Shaftesbury Nash College

Livability Nash College Re-inspection monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Steven Stanley, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent specialist college

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Address: Livability Nash College Croydon Road Hayes Bromley BR2 7AG Monitoring visit: Livability Nash College, 6 November 2019

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Context and focus of visit

This is the second re-inspection monitoring visit to Livability Nash College, following the publication of the inspection report on 9 January 2019 which found the provider to be inadequate for overall effectiveness. The effectiveness of leadership and management; the quality of teaching, learning and assessment; outcomes for learners and provision for high needs were inadequate. Personal development, behaviour and welfare were judged to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of this monitoring visit, there were 46 students. All students were on independence and health and well-being courses, which are internally validated.

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Insufficient progress

Improvements in quality have been slow due to a lack of continuity in leadership. There have been several leadership teams over the past year and each were not in place long enough to see through change. The leadership team in place since the summer is making progress. The team has a clear purpose and is making improvements to the curriculum and to teaching. They have simplified governance, and a new governing body is now in place. The board has greater objectivity to assess quality accurately. However, all these changes are recent, and it is too early to judge their impact.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have improved how they evaluate the quality of teaching and outcomes. They have a clearer idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the education provision. They have put in place a coherent plan to improve it. Although too early to judge its impact, the quality improvement plan sets out clearly what staff at all levels need to do. It has more precise targets to achieve these aims than was previously the case. Leaders are starting to check progress on the plan and they report on it monthly. They are acutely aware of the areas for improvement that will make a real difference to the quality of education.

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Insufficient progress

Over the past few months, leaders have improved their oversight of how well courses are doing through better management information. They are checking more closely how well learners are getting on in achieving their goals. They have put together a clear set of data for this purpose. Their use of management information, though, is in its infancy. The new governing body has yet to meet to scrutinise this information. Monitoring visit: Livability Nash College, 6 November 2019

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Reasonable progress

Leaders reassessed thoroughly what their students knew and could do. As a result, they have set them improved learning aims that match their needs, to improve their quality of life. The learning aims include curriculum goals to build on life skills such as social skills. These learning aims have been a useful step forward to organise the right learning activities for students. Lecturers are clear how these learning aims apply in classes such as music or cookery.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and lecturers have improved how they capture what students achieve in an activity. The training staff received, in how to record evidence using a new electronic system, has been successful. They are now using the system, introduced in the summer, fluently for this purpose. They include photographs alongside written text on what the student is doing to achieve a task.

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Reasonable progress

Lecturers do not sufficiently record what the missing knowledge or skills are that would show what the learners must do to master a task. Nor are leaders and lecturers making full use of the electronic system to show the extent of learning over time. They cannot give a clear overview of how well students have mastered skills and independently carried out tasks.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently improved the content and aims of the curriculum so that it suits the needs of students. They recognised the shortcomings in the previous curriculum. They have a clear intention to equip students with the knowledge and skills for their everyday lives. For example, staff help students focus on remembering how to communicate in a range of employment or community contexts. As a result, they know how to develop social relationships. They teach students skills for home and supported living settings. They learn, for example, how to wash their clothes properly.

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Reasonable progress

Staff use education, health and care plans appropriately to assess students’ starting points, so they build on what they already know. Staff focus well on students’ goals that they need to achieve and tailor programmes to prepare students for these. They incorporate students’ expressed interests when they plan their learning. These activities are part of their curriculum timetable. Leaders have recognised the importance of the skills of therapists. They are now more closely involved to help improve the planning and implementation of activities. Monitoring visit: Livability Nash College, 6 November 2019 Leaders have forged strong partnerships to help students into roles in the community or work environment. They ensure that students who are ready gain volunteering roles. The partnerships help them move into work in supported business enterprises.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders understand that these changes in the curriculum will take time to become fully effective. It is too early to assess the impact of the curriculum on helping to move students on in their lives.

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Insufficient progress

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not good enough to ensure that it meets the needs of all students. Leaders also recognise that the classroom support for students is not effective enough. They have put in plans to link taught activities and support to help students more effectively build their knowledge and skills. Leaders are training lecturers to get to grips with the implementation of the curriculum. Too many gaps, however, remain in the quality of teaching. There are also gaps in how well lecturers assess learners’ development of knowledge and skills.

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Insufficient progress

Students are not gaining sufficient knowledge and skills from lecturers’ teaching. Lecturers do not introduce new skills or knowledge in activities so that they meet the needs of all students in the group. As a result, only a few students learn from the activity, and others become disengaged. Lecturers do not focus enough on the extent to which students have improved their skills or what they have learned. For example, they do not ensure that students remember essential vocabulary to aid their learning. They give praise too readily after a task without being specific enough about what was done well.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have taken decisive action to ensure that students have up-to-date communication technologies to help them learn. However, the introduction of new technology is recent, so staff and students are not yet making the best use of it in lessons. It limits the extent to which many students can improve their communication skills. Monitoring visit: Livability Nash College, 6 November 2019 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

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Insufficient progress

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Insufficient progress

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

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