Chichester College Group

Chichester College Group Monitoring visit report

p.1

Name of lead inspector: Peter Cox, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector

p.1

Type of provider: General further education college

p.1

Address: Westgate Fields Chichester West Sussex PO19 1SB Monitoring visit: Chichester College Group, 10 October 2022

p.1

Context and focus of visit

The Chichester College Group (CCG) is the largest provider of further education in West Sussex. CCG consists of seven colleges - Brighton Metropolitan, Chichester, Crawley, Brinsbury, Northbrook, Haywards Heath and Worthing – offering adult learning courses, apprenticeships, education programmes for young people and programmes for students with high needs. Ofsted judged CCG to be ‘outstanding’ in March 2020.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

This unannounced safeguarding monitoring visit was in response to concerns raised to Ofsted about the Crawley College campus. Crawley College offers vocational qualifications, apprenticeships and adult courses to approximately 3200 students and apprentices. Of these, there are approximately 250 students with high needs. The college also provides full-time and part-time learning education to approximately 95 14- to 16-year-olds.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Governors and leaders have made the decision to extend an open campus policy to all sites within the college group in order to support positive student behaviour and conduct. To reduce the risk to students, leaders and managers have ensured that staff and students are sufficiently trained to know how to respond to instances where non-students are on site. Leaders are rightly considering further actions to support students’ safety on the college site.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Most instances where non-students are on site, including former students and non- students, are swiftly dealt with by leaders and managers. Leaders have appointed a community support officer who works with a team of duty managers to patrol and check the site is secure. Leaders’ deployment of CCTV is well considered, providing good coverage of the main entry points to the campus, buildings and remote spots. Leaders have identified the need to further improve the range and coverage of this monitoring across the college campus and have sensible plans in place to do this.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers use a helpful internet filter to check that students are safe and not accessing harmful, upsetting or disturbing content. Where a learner attempts to access such content, leaders quickly intervene to provide support.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have engaged with key partners, such as police youth offending teams and Sussex police community support officers, purposefully in order Monitoring visit: Chichester College Group, 10 October 2022 to share about local and regional threat. They use this information well to inform the curriculum.

p.2

Reasonable progress

The safeguarding team ensures that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in maintaining site security, and that they know how to report a concern.

p.3

Reasonable progress

The vast majority of students feel safe at college and when travelling to college. They know how to report a concern, including what to do if they are worried about someone who may be a stranger on site. Most are able to recall the college’s emergency closure procedure and know what to do in the event of an emergency.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have appropriate procedures in place to identify incidents of bullying and harassment. Staff have a good understanding of students who are most at risk. They regularly check that students feel safe and know how to make a disclosure.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Where incidents of bullying and harassment occur, the safeguarding team and staff provide suitable and timely support to students. When necessary, the safeguarding team worked effectively with external safeguarding agencies, such as social and care workers, to help support students. As a result, the vast majority of incidents of bullying and harassment are dealt with effectively.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Leaders, managers and staff ensure that the most vulnerable students are suitably supported and kept safe. For example, they ensure that 14- to 16-year-old students have exclusive use of specific rooms on site. Staff supervise students with high needs at breaktimes and lunchtimes closely.

p.3

Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers ensure that governors and leaders receive sufficient information about emerging and ongoing safeguarding themes to support and challenge leaders

p.3

Reasonable progress

The safeguarding team monitors safeguarding issues reasonably well. However, in some instances, managers do not record actions clearly, which hinders leaders’ ability to check that students receive the support they need. Monitoring visit: Chichester College Group, 10 October 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.3

Reasonable 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.4

Reasonable 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.4

Reasonable progress

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

p.4

Reasonable progress

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

p.4