Richard Huish College

Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Richard Huish College Richard Huish College South Road, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3EA Inspection of residential provision Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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residential accommodation

Richard Huish College provides a wide range of A-level courses, vocational courses and apprenticeships to students aged 16 to 19 years. Residential provision and homestay families provide accommodation to international students. In addition, accommodation is available for students who live in the South West who wish to avoid excessive travel.

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requires improvement to be good

How well young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The college is not yet delivering good help and care for young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: this is the first inspection of the residential accommodation since registration in August 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Richard Huish College

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Key findings from this inspection

This college requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Safer recruitment procedures are not applied consistently. Application forms and references are not always scrutinised to explore gaps in employment history.  Closed circuit television (CCTV) recordings are reviewed each morning to establish whether any misbehaviour occurred when students are expected to be settled in their rooms. This reactive response to student behaviour does not inform strategies to reduce and prevent repetitive poor behaviour from a small group of students.  At times the supervision of students in the residential accommodation is insufficient, with only one member of staff directly available for students.  Leaders and managers do not monitor the effectiveness of the residential accommodation with adequate depth or rigour.  Record-keeping is poor in relation to the behaviour of students in the residential accommodation. Records lack detail, preventing leaders and managers from

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Key findings from this inspection

identifying patterns and trends in behaviour.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Significant planning and consultation occurred before the finalisation of the design and fitting of the new residential accommodation. Good-quality accommodation provides ensuite rooms for every student.  Homestay accommodation gives a good opportunity for international students to experience living with a family in Britain. Homestay students and carers reported positively about the college.  Student welfare and support services are well established and developed across the college. The one-to-one tutor system provides students with a key person to talk to about any worries or concerns.  Policies and practice across the college demonstrate a commitment to equality and diversity. Students integrate well through their studies and the enrichment programme, and form friendships. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Richard Huish College

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accommodation in colleges

The college does not meet the following national minimum standards:

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accommodation in colleges

 Promoting positive behaviour and relationships Ensure that the college has and consistently implements a written policy, which is effective in practice, to promote good behaviour amongst residential students. (NMS 12.1)  Management and development of residential provision Ensure that leaders, managers and governors consistently fulfil their responsibilities effectively to ensure that the national minimum standards are met. (NMS 13.4) Ensure that the records specified in Appendix 2 are maintained and monitored by the college and action taken as appropriate. In particular, this relates to records relating to sanctions, complaints and individual student records. (NMS 13.8)  Staff recruitment and checks on other adults Ensure that the college adopts safer recruitment procedures in line with any regulatory requirements, having due regard to any relevant guidance issued by the Secretary of State. (NMS 14.1)

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accommodation in colleges

 Staffing and supervision Ensure that staff supervising students outside of teaching time are sufficient in number for the age, number and needs of residential students. (NMS 15.4)

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Points for improvement

 Support all homestay hosts to produce a one-page profile about their family and home, with photographs, in order that students can receive this information before their arrival.  Collate all records relating to a complaint in one place. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Richard Huish College

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be good

Before arriving at this college, students receive good information about their studies, the type of accommodation they will have and some details about the local area. Students reported that this information is useful and helped inform their selection of this college. Students residing with homestay families receive the same college information and some appreciate receiving photographs and a few details about their host family before arrival. This practice is not consistent, and this is an area for development to allay some anxieties for students, and their parents, who might wonder who they will be living with and where.

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be good

Most students form positive relationships with college staff and homestay families. Staff are available during the day to support students with their learning, independence and enrichment activities. On the evenings where there is only one member of staff available in the residential accommodation, staff are unable to spend good-quality time with all students.

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be good

The college enrichment programme provides excellent opportunities to try new skills, pursue interests and become a member of a student group. Sports teams, sport activities, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a musical production of ‘Chicago’ and numerous bands are just some of the options available. Excellent college facilities provide these opportunities without the need to travel. At the residential accommodation, students enjoy table tennis, movie nights and board games.

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be good

Leaders and managers provide many opportunities for the students to have their say. Consultation occurs through surveys, meetings and student representatives. A regular discussion point is the food. Meetings involve the chef, and there is a continual commitment by college staff to listen to students and review the catering provision.

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be good

The staff based at the residential accommodation, the homestay families, individual tutors and student support services work well together to ensure that support is made available to students. Additional support has included help with studies, referral to mental health services, referral to general practitioners and assessments to identify learning support needs, for example for dyslexia.

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good

Students do not always receive clear and consistent boundaries from staff when in the residential accommodation. There is a practice of staff being reactive to poor behaviour and a lack of attention to preventing repetition. For example, incidents of students visiting each other’s rooms and disabling the security mechanisms on internal and external doors have been viewed on CCTV after the event. These behaviours have resulted in sanctions. The review of staffing arrangements in September 2018 did not Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Richard Huish College lead to an increase in staffing until December. Consequently, this behaviour from a minority group of students continues.

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good

The lack of recording when students breach the rules means that leaders and managers do not have an overview of all the presenting behaviours. Monitoring of the students’ experiences while they are staying at the residential accommodation lacks depth and rigour. In contrast, there are some very good records to reflect how students are supported well with their emotional well-being and any worries they may have about their studies.

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good

The recruitment process is not sufficiently robust. For example, only one reference was obtained for a support member of staff. In addition, there is a lack of curiosity about any gaps in application forms and references. Leaders and managers do not ensure that all recruitment processes follow the statutory guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education (2018)’. Since this statutory guidance was updated in September 2018, the college recruitment policy has not been reviewed.

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good

Managers, governors, staff and homestay families are trained appropriately to manage safeguarding concerns. Safeguarding records are comprehensive and include a chronology of any concerns. A new software programme to report and record safeguarding concerns has successfully been implemented this term. Staff reported positively about its use. Such records confirm that suitable reporting occurs to other agencies and that concerns for students are escalated swiftly and appropriately.

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good

Students reported that they feel safe at this college. Students receive information and advice on how to keep themselves safe in relationships, in the community and in their use of social media and technology. There are no reports of students going missing or the police being called to manage behaviour.

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good

The residential accommodation is suitably equipped with fire detection and prevention appliances. Students practise and know what to do in the event of hearing the fire alarm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers invested time and resources to create purpose-built residential accommodation. The engagement of a consultant contributes to the setting up of this new provision, and there is a designated governor for residential and homestay accommodation. However, after a full academic year of operation, the level of monitoring completed by leaders and managers lacks depth. As a result, the findings from this inspection were not fully known by leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are insufficient staff to provide good-quality care and support to 32 students each evening. Leaders and managers identified the need to increase staffing in September 2018. However, two members of staff are only available on two evenings a week. Just before this inspection, leaders and managers confirmed arrangements to ensure that two members of staff will be available to students in the evenings from 10 December Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Richard Huish College 2018. This increase in staff presence is required to improve the level of engagement with students and to support them to respect the college rules.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff involved with the residential accommodation and homestay arrangements meet regularly to review the running of the service and share any concerns about individual students. Three complaints have been addressed satisfactorily to resolve matters. However, the records relating to the complaints are not stored together in one place. Record-keeping overall requires improvement to assist with the monitoring of practice in the residential accommodation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers identified that the attendance at college of some students was declining and that they are not manging their self-study time effectively. To support these students living away from home, leaders and managers have adapted the rules of the residential accommodation to insist that students are not permitted in their rooms during college hours. This action has improved attendance, currently, by a percentage point higher than that of day students. Decision-making such as this is successful and akin to good parenting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers actively promote tolerance, equality and diversity. Consequently, students in the residential accommodation and homestay families are integrated well into the college community. Students reported that they are welcomed into the college and make friends without any difficulties.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of young people. They watched how professional staff work with young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the college knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Children Act 1989 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the national minimum standards. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Richard Huish College

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details

Social care unique reference number: 1256064 Principal/CEO: Mr John Abbott

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Inspectors

Clare Davies, social care inspector Michele Oxley, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Richard Huish College 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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