Birtenshaw College

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good 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

Birtenshaw College is an independent specialist college located in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is part of the Birtenshaw Group, a registered charity and company limited by guarantee that was established in the 1950s to support children with disabilities. The college was established in 2014 and achieved independent status in 2016. It provides specialist further education for young people aged between 16 and 25. Learners have a variety of learning difficulties and/or disabilities and complex health needs.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, 56 learners attended the college. They follow individualised programmes on one of three pathways. Five learners study the communication and choice pathway, 43 follow the learning for life pathway and eight learners are on the employability pathway. 19 to 21 March 2024

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

Learners are polite and respectful towards each other, staff and visitors. They concentrate on the tasks they are working on because of small class sizes and high support ratios. Learners are happy at college. They find teachers and learning support assistants (LSAs) helpful and supportive. Learners have positive attitudes to their learning and most attend college regularly.

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

Learners learn in a calm environment in which they build confidence and develop social interactions with staff, fellow learners and visitors. Most learners make steady progress from their starting points. They improve their technical knowledge and vocabulary. Learners are proud of the skills that they develop. However, teachers and support staff do not use a broad enough range of activities to help pre-entry level learners, especially those with the most complex needs, develop their independence. They rely too heavily on verbal instruction and questioning. As a result, these learners make slow progress.

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

Learners benefit from high-quality information, advice and guidance before they start and during their programme. Leaders use the range of information they gather during learners’ transition into college, including their preferred next steps, to place learners on the correct pathway. As part of their curriculum, learners take part in a 10-week specialist careers programme and attend local careers events. Learners progress onto a range of destinations, including adult day care, supported living, volunteering, paid employment and further study.

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

Learners feel safe at college. They know who to go to if they have any concerns. Most learners know how to stay physically healthy. They learn how to prepare fresh ingredients and cook healthy meals. Learners have a basic knowledge of healthy relationships. They do not understand sufficiently well how to protect themselves from local risks that they may come across in their communities.

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better?

Leadership and management require improvement. Leaders rightly recognise that the progress they have made to improve the quality of education since the monitoring visit and previous inspection has not been quick enough. They have yet to implement an ambitious enough curriculum across all programmes, particularly the communication and choice pathway, so that all learners benefit from a high- quality education.

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better?

Leaders have recently introduced changes to the senior leadership team at the college. Improvements are beginning to emerge since the appointment of new leaders and managers. Leaders order the curriculum to build learners’ knowledge effectively over time in accredited subjects such as English and catering. For example, learners start by learning how to assess the quality of fresh fish by looking at eyes and gills. They then move on to filleting and cooking techniques. However, leaders have yet to ensure that teachers and support staff sequence and teach non- 19 to 21 March 2024

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accredited curriculums so that learners develop their knowledge and skills incrementally.

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Leaders use high-needs funding appropriately. Support for learners includes one-to- one and two-to-one staffing levels. Learners have access to resources such as assistive technologies, sensory equipment and transport to and from external activities. Those who require it access therapies such as speech and language therapy. Leaders adapt learners’ curriculums to meet their specific needs, including timetabling individual pool sessions where learners have water-based sensory needs.

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Staff hold suitable professional qualifications for their roles, including teaching and support qualifications. They attend a range of specialist training, including buccal midazolam, epilepsy awareness and behaviour management. Staff use the knowledge and skills that they learn in their training to support learners. Teachers and LSAs manage challenging behaviour effectively. They review behaviour plans regularly and make changes to individualised routines. Consequently, learners’ behaviours improve.

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Leaders rightly recognise that target setting, recording and monitoring are areas for improvement. Staff do not always track the smaller incremental steps of progress that learners make against social and emotional outcomes effectively. They do not routinely celebrate the smaller steps that learners make towards their individualised goals. In too many instances, learning against education, health and care plan (EHC plan) outcomes is incidental and not targeted.

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Leaders and managers effectively plan support so that most learners can take part in lessons. However, most LSAs and a few teachers do not give learners the time that they need to process questions or carry out activities independently before they intervene. Consequently, learners do not gain greater independence as quickly as they could.

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Learners develop their communication and social skills while taking part in a wide range of personal development activities such as Boccia and social events. Most learners regularly participate in community projects and voluntary work. They work with ‘green’ charities to litter pick in local communal areas. Learners cook and serve meals in a charity café. They become valued members of the community.

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Leaders identify accurately what they do well and the areas they need to improve. They have recently made improvements to the range of quality processes that they use to monitor and develop the quality of education for learners. Leaders identify weaknesses in practice for teachers and LSAs. They put in place appropriate training for staff. Leaders then revisit lessons to check how effectively the improvements are being made. They reset actions as appropriate. Leaders identify that improvements are not yet consistently embedded across all teachers, LSAs and curriculums.

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Trustees on the education committee have a range of backgrounds, including in higher and further education, health and business. Leaders provide trustees with reports outlining the progress that learners make and the curriculum. Trustees use 19 to 21 March 2024

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the reports to provide scrutiny and challenge to leaders about aspects such as the suitability of work placements for learners. However, they do not challenge leaders sufficiently about the impact of the actions that they have taken to improve the quality of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Minor areas for improvement to electronic safeguarding records were resolved during the inspection.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that the sequencing of non-accredited curriculums builds learners’ knowledge and skills over time.  Ensure that targets are set, recorded and monitored effectively, including progress towards social and emotional, and EHC plan outcomes.  Improve the quality of teaching that pre-entry learners receive.  Ensure that LSAs and teachers give learners the time that they need to process questions or carry out activities independently before they intervene.  Provide helpful information to trustees that enables them to challenge leaders about the impact of the actions that they have taken to improve the quality of education. 19 to 21 March 2024

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Provider details

Address Crompton Way Bolton Greater Manchester BL2 2PE

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Provider details

Provider type Independent specialist college

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection 7 to 9 December 2021

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Provider details

Main subcontractors None 19 to 21 March 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the deputy head of college, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection 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

Alison Cameron Brandwood, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Jane Young Ofsted Inspector 19 to 21 March 2024

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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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