City College Norwich, Paston College and Easton College

Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: City College Norwich, Paston College and Easton College City College Norwich, Paston College and Easton College Easton College, Easton, Norwich, Norfolk NR9 5DX Inspection of residential provision Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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residential accommodation

City College Norwich is a large general further education college based in Norfolk, which has over 6,000 students. The Easton campus includes residential accommodation.

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residential accommodation

The Easton campus has 100 residential places for students aged 16 to 18. At the time of the inspection, 36 residential students were in accommodation.

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residential accommodation

Inspectors only inspected the residential 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: City College Norwich, Paston College and Easton College

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people receive good-quality individual care and support. They appear happy and at home in the provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people’s inductions to the residential provision are thorough. Parents are also involved in the induction process. This helps parents to provide reassurance to young people if needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people are able to access appropriate support with their health needs. Staff refer young people to additional support services as needed. This includes safeguarding, well-being and mental health services.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people’s attendance at college is generally good. Staff monitor attendance and are curious about changes. Feedback from tutors is positive about the communication between the component parts of the college. Staff who work in the residential provision also have roles in the day college. This has contributed to young people receiving additional support to make progress on their courses.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people feel listened to. Staff understand the communication needs of the young people and are able to clearly communicate with them. An independent person also visits the residential provision, providing the young people with an additional source of advocacy and opportunity to express their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: good

Young people engage well in some activities. A range of activities are provided by residential staff. The college pastoral team also helps young people to source external activities that they are interested in.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Young people say that they feel safe in the residential provision. They are able to identify staff who they would go to if they needed to share concerns. Some are able to give practical examples of when they have done this and spoke positively about the support they subsequently received.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Young people say that they get on with each other and that bullying is not an issue. They report some incidences of falling out but say that staff respond appropriately to these.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Young people receive support to understand and manage internet safety risks. This is provided via personal development lessons in the wider college.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

There is a stable workforce in residential. As a result, there has been little recruitment of new staff, with no new starters over the past year. When staff are Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: City College Norwich, Paston College and Easton College recruited, this is done in line with safe recruitment practices. The designated safeguarding lead has a good understanding of the expectations of this process.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have access to a good range of safeguarding training. Designated safeguarding staff have appropriate training.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

When safeguarding concerns about students arise, appropriate support is provided. There are good links between the residential provision, safeguarding leads and well- being staff.

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How well young people are helped and protected: good

Leaders and managers take safeguarding concerns seriously. They give good consideration to low-level concerns about staff conduct. They also refer concerns to the local authority designated officer. However, these are not always shared promptly. Although the delays have not resulted in harm or affected investigations, the safeguards afforded by prompt referrals risk being diluted if delays persist.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management of the residential provision have enabled a stable staff team to provide students with good care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good relationships between the residential provision and the wider college. Education colleagues report good relationships, as do health colleagues, well-being colleagues and safeguarding colleagues. These good relationships increase the likelihood that students will get what they need, when they need it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they are well supported. All residential staff receive annual appraisals. New staff have an induction that includes several weeks of shadowing more experienced colleagues before they lead a shift themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff involved in safeguarding decisions and oversight have access to clinical supervision. This provides them with appropriate support to help manage the emotional toll of the work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have worked creatively and inclusively to enable students with diverse needs to settle in the residential provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders write reports for governors. These provide a useful overview of the residential provision. Governors understand the need to get beneath the information presented and understand more about the detail of the work taking place. Plans are in place to achieve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been no complaints about residence. Students report that staff listen to them, and feedback from parents is generally positive. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: City College Norwich, Paston College and Easton College

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that safeguarding concerns about staff are discussed promptly with the local authority designated officer.

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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: City College Norwich, Paston College and Easton College

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accommodation details

Social care unique reference number: 2576569 Principal/CEO: Jerry White

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Inspectors

Anver Rose, Social Care Inspector Ashley Hinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: City College Norwich, Paston College and Easton College 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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Inspectors

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