Cornwall College

Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 1 Cornwall College Corporate Headquarters, Cornwall College St Austell, Tregonissey Road, St Austell, Cornwall PL25 4DJ Inspection of residential provision Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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residential accommodation

 Cornwall College offers a choice of study options after GCSEs: A levels, practical skills training, apprenticeships, national diplomas and technical baccalaureates. There are rural environmental management, animal science and management, equine management and agricultural engineering courses.  Cornwall College currently only provides accommodation for under-18 students at its Bicton and Duchy sites.  At the time of inspection, there are 90 full-time/flexi boarders under 18. This does not include the students who stay at the college as part of their course duties.

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good

How well young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The college provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement

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good

Date of last inspection: 23 February 2016 Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Students really enjoy their life at the college and said that they feel safe here. Students said that staff listen to them and value their opinions, views and ideas. Students have developed strong relationships with the staff and spoke highly of the support, guidance and advice they receive from them. Students can identify several staff they would speak to if they were to have any worries or concerns.  With support from staff, students develop confidence and self-esteem, and they are enjoying their education experiences.  Safeguarding arrangements protect students. Any allegations are responded to swiftly and appropriately. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding protocols and have developed effective working relationships with other safeguarding agencies.  Staff ensure that students have access to additional support services when needed. These include external services as well as in-house support services. Staff have

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Key findings from this inspection

worked effectively with external providers to understand the providers’ processes to enable staff to better prepare students for accessing these services after they have left the college.  Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the college. Their self-assessment is accurate and provides them with a straightforward picture of the college’s performance.  The college has met all the national minimum standards for residential provision in further education colleges.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Improve the quality of information maintained by the college regarding referrals made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).  Clearly signpost the location of information referred to in safeguarding records.  Improve the quality of supervision records by fully reflecting the discussions held.  Further improve the monitoring of maintenance systems and demonstrate where improvements have been made. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 3

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Students receive good-quality care and support from a dedicated team that has the students’ well-being at the heart of its practice. One member of staff summed up their role by saying, ‘We are the stepping-stones for the rest of the students’ lives.’

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Strong and effective relationships exist between staff and students. Students said that they appreciate the support, advice and guidance provided by staff. All students spoken to could identify different staff they could go to if they have any worries or just to have a chat, and they specifically identified the residential staff as important.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Students thoroughly enjoy their college experience. Leaders and managers ensure that students are provided with a wide range of activities on the college site and in the wider community.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Students’ health needs are well met, and the management of medicines is good. Students receive the specialist support they need to meet their individual needs. This includes in-house support in addition to that from external professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

A strength of this college is the consultation with and involvement of the students. Students’ feedback is important and used to develop the residential provision and in the development of risk assessments, behaviour contracts and support plans. This approach helps students to develop a sense of ownership, accountability and responsibility, and prepares them well for adult life.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding systems are appropriately used to protect students. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding protocols. Their knowledge is underpinned by regular training in this area. Staff have developed effective working relationships with other safeguarding agencies. Records of safeguarding events demonstrate that any allegation or disclosure is responded to swiftly and appropriately. However, records of safeguarding events often refer to additional information but do not make it clear to the reader where this additional information is stored.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Leaders and managers make referrals to the DBS as required. The quality of the evidence of these referrals would be improved by their being more detailed.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a thorough understanding of students’ individual needs and their known risks. Staff are provided with good-quality risk assessments that they develop together with students. This partnership work helps students to develop their understanding of risks and ways to manage them. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 4 Students said that they feel safe at the college. They feel that bullying is not an issue and said that, if it should happen, they are confident it would be addressed quickly by staff.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Behaviour is managed well; staff focus on understanding the reasons why students might misbehave and they avoid using a punitive approach. As a result, students develop their skills to manage their emotions and feelings. They are clear about the college’s expectations of good behaviour and they feel that these expectations are fair.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers accurately understand the college’s strengths and areas for improvement and have a clear vision for the future development of the college. Their understanding is informed by good-quality self-assessment that provides a reliable view of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders accurately recognise disparity in the quality of the physical environment of the residential accommodation. Systems are in place for responding to repairs and maintenance. However, this inspection has identified that the current systems for monitoring maintenance issues need to be reviewed in order to demonstrate where improvements have been made to the environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the progress that students make from their starting points. They can demonstrate the positive impact that being at this college has on students’ educational development and personal well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good systems are used to induct, train, supervise and appraise staff effectively. The quality of this support helps to prepare and develop staff in their roles. As a result, staff are kept up to date, and their practice remains current. Supervision sessions have clear action plans, but these records do not comprehensively reflect the full discussions that are held.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have developed effective working relationships with other professionals. The residential services manager has worked closely with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to gain a greater understanding of their role and processes. This has enabled the manager to prepare and support students in their engagement with CAMHS.

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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 Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 5 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: Cornwall College 6

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details

Social care unique reference number: 1233463 Principal/CEO: Dr Elaine McMahon CBE, interim principal

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Inspectors

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector David Kidner, social care inspector Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 7 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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