weaknesses were still evident at this inspection. It is recognised that the college is still in a phase of change.  Not all of the National Minimum Standards relating to good leadership and management are met. Leaders and managers need to ensure all staff across both sites understand their role in meeting and working to exceed the standards. Not all staff on both sites have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities. One newly appointed warden did not know where to find and had not read the learner’s care plans despite managers deploying him to lone work.

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Inspection judgements

 The training and guidance that staff are provided with requires review. Currently staff are supporting residential leaners who have mental health needs but, they have not received training in this area. The college does not have a written policy to guide staff in how to manage and support student’s sexual health and relationships. In practice, learners feel well supported but the lack of policy could result in inconsistency of approach.  The quality of management support the staff receive varies across the two sites. At one site staff receive formal supervision in addition to appraisals of their work. Staff on the other site do not all receive supervision. The student services manager has started to address this weakness.  The quality of the records maintained by staff requires improvement. A range of documents, including care plans and risk assessments, lack attention to detail and do not currently provide a comprehensive account of events or actions taken by

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Inspection judgements

staff. The new online recording system is not yet being used to full effect to rectify this weakness.  Monitoring and oversight by leaders and managers needs to improve to achieve consistency . This work, if effective, will enable leaders and managers to identify shortfalls in records or practice and address these swiftly. Leaders and manager demonstrate a drive to improve the service.  Complaints are responded to quickly, are well managed and supported by appropriate documentation. Information from complaints is used to improve the service provided. COLLEGE DETAILS

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Inspection judgements

Type of college Further education college residential provision

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Inspection judgements

Approximate number of learners in residence

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Inspection judgements

Principal/CEO Mr Amarjit Basi Date of previous inspection None Website address www.cornwall.ac.uk

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Purpose and Scope of 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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Purpose and Scope of inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the inspection framework and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of accommodation in further education colleges.

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Contextual information

Cornwall College is a very large general further education provider with seven campuses in Cornwall. In March 2015 the college merged with Bicton College a medium sized land based college in East Devon. This inspection looked at the accommodation provided for residential learners at the Bicton and Duchy sites. There is additional off site accommodation provided for learners who have learning disabilities. The two sites offer a wide range of vocational courses. These include agriculture, animal care, equine studies, countryside management, outdoor adventure, sporting academies, military and public service academies. A minority of learners are under 18 years and residential. In total there were 163 residential learners under 18 years at the time of this inspection. The Bicton site was last inspected on 5 March 2013 and the Duchy site on 21 January 2013. This is the first inspection of the two sites as one provision.

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Information about this inspection

Three Social Care Regulatory Inspectors (SCRI), and two Social Care Regulatory Inspection Managers (SCRIM) carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the provider's most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors also used data on learners' achievements over the last three years to help them make judgements. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected throughout the report.

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What inspection judgements mean

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Evaluation schedule for inspection of residential provision in further education colleges 2014

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What inspection judgements mean

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/evaluation-schedule-for-inspection-of-residential-provision- further-education-colleges

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What inspection judgements mean

guidance 'Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/ofsted If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . 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, 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.

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What inspection judgements mean

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What inspection judgements mean

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What inspection judgements mean

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What inspection judgements mean

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