Moulton College

Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Moulton College 1 Moulton College Moulton College, West Street, Moulton, Northampton NN3 7RR Inspection of residential provision Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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residential accommodation

Moulton College is a specialist land-based college providing a wide range of education and training for young people and adults. The main campus is in the rural village of Moulton, close to Northampton. The college admits young people, including those aged under 18, on a residential basis. The accommodation provides single and twin rooms with en-suite facilities. The under 18 student accommodation is separate. At the time of inspection, there were 68 resident young people aged under 18. A significant number of them contributed to this inspection.

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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: 8 February 2022

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good

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

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people enjoy their time at this college and, in particular, living in the residential provision. They have all expressed that they enjoy college life, feel well supported and that relationships between the young people and residential workers are very good.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

The induction and individual support for young people are good and the assessment and screening of their needs prior to them starting college life mean that support is in place from the start.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Residential accommodation is good and meets young people’s needs. Consideration is given to the allocation of rooms to try and support young people to settle and establish friendship groups. Leaders and managers are ambitious about the residential accommodation and have plans in place to renovate the accommodation on a rolling programme. This means there is considerable investment to upgrade the residential accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people staying in the residential provision do well with their chosen courses. Their attendance and attainment are better than that in the overall college population. Should young people need extra support, this is available and additional equipment and study support can be sourced. There was universal positive feedback from parents about the support and impact on young people of living in residential care.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Health and well-being needs are well met. Residential care staff work closely with families if there are any concerns around young people’s emotional health and well-being. Further support is readily available through the well-being hub, where young people can access one-to-one support, advice, and resources such as sanitary products, food parcels and sexual health advice.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

There have been concerns raised by young people and parents around the standard, quality and availability of food. Leaders and managers understand the challenges regarding food provision and are trying to address these concerns through focus groups and surveys with parents and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people have a variety of ways to express their views and are regularly consulted with. There are further plans to expand the range of activities offered to the young people, and the college are actively recruiting for additional staff to provide more options.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

The safeguarding and well-being of young people are a priority for the college. There is a dedicated and knowledgeable safeguarding team, whose members have Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Moulton College 3 implemented effective systems to identify and respond to concerns quickly. Residential staff know the students well and have built positive relationships with them. Young people spoken with could identify a trusted adult they could talk to about any worries and concerns. Young people feel well-supported and know where they can go to access additional help if needed.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Young people benefit from clear and consistent boundaries and there is a high expectation around positive behaviour. This has helped young people to develop their understanding of societal norms and social skills. Potential risks are identified and well managed, and the support and care provided helps students to keep themselves safe.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

There have been no concerns around young people going missing from care or absent while in residence. There are effective systems in place to regularly check on young people and their whereabouts, and any concerns are raised with families and the safeguarding team. Vulnerable young people have risk assessments in place which provide additional welfare support when needed. The college uses a safe app that young people can download to their phones for them to report any concerns or if they need immediate help.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Challenging and difficult behaviour from young people in the residential provision is rare. Residential staff take a proportionate and balanced approach to any incidents of concern and are clear around the expectations of acceptable behaviour.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Residential staff have all been trained in safeguarding and wider safeguarding concerns such as criminal exploitation. This means that staff are aware and alert to any possible safeguarding concerns and how to report and respond to these. Residential staff are further supported by a security team, whose members undertake regular security checks on site. The security team are also trained as first aiders and will respond to any emergency situations or alerts from the Safe App.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are recruited using stringent safe recruitment practices and regular reviews, and checks ensure that staff employed to work at the college have been deemed as suitable and not a risk to young people. There are systems in place to report any concerns about staff to local safeguarding professionals.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

The physical environment provided to young people is safe and protects them from harm. Regular fire and health and safety checks ensure that any concerns are quickly identified and managed appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The college is led by committed leaders and managers who know the young people in residence very well. Leaders and managers are visible and make themselves available to the young people and staff. They are ambitious and have high expectations. Although the management team is relatively new, the manager of the residential provision has worked at the college for some time and knows the college and residential provision well. He has settled into his new role as the Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Moulton College 4 manager and has exciting plans to develop this provision further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The college principal is also new, having taken up post in July 2024. He brings a good range of knowledge and experience to the role. The new principal and newly appointed manager join an experienced group of managers and leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and governors understand the progress and development of the young people. This is because they have good systems to provide them with the information they need to track the progress of the young people. It also enables them to take action if any young people are struggling with any aspect of their work or life in the residential provision. Leaders and managers want young people to do well because they understand the importance of this for the young people’s futures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Residential support staff complete sessions with young people to support and encourage them with the chosen course they are studying. Good communication and information-sharing across the residential, pastoral and educational staff means that young people receive the support they need to succeed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager in the residential provision provides staff with daily support through shift handovers, individual discussions with staff, reviews of their boarding practice and reflective discussions. These are complimented with team meetings that help to coordinate their efforts in providing good care and support to the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff working in the residential provision have high morale and enjoy their jobs. They have developed good relationships with the young people, and this helps students to feel supported and confident in approaching staff for help and guidance. Staff training is good, with staff undertaking a range of mandatory training to equip them for their roles and also training tailored more to the specific needs of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The governors come from a range of professional backgrounds and provide strong and effective oversight and challenge to leaders. The governors are focused on making sure that the young people are safe and receiving good support and care from the staff at college and across the campus. Governors are sensitive to the diverse backgrounds and needs of the young people and seek their views about their residential experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The college leaders, managers and staff work hard to provide young people with a good and enriching experience when they stay in residence. They strive to ensure that staying in residence helps them to do well in their chosen course. The leaders and managers therefore understand the importance of good and rigorous quality assurance processes. They undertake reviews of the residential provision, and they welcome the views of young people, their families and external professionals. They are using this information to develop the residential provision further, for example the renovation and improvement in the residential facilities and rooms for young people. The new manager is determined to provide more activities for the young people and ensure they are central to all the decisions made about the provision. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Moulton College 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Relationships with external professional agencies are very good. They managers and leaders have developed good relationships with local agencies, and this means that if a young person in residential requires additional services, these are quickly identified. Should concerns over the welfare of young people emerge, the college staff know how to make the appropriate referrals to the right external agencies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Residential staff provide young people with care and support, and this is in accordance with the policies and procedures of the college. Policies are updated regularly and amended in line with any changes to the legal frameworks. The leaders are aware of the importance of up-to-date and accurate polices to guide and help staff in their residential practice.

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Points for improvement

 Ensure that young people and families/carers are consulted with about the standard and provision of food provided and act in response to any concerns raised by young people and families/carers. (Linked to NMS 8.1)

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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: Moulton College 6

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accommodation details

Social care unique reference number: SC042117

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Inspectors

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Phillip Morris, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Moulton College 7 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 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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