Craftworks

Brogdale CIC Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Emma Leavey, His Majesty's Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent specialist college

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Address:

The Stables Culnells Farm School Lane Iwade ME9 8QJ Monitoring visit: Brogdale CIC, 25 April 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Brogdale CIC was inspected in May 2022. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

Brogdale CIC, also known as Craftworks College, is an independent specialist college based in Kent. The college has six campuses located in Faversham, Ashford and Sittingbourne. The college also provides remote education and a re-engagement programme to ensure that students continue their education even if they cannot attend the college.

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Context and focus of visit

The college provides education and training for young people aged 16 to 25 years old with a range of complex needs including special educational needs and disabilities and/or social, emotional, and mental health needs. A large number of students at the college are in receipt for funding for students with high needs and have in place education and health care plans (EHCPs).

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the visit, 69 students were attending the college. All students study English, mathematics and employability skills. They complete and achieve vocational qualifications in practical horticulture, farm animal care, creative crafts and cookery.

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Themes

 What progress have leaders made to help teachers improve their teaching skills so that students benefit from high-quality education.

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Significant progress

Leaders have taken highly appropriate actions to improve. Their strong oversight of the performance and progress of staff. As a result, they identify areas of weakness swiftly and put in place sensible actions which lead to positive improvement. Staff now benefit from a range of useful activities to improve their confidence and skills in teaching and assessing. For example, most staff have been supported to complete teaching qualifications. Staff share good practice frequently at 'Training Tuesday' sessions where they, learn new teaching strategies and tools, and review the progress made in the quality of the curriculum. Leaders and managers have implemented effective mentoring for some tutors, increasing their confidence and substantially developing their knowledge and skills. A small number of staff have undertaken useful visits in their industry to keep their skills and knowledge up to Monitoring visit: Brogdale CIC, 25 April 2023

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Significant progress

date. As a result, most students now benefit from high-quality teaching and make improved progress. Tutors introduce topics clearly and provide excellent explanations to help students learn. Tutors use questioning expertly to check on students' understanding and inform future learning. Tutors ensure that students embed their learning into long- term memory. For example, they recap on previous learning, ask questions through practical tasks and target their questioning to ensure that all students have grasped the topic. Tutors and support staff use the practical environment well to model tasks and ensure that students understand the theory in their learning. For example, when planting onions, students learned about the need to have a precise guideline to ensure that the onions will not grow over the potatoes planted on the adjacent line.

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Significant progress

 What progress have leaders, managers and staff made to ensure they use learners’ EHCP outcomes and starting points to plan an ambitious curriculum that develops students’ knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have revised and strengthened the process for setting student targets and monitoring student progress. They have introduced clear and easily accessible online systems which enable all staff to access information on student targets through personalised provision plans and provide helpful updates on students’ achievements. All staff have benefited from training to use these systems effectively. Leaders have successfully planned an ambitious curriculum that is personalised for each student. Students benefit from individualised opportunities to progress to higher levels in vocational studies or reduce their pathway subjects so that it is more manageable in times of crisis. Leaders have provided staff with useful training to understand targets on EHCPs and to be able to translate these into provision plans and small manageable targets. Most targets are ambitious in addressing students' needs. For example, where students

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Reasonable progress

need to plan community activities, staff help them develop their travel and social skills thoughtfully. All staff now contribute to planning and monitoring students’ achievement and progress. As a result, students generally achieve their targets and move on to more challenging targets. Most students complete helpful ‘growth journals’ which enable them to understand clearly the short-term targets they are working towards, and how they link with the longer-term targets of their EHCPs. As a result, students are more confident about their progress and recognise the steps they are taking to prepare for adulthood. Monitoring visit: Brogdale CIC, 25 April 2023  What progress have leaders and managers made to ensure all learners benefit from a planned curriculum to develop learners’ character, interests and full understanding of safeguarding.

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Significant progress

Leaders have made excellent progress in ensuring that students benefit from a well- considered curriculum. They have developed the curriculum to include appropriate topics to ensure that students know how to stay safe, develop their character and be successful in adult life. Well-prepared tutors adapt the curriculum and resources well to meet students’ specific needs. Tutors use personal anecdotes and targeted questioning well to engage students in helpful discussions about topics such as healthy relationships, risks to their safety and life in modern Britain. All students benefit from the personal development curriculum. Students value and enjoy these topics and can see how they will be relevant to their futures. Students now understand the importance of being vigilant. They have learned to respond to dangerous incidents using ‘Run, hide, tell’ as a strategy. Students understand how to stay safe when on the college sites clearly and comply positively with the training

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Significant progress

they have received. Monitoring visit: Brogdale CIC, 25 April 2023 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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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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Significant progress

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