Barnsley College

Barnsley College Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Sheila Willis HMI

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Type of provider: General further education college

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Address: Church Street Barnsley South Yorkshire S70 2YW Monitoring visit: Barnsley College, 26 October 2017

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Context and focus of visit

Inspectors carried out a one-day visit to the college as a result of information that Ofsted had received. The visit considered leaders’ and managers’ implementation of the college’s safeguarding procedures. Inspectors met with the college’s staff, reviewed documentation relating to safeguarding and visited two college sites. At the previous inspection in 2010, inspectors graded safeguarding as outstanding.

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including those at subcontracted providers, are kept safe?

The college’s systems and procedures for keeping learners safe are effective. Systems for identifying and reporting on safeguarding concerns are robust. Managers record and analyse data on safeguarding concerns well, and use their analysis to develop staff’s and learners’ understanding of safeguarding risks. For example, managers have organised training for staff and learners on the dangers of using psychoactive substances (‘legal highs’) and of child sexual exploitation following an increase in reported incidents. The college’s safeguarding procedure provides alerts to managers and staff so that they are able to identify learners who are at risk from dangers such as female genital mutilation, and to intervene swiftly and appropriately to protect learners from harm.

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including those at subcontracted providers, are kept safe?

Managers and staff take prompt and decisive action when safeguarding concerns and complaints are raised to ensure that learners are kept safe from the risk of harm. They do practical things such as telephoning learners to ask them if they feel safe and if anything has happened that would cause them to feel unsafe. When leaders identify concerns, they act decisively. For example, they have withdrawn learners placed with a subcontractor as a precautionary measure until the issues raised are concluded to their satisfaction.

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including those at subcontracted providers, are kept safe?

Governors have good oversight of safeguarding. Safeguarding is discussed regularly at board meetings, with governors showing an informed curiosity about the information that they are presented with. A governor with a specific safeguarding role provides active assurance to the board of the robustness of the college’s approach to keeping learners safe.

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

Managers in the human resources department have established a rigorous system to check the suitability of all staff employed at the college and to ensure that staff are Monitoring visit: Barnsley College, 26 October 2017 safe to work with learners. The single central register that managers use to record that all the relevant checks have been undertaken is accurate and comprehensive. Records are thorough and are reviewed every month. Managers carefully interrogate information disclosed at recruitment and make considered decisions in line with the college’s safer recruitment policy. However, managers do not always record precisely the outcomes of decisions taken on individuals who declare that they have a spent conviction, or set out the reasons for the decisions that they take. Risk assessment ensures that newly appointed staff work safely by being supervised at all times until the relevant clearance checks are received. The process for vetting and managing

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

Strong relationships with external agencies, including the local authority safeguarding officer, ensure that the college responds to safeguarding incidents promptly and appropriately.

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

Managers’ monitoring of subcontractors’ compliance with safeguarding requirements is effective. The contractual agreement between the college and subcontractors has been strengthened further this year to make the safeguarding responsibilities of subcontractors more explicit. College managers meet with subcontracting staff termly to monitor the quality of the provision and talk to learners to check that they feel safe. However, when commissioning or re-contracting with providers, managers have not always checked sufficiently the quality of some subcontractors’ employment policies to assure themselves that subcontractors are following safer recruitment practices. Monitoring visit: Barnsley College, 26 October 2017 the guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . Learner View Learner View is a website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too. To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

Employer View Employer View is a website where employers can tell Ofsted what they think about their employees' college or provider. They can also see what other employers think about them too. To find out more go to www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, 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 reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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the relevant safeguarding requirements?

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

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