Woodbridge College

Woodbridge College Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Suzanne Wainwright, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent specialist college

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Address: Springfield Road Kearsley Bolton Greater Manchester BL4 8LB Monitoring visit: Woodbridge College, 5 and 6 July 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Woodbridge College was inspected in October 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

Woodbridge College is a partner of Woodbridge Trust. The trust provides education and support for children and students with special educational needs and/or disabilities who are aged from four to 25. Students at Woodbridge College are aged between 19 and 25. All have severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties, physical disabilities and/or autism. At the time of the visit, 24 students were enrolled on two pre-entry to entry-level pathways. There were 10 students on the futures – skills for work and living pathway, and 14 students on the futures – skills for life pathway.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders responded swiftly to rectify the weaknesses identified at their previous inspection. They redesigned the curriculum completely and used feedback from parents and carers, staff and sector membership organisations to inform their curriculum decisions. Leaders moved away from a qualification-driven curriculum to one that focuses on students’ education, health and care plan (EHC plan) outcomes and future aspirations. Leaders have changed their approach to staffing and now have a team of well-qualified, permanent staff. They implemented their new curriculum at the start of the summer term of 2023.

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Reasonable progress

Learning activities are practical. They help students gain greater independence so that they can make their own choices in life, live independently and/or gain paid or voluntary work. However, while the new curriculum has been well designed for most students, it lacks ambition for a minority of the more-able students who would benefit from some theoretical aspects of their learning.

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Reasonable progress

Students with profound and multiple learning difficulties, who also have sensory needs, benefit from ambitious, personalised learning that focuses on developing their Monitoring visit: Woodbridge College, 5 and 6 July 2023 communication, independence and social interaction skills. They learn how to work with and tolerate others and to follow simple instructions correctly.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have incorporated specialist therapies such as speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and music therapy into the curriculum to support students’ learning. At the time of the visit, professionals had started to assess the speech and language requirements of all students, regardless of need, to ensure that they develop the communication skills they require for life and work.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous inspection, leaders have repurposed their accommodation to meet the learning needs of students. They have created a therapies/sensory room and suitable spaces for small-group or individualised learning for students who need a quieter working environment.

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Reasonable progress

Governors have supported leaders, and continue to challenge them, to make the necessary changes to the curriculum. Governors recognise that while the basis of the new curriculum is strong, the curriculum requires further development to ensure that it is sufficiently aspirational for all students.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have supported tutors to plan for the new curriculum and to integrate specialist therapies into students’ learning. Leaders and tutors have created a learning environment focused on ‘total communication’. Tutors incorporate the use of switches, communication books and tablets effectively into their lessons to help all students participate in activities irrespective of their needs. Most staff use signing confidently to reinforce students’ understanding of oral communication.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors and teaching assistants work effectively together to plan learning. They use a range of relevant scenarios, including the local community and the successful Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, to provide learning in realistic and meaningful settings.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors plan learning activities around students’ personalised targets that are now derived from their EHC plan outcomes. Most targets are clear and help students to make at least the progress expected of them across a variety of different learning activities. However, in a few instances, tutors and teaching assistants do not identify how activities help students achieve their individual learning goals. For example, when students work on a project in groups, teaching staff do not record how this helps students achieve their target of working with different peers each week. On a few occasions, teaching assistants struggle to support their students effectively and do not ask the tutor for help. Monitoring visit: Woodbridge College, 5 and 6 July 2023 Teaching staff benefit from highly relevant staff development activities that help them to improve their teaching practices and to support the individual needs and

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Reasonable progress

long-term goals of their students. Students with medical or complex health needs are supported effectively by well-trained staff who ensure that their health needs are not a barrier to their learning.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have made significant improvements to their initial and baseline assessment process. While they have started to use this to assess the starting points of new students, leaders have not yet had the opportunity to thoroughly evaluate the impact of their new process.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have redesigned their approach to careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG). They have implemented an appropriate careers strategy into their overall curriculum plan. All students receive independent CEIAG that relates to their needs and aspirations and links directly to what they hope to achieve after they leave college. For example, students can attend work placements to trial specific job roles such as working in a warehouse.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors reinforce students’ next steps and career opportunities with external, collaborative support from local CEIAG advisers. Advisers meet with students prior to their annual EHC plan review to help them understand their potential next steps. However, as leaders introduced the new careers curriculum relatively recently, there is not yet sufficient evidence to demonstrate its full impact on helping students with their next stage of education, employment or independence. Monitoring visit: Woodbridge College, 5 and 6 July 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

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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