Craftworks

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Provision for learners with high needs Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires Improvement

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Information about this provider

Brogdale Community Interest Company (Brogdale) now known as Craftworks College (Craftworks) is an independent specialist college located in Kent. The seven college campuses are located in Faversham, Ashford and Sittingbourne. In March 2019, Brogdale was inspected and judged to require improvement. The college changed its name to Craftworks College in January 2021.

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Information about this provider

The college provides education and training to young people aged 16 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including mental health needs. Many of whom have not attended school in a long time.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the visit, there were 60 learners studying vocational qualifications from entry level to level 2. Learners study a range of subjects, including horticulture, creative craft, food and cookery, farm animal care, and environmental and conservation skills. All 60 students are in receipt of high needs funding and 56 of these students have an education and health care (EHC) plan. 24 to 26 May 2022

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Learners have expectations and aspirations that they will develop their skills and knowledge to become more independent, and in the small minority of cases, find employment. Most learners value the positive culture that leaders and staff have created for them which supports these aspirations. For example, learners in horticulture and animal care have positive attitudes to their learning and work. They are ambitious, motivated, and most learners achieve leaders’ and managers’ expectations of them while they are at college.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

The majority of learners are attentive in class, enjoy their learning, and support their peers well. Tutors set the expectations of learner’s behaviour clearly. In the minority of lessons, staff do not take sufficient account of or understand fully learners’ difficulties and disabilities to provide consistently effective teaching and learning. As a result, learners do not always make the progress of which they are capable.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Many of the learners start at the college having had negative experiences of education in the past. At Craftworks, most learners benefit from effective teaching and positive learning environments which they enjoy and thrive in. For example, learners develop their skills by working on farms and in coffee shops which helps them to apply their new knowledge to these real working environments. However, there are inconsistencies in the quality of resources and teaching environments across the sites. The Mill and the Walled Garden do not support an environment of high expectations for learners.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Tutors do not ensure learners are provided with sufficient opportunities to make progress towards their EHC plan outcomes during their programmes. Tutors do not breakdown goals and targets to ensure they are manageable and incremental for learners to understand them. Consequently, too many learners are not fully aware of their goals and targets, how these will help them to improve, and make slow progress as a result.

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better?

Leaders work effectively with key partners such as Kent County Council and local employers to meet the needs of the growing numbers of young people with SEND in the local community and the employment opportunities available to them. Together, they ensure the right training is available to learners across the seven sites. Leaders use this information well, and as a result, developed the creative crafts programmes to provide learners with the skills required by local employers.

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better?

Leaders have a clear vison and purpose for the qualifications, courses and training they offer. This is informed well by the needs of their local community and employers. The individual vocational curriculums are skilfully sequenced and 24 to 26 May 2022 ambitious for learners. As a result, this helps most learners to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need for independence and adulthood.

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better?

Leaders do not select appropriate English and mathematics qualifications to meet the diverse learning needs of learners. Leaders do not consider what learners can and cannot do already when they plan teaching. Learners find the qualifications too difficult and quickly lose motivation. Learners fail to master the new skills in English and mathematics they need, and as a result, too many learners do not achieve these qualifications.

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better?

In the majority of programmes, tutors plan the vocational learning well which helps learners to learn in a structured and coherent way. In the higher performing subject areas such as animal care and horticulture, the teachers have ensured that the curriculum builds in complexity over time. For example, in horticulture, learners learn about health and safety and maintaining plants outdoors. Learners then apply this successfully when they use machinery which they do safely and effectively. In animal care courses, learners develop the skills and knowledge to confidently work with animals such as pigs, sheep and chickens.

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better?

Most tutors are experienced and knowledgeable in the subjects they teach. Tutors use their knowledge and industry expertise skilfully to provide industry-related explanations. For example, in horticulture, tutors explain the importance of knowing when the bird-nesting season is when erecting fences or cutting trees.

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better?

While leaders have improved the monitoring of teachers’ classroom practice, they do not ensure teachers develop their teaching skills. For example, leaders carry out routine observations of teachers which helps teachers to know what they need to do to improve. However, leaders do not ensure all staff take part in and benefit from training opportunities to improve their practice. As a result, the quality of teaching and learning is variable across the qualifications.

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better?

Tutors do not consistently track the incremental progress learners make with their skills, knowledge and behaviours related to their EHC plan outcomes. Targets are generic and do not enable learners to achieve their individual EHC targets rapidly. Consequently, learners are not clear on their individual targets and how these will help them improve. For example, in the minority of cases learners have been working towards the same outcomes for a prolonged period. Not all tutors and teaching assistants have sufficient knowledge of how to improve the learners’ skills. As a result, too few learners make the progress of which they are capable.

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better?

Leaders and managers have been too slow in developing a personal development curriculum to enable learners to benefit from activities to develop their wider interests. While learners feel safe and are safe at college, their knowledge of safeguarding topics is too varied. Leaders have effective plans in place to provide a purposeful curriculum, however, it is too early to see the impact of this. Most learners benefit from effective careers guidance from teaching staff to help with their next steps, for example, most learners know what they are planning to do next and how to achieve this. 24 to 26 May 2022 Leaders have ensured that learners who require therapies benefit from specialists who attend the college and support learners and tutors well through their vocational learning. For example, teachers encourage and monitor learners who have difficulties using both hands so they can complete tasks on the farm and apply what

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better?

they have learned from specialist staff. However, leaders do not have sufficient oversight of how therapies form part of a planned curriculum for learners and as a result do not monitor the impact of specialist staff of learners’ progress.

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better?

Leaders benefit from useful governance oversight, from highly experienced, enthusiastic and knowledgeable governors. For example, the chair of governors is a headteacher from a local special school. Governors have worked well with leaders to ensure they receive useful reports to help them understand the strengths and weaknesses. While governors have worked with leaders to provide information on individual learner progress, leaders do not have sufficient oversight of how well learners achieve on their programmes or the quality of learners’ next steps. As a result, leaders and governors are not sufficiently clear on the overall impact of the curriculum on their learners.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that designated safeguarding leads (DSL) are suitably trained. DSLs use high-quality safeguarding resources to train staff on safeguarding. Leaders and managers have invested judiciously in additional staff to support learners’ mental health.

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Safeguarding

DSLs take appropriate action to help learners who have safeguarding concerns, involving external agencies when appropriate. DSLs have established links with external agencies which they use effectively to stay up to date about current safeguarding issues in the region. As a result, they identify risks and act accordingly to ensure that learners are safe when at college.

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Safeguarding

Learners feel safe at the college and know who to and how to report concerns.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders and managers must help tutors improve their teaching skills so that learners benefit from high-quality education.  Leaders and tutors must use learners EHC plan outcomes and starting points, including those for English and mathematics, to design an ambitious curriculum that develops the knowledge, skills and behaviours learners need for adulthood and employment. 24 to 26 May 2022  Leaders and managers should ensure all learners benefit from a planned personal development curriculum that develops learners’ character, interests, and full understanding of safeguarding relevant to where they live and work.  Leaders and managers should ensure they use information on how well learners achieve on their chosen programmes and where they move onto in their next steps to improve the quality of education and training for all learners. 24 to 26 May 2022

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Provider details

Address The Stables, Culnells Farm School Lane Iwade ME9 8QJ

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Provider details

Website https://brogdalecic.co.uk/craftworks/

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 11 to 13 March 2019

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Provider details

Main subcontractors No subcontractors 24 to 26 May 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the deputy head of teaching and learning, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider's most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection and monitoring visit report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements, including visiting learning sessions, scrutinising learners' work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider's documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Daniel Beale, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector Emma Leavey Her Majesty's Inspector Joanna Walters Her Majesty's Inspector 24 to 26 May 2022 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.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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