Cambian Lufton College

Cambian Lufton College Reinspection monitoring visit report

p.1

Name of lead inspector: Tina Pagett, Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.1

Type of provider: Independent specialist college

p.1

Address:

Lufton Yeovil Somerset BA22 8ST Monitoring visit: Cambian Lufton College, 7 and 8 March 2022

p.1

Context and focus of visit

This was the first reinspection monitoring visit to Cambian Lufton College following publication of the inspection report on 2 November 2021, which found the provider to be inadequate overall. The effectiveness of leadership and management, the quality of education, and behaviour and attitudes were inadequate. Personal development required improvement.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

This reinspection monitoring visit was to evaluate the extent to which leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to address the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

Cambian Lufton College is an independent specialist provider of further education based in south Somerset. It caters for students with a range of learning difficulties, including autism spectrum disorder, social and emotional impairments, and other complex needs and behaviours. The college offers residential and day provision for students aged between 16 and 25, including those needing provision for up to 52 weeks a year. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 24 students studying at the college. The majority of students are residential and in accommodation on, or close to, the college campus.

p.2

Insufficient progress

Governors have not ensured that leaders have the necessary skills and knowledge to provide an ambitious and high-quality curriculum. Although leaders and managers have a well-informed knowledge of providing care for young people, they have not received the training they need to lead staff in planning and implementing the curriculum. As a result, the curriculum that students are studying is not sufficiently effective.

p.2

Insufficient progress

Leaders have introduced a curriculum to develop students’ skills for living independently and planning for future employment. However, it is not yet planned well enough to meet the specific needs of individual students. For example, students who will shortly move into a shared supported living environment are being taught in isolation. As a result, they do not develop the range of skills they need to live with others. Monitoring visit: Cambian Lufton College, 7 and 8 March 2022 Leaders do not ensure that staff have the information they need to plan students’ learning, nor to help them with strategies to manage their behaviour. Consequently, staff are not able confidently to challenge students when they make inappropriate comments. Leaders and governors have rightly increased the number of specialist staff at the college, but this has yet to have enough impact on the quality of information their colleagues receive.

p.2

Insufficient progress

Leaders’ and governors’ assessment of the quality of students’ programmes is not sufficiently critical or robust. However, they have introduced some suitable initiatives to improve the quality of the provision, including arrangements for peer review of the college’s provision and learning walks to explore classroom practice. It is too soon to evaluate the effectiveness of these.

p.3

Insufficient progress

Leaders have not effectively supported staff to improve their teaching. Staff do not know clearly enough how to plan learning using information on students’ starting points. As a result, they use learning activities in the classroom that are too easy for some students and too difficult for others.

p.3

Insufficient progress

Leaders have implemented a new system for tracking the progress that students make against targets for their development of skills for living and work. However, the use of terminology concerning targets, objectives, goals and skills is not sufficiently consistent. As a result, it is confusing to both staff and students.

p.3

Insufficient progress

Tutors often set students too many targets and do not monitor their completion effectively. For example, students have sheets listing numerous individual targets, such as working more independently. Some students mark these as achieved where staff have completed work for them. This means that tutors and students are not always clear about what skills, knowledge or behaviours students have developed.

p.3

Insufficient progress

Leaders do not have an accurate oversight of the progress that students make in learning new knowledge and skills. They rightly identify that new initiatives in assessing students’ starting points and setting them targets are in the early stages of implementation. As a result, managers do not have the data they need to plan teaching or implement strategies and interventions effectively.

p.3

Insufficient progress

Staff do not consistently use information effectively from students’ education, health and care (EHC) plans to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of how to behave in different contexts. When students become disengaged in sessions, support staff do not always use strategies contained within individuals’ EHC plans to help Monitoring visit: Cambian Lufton College, 7 and 8 March 2022 students re-engage or refocus on tasks. For example, where students show signs of frustration, staff do not offer them time out of the session or set clear expectations for them to remain in the classroom in line with what is set out in students’ EHC plans.

p.3

Insufficient progress

Leaders have rightly focused on increasing the extent to which students develop skills for work. Examples include students working on the college reception or in the refectory to improve their customer service skills. However, too few students move on to work placements outside the college. As a result, they are not well enough prepared for securing employment or a voluntary position.

p.4

Insufficient progress

Tutors do not consider the communication needs of students carefully enough. They do not encourage students with limited communication skills to use communication aids in class to help them improve their interaction with others. Staff do not plan activities well enough to enable students to improve their ability to communicate when working in teams or solving problems. Too many students work in isolation, completing worksheets without engaging with their peers. This hampers students’ development of the social communication skills needed for becoming active citizens.

p.4

Insufficient progress

Leaders have not introduced a sufficiently wide range of activities beyond the curriculum. Some of the limited range of activities is only available to residential students. As a result, too few students are able to explore their interests and develop their talents.

p.4

Insufficient progress

Since the previous inspection, managers and tutors have usefully revised the personal, social and health education curriculum to increase its coverage of risks such as radicalisation. It now incorporates these as themes for tutors to integrate across other areas of the curriculum. Leaders intend to review how well staff are introducing these topics. However, currently, they do not know how well tutors are teaching these themes or the impact of the revised curriculum on students’ understanding.

p.4

Insufficient progress

Leaders understand fully that local risks such as those of child sexual exploitation or radicalisation can be different for residential students when they return home during Monitoring visit: Cambian Lufton College, 7 and 8 March 2022 holiday periods. However, leaders have yet to provide staff with the training they need to help students identify and manage the risks they may face.

p.4

Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not ensured that tutors understand fully safe working practices. As a result, tutors do not always ensure that students work safely during practical sessions. For example, students do not always handle tools correctly.

p.5

Insufficient progress

Students understand how to stay safe online. The appreciate the importance of not sharing personal information on social media. They know that they can speak to staff if they are worried or feel unsafe in college or when they are using their phone or computer. Monitoring visit: Cambian Lufton College, 7 and 8 March 2022 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for students 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.

p.5

Insufficient progress

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 .

p.6

Insufficient progress

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

p.6

Insufficient progress

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

p.6

Insufficient progress

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

p.6