Cornwall College

Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 1 Cornwall College Corporate Headquarters, Cornwall College St Austell, Tregonissey Road, St Austell, Cornwall PL25 4DJ Inspection of residential provision Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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residential accommodation

Cornwall College provides further and higher education for over 15,000 learners across a range of campuses. Residential accommodation is offered for students at Bicton College and Duchy College. Students attend a range of courses including land-based studies, agriculture, equine care, countryside management, animal management and entry to the uniformed services. At the time of inspection, there were 149 residential students aged 16-18. This does not include those who stay overnight as part of their duties, or apprentices.

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residential accommodation

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this college.

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good

How well young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The college provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 3 December 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 2

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Residential students enjoy staying at and attending this college. They speak highly of the support they get from staff, and the sense of community that is created. Residential staff provide nurturing care, which is valued by students who are often staying away from parents for the first time. Students say they enjoy meeting people and making new friends. Residential students have a wide range of needs, interests and experiences. Importantly, they are accepting of each other and their differences.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Students benefit from the opportunities staying at college provides. The residential provision allows students to access the courses that interest them and supports their development. For example, undertaking duties outside of normal college hours. Students are focused on their education and future careers. During careers week, students were encouraged to think about their future career aspirations and helped to understand the different routes to achieve their goals. Residential staff work closely with those who deliver courses. This helps staff to identify any worries or concerns at the earliest opportunity, and to offer students support in the evenings.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

A wide range of food is available to students. The majority of students are positive about the food. Some students on one campus commented on the range of food and number of healthy options. Leaders ensure students are given regular opportunities to provide feedback on the food offered, and changes are made as a result of this. Catering staff work with residential staff to ensure students are eating, and they monitor when there are specific concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Students benefit from a wide range of activities. Students enjoy the use of a gym and sports facilities. They can play pool or socialise in communal areas. Residential staff run art groups and tabletop game sessions. Staff recognise the needs of individual students and tailor their offer to help engage those who might be quieter. Those who stay at weekends enjoy trips to larger towns and cities. A social calendar is in place that tells students what is on and when, and how to let staff know they are interested in joining that activity.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Students have the opportunity to provide feedback about their experiences. Residential staff hold termly meetings with groups of students who live together. Here they share their views and staff use this information to ensure students feel safe. Staff provide students with ‘you said, we did’ style feedback to show what action they have taken.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Students say they feel safe in the physical environment. They also feel safe around their peers. When there are issues between individuals or groups, they feel that residential staff are responsive and address the concerns quickly. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 3 Residential staff know students well. This means they can identify who may need extra support. Staff undertake small actions for students, such as helping them get to doctors’ appointments, or collecting a meal when they feel unwell. This helps students to feel cared for. Students respond positively to the boundaries put in place by staff. Staff create an environment of shared understanding and mutual respect.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Staff take action to ensure students are safe. Because staff know students well, they recognise when they might need additional support. When needed, staff make referrals or signpost students to external agencies including safeguarding authorities. However, the decision making and outcomes are not always clearly recorded. This means it cannot always be seen why decisions have been made, or how robust actions are taken around safety planning.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

When there are worries about a student’s behaviour, staff follow clear processes to resolve issues. The student experience team is closely involved, which means the context around concerns is understood. When appropriate, this context can act as mitigation and can influence the outcomes of this process. The student as a learner is at the centre of decisions. All attempts are made to keep students safe, but also to give individuals opportunities to achieve. The student experience team also undertake proactive work with students, for example, raising awareness of substance misuse, or promoting positive mental wellbeing.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Recruitment practices are in line with safer recruitment guidance. Concerns about staff practice are reported appropriately to safeguarding authorities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good oversight of the provision and are aware of the strengths and weaknesses. They understand how the residential provision benefits students, enabling students to participate in courses that will help them to achieve their career aspirations. Leaders use data to monitor and understand trends in the student population. Using information from course staff, leaders understand which students are at risk of not achieving, and so can tailor support and intervention as needed. The oversight also extends to understanding the areas of support needs. Through categorising safeguarding referrals leaders identify patterns and trends, meaning they can adapt or focus support. The data tells leaders that residential students’ outcomes are better than their non-residential peers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Residential staff work closely as a team to support students. They say they feel supported by leaders and managers, and that they receive regular supervision sessions. However, minutes of these conversations are not routinely recorded. As such, leaders and managers may be less likely to be able to identify themes or patterns and adapt support as required. This is, to an extent, mitigated by regular team meetings, where staff reflect on students at risk or with significant support needs. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 4 Governors maintain thorough oversight of the provision. They visit the residential sites and seek feedback from students. Governors have access to live data, allowing them to closely monitor the provision, in addition to reports produced by senior leaders. Governors have confidence in leaders and say they are open to challenge

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A social worker says that their student is settled, well supported and there is good communication. They see that staff genuinely care about the student. A parent says that the college has supported their child well, understanding their special educational needs and allaying anxieties before they started. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 5

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Points for improvement

 The college leaders should ensure that safeguarding records show the rationale for decision making and clarity of safety planning.  The college leaders should ensure consideration is given to how to capture and record informal and regular supervision meetings with staff.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Children Act 1989 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the national minimum standards. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 6

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accommodation details

Social care unique reference number: 1233463

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Inspectors

Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Polly Soper, Social Care Inspector Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Cornwall College 7 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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