Loughborough College

Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Loughborough College 1 Loughborough College Loughborough College of Further Education, Radmoor Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3BT Inspection of residential provision Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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residential accommodation

Loughborough College is a further education institution located in Leicestershire. The college offers a range of courses, including A levels and vocational courses for school leavers. The college also provides higher education, apprenticeships and professional qualifications.

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residential accommodation

The college provides residential provision on the college campus, featuring en-suite rooms with self-catering facilities for students aged 16 to 18 years old. Most students residing in the accommodation are elite athletes, who are provided with a dual career approach to balancing high-performance sport with academic achievement.

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residential accommodation

The accommodation offer includes independent living skills and well-being support for students. The dual career pathway offer for athletes includes performance lifestyle services, expert coaching and nutrition guidance, to equip athletes to perform at the highest level both academically and in sport.

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outstanding

How well young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The college provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the college contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for young people. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Loughborough College 2 Date of last inspection: 2 November 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Loughborough College 3

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: outstanding

Young people staying in the residential provision receive excellent, individual care and support. This helps them to make very good progress on their chosen education and sporting pathway. From when young people apply to reside at the college, their application is reviewed in detail by managers and staff to ensure they are best placed to meet young people’s needs. The induction process for young people, from when they arrive at the residential provision, is considered in detail by managers and staff. One young person said: ‘It’s great here, really good.’ The families of the young people are involved from the outset of their time at the college. This is because college staff and leaders understand this process can be challenging for families when their young people leave home for the first time.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: outstanding

The young people take pride in their accommodation. They have their own rooms, which are spacious and well equipped. Young people self-cater and share kitchens. This helps them to develop crucial independent living skills, such as shopping, preparing food, cooking and keeping the kitchens clean. The residential staff take a pro-active approach and support the young people in this area. There is a cooking workshop provided by the residential staff to help them eat healthily and cook food safely. The residential staff remain highly vigilant and identify those young people that may need additional help to adjust to living away from home.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: outstanding

There is a wide range of activities that young people enjoy. They socialise in the common room and take part in various shared activities. This helps them to develop very good relationships that often become long-standing friendships with their peers. The young people and residential staff spend time together and form strong relationships. One young person said, ‘They [residential staff] are all so nice and I would be confident in saying anything to them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: outstanding

The views of young people are important to college leaders. Consequently, young people have an ambassador on each residential block. This ensures they take forward their views and ideas on the day-to-day functioning of the residential provision. Additionally, young people can attend governors’ meetings and share their views as to the residential provision with leaders at all levels of the organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: outstanding

Each young person’s needs are of paramount importance to leaders and staff in the residential provision. For example, for one young person, the care and support and advocacy from the residential staff and college leaders have been life changing. She entered the residential accommodation having had some very difficult life experiences. The staff provided her with nurturing care to give her confidence and increase her self-esteem, and she was able to focus on the sport she loves. This has enabled her to make excellent academic progress. She is now focused on her future.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: outstanding

The leaders and staff have created a culture, in the residential provision, where young people support each other’s goals, for example by attending one another’s Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Loughborough College 4 sporting fixtures. Accommodation and well-being staff have helped young people to understand the importance of congratulating one another for their achievements. This has helped young people to develop resilience, character and a sense of supporting each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: outstanding

Communication between parents and staff, in the residential provision, is very good. The parents feel that their children are safe and secure and enjoy residing at college. Parents said that the residential staff go above and beyond to ensure that they are informed about their child and reassured of their safety and well-being. For example, staff send text messages to parents letting them know that their young person has returned safely back to the residential provision. Additionally, residential staff spend a week speaking to all the families of the young people staying in the residential provision and getting their views. One parent said, ‘I can’t praise them enough. I think they are brilliant; my daughter is so happy there. I feel she is safe and very secure; they know where she is, and I know where she is.’

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Overall experiences and progress of young people: outstanding

Young people staying in the residential accommodation achieve higher academic progress than their peers across the college. The young people say this is due to the supportive and fair boundaries put in place by residential staff. Young people feel they are doing well because they receive support to attend classes on time, undertake additional academic work and stick to their training schedules. The young people have a team around them, such as residential staff, sports coaches and mentors. This is excellent support and means these young people are kept on track and focused to achieve their goals.

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How well young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The staff implement appropriate behavioural boundaries with young people. The young people understand what constitutes acceptable and good behaviour. Staff are adept at early intervention in response to any concern they may have over a young person’s behaviour. This results in a culture and ethos of positive behaviour where everyone is respectful of each other and praises diversity and working together towards shared values.

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How well young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The residential staff are highly vigilant over any concerns or worries for young people. They understand that elite athletes can feel pressured from very busy daily schedules. The residential staff work with coaches and a designated member of staff in relation to managing the demands on the young people. This is especially the situation with sports injuries or when a young person may be emotionally struggling with the demands of their course and training. The staff remain professionally curious regarding any changes in young people’s presentation or how they are managing these demands. They provide young people with excellent support and know when to get more expert advice and guidance for the young people.

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How well young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The young people enjoy good relationships with each other, and bullying is not tolerated. Residential staff are constantly on the alert and foresee any possible student conflict before it arises and find ways to resolve issues quickly. This is a key strength in the safeguarding practice of the residential staff. The residential staff Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Loughborough College 5 and leaders promote tolerance of difference across the residential provision. This has led to a culture of mutual support, acceptance and some very strong friendships being formed.

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How well young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The safeguarding practice of staff is further strengthened by excellent relationships with external professional agencies. Young people know who to contact if they have any safeguarding concerns or need someone to speak to. Staff have ensured that there are numerous ways that a student can contact a staff member or outside agency for support. For example, young people can use a code and alert staff that they need assistance immediately.

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How well young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The staff provide well-considered responses to young people who may have harmed themselves. This includes support from therapists and staff trained in mental health. The young people have access to a designated staff member who provides specific emotional support, with the added help of a therapy dog. Staff help and support young people to learn techniques to keep themselves safe, both in the residential provision and in the community.

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How well young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The residential accommodation is safe and secure. There is a rigorous system for young people to alert staff when they leave and return to the building. The residential staff know where young people are. There is effective communication with young people and their parents to ensure their safety. Staff know the missing procedure well, should a young person go missing. This, however, has not been a concern. It is not uncommon for young people to get injured during sports competitions or during training. The residential staff are trained to administer first aid and trained in managing concussion. They will attend hospital with young people to provide practical and emotional support.

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How well young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The residential environment is safe and secure. All health and safety requirements are fully complied with. The grounds are secure with regular checking to ensure uninvited people are not accessing the grounds.

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How well young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff recruited to work in the residential provision, do so following a rigorous vetting process. This includes acceptable references and verification, social media and internet reviews and work history taken. They undertake enhanced DBS checks that are repeated every three years. This is very good practice and helps to keep young people safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

College leaders and the manager of the residential provision are highly motivated to provide young people who stay in the residential provision with the best opportunity to thrive and succeed. Leaders, staff and the manager are ambitious. They drive forward improvements that support the overall development of young people. The manager of the residential provision is visible, and she responds to the young people and staff in a thoughtful and considered manner. She has supported the residential staff in developing their emotional resilience, and this helps them to provide young people with the care and support they need. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Loughborough College 6 The college leaders and manager have high expectations and standards for young people and staff. They remain sensitive to the demands of elite sport on young people and so they remain committed to ensuring students welfare takes priority,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A real strength of the college is the excellent communication. This means staff know who to report any concerns or worries to and know these will be actioned. The college leaders are visible, and they provide good, visible leadership. College leaders completed a self-assessment of the residential provision. This assessment was meticulous and demonstrates a comprehensive assessment of the operating of the residential provision and areas to improve going forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leaders and managers have highly effective working relationships with partner agencies and parents. They work with the local police. For example, a designated police drug prevention officer visits the college and provides specialist advise and support. They have close and well-established links to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children with regards to young people being safe in sport and this extending the emotional support needs of students, who are elite athletes. The young people benefit from advice, support and personalised guidance from coaches, mentors, sports psychologists and nutritionists. This ensures that the young people remain on track to succeed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff in the residential provision receive regular reviews of their boarding practice. They also receive additional support in relation to managing the emotional demands of the work. This is in the form of clinical supervision from a professional independent of the college. The manager of the residential provision is well liked and respected by those staff working in the residential provision. She is available to them and works alongside them to provide the best possible support to the residential staff and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Governance arrangements are very good. Governors provide strong support, guidance and challenge to the principal of the college and senior leaders. Governors visit the residential provision and remain visible. The governor with responsibility for safeguarding has recently undertaken an audit of safer recruitment to be confident that processes and systems for employing staff are stringent and keep young people safe. The governors are operationally and strategically focused and have a detailed understanding of the residential provision. They are committed to the residential provision because they understand the importance of this provision for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are innovative and constantly look for ways to improve the residential provision. This has led to young people making exceptionally good progress. Some young people represent their country in sporting events across the world, while others go on to university, apprenticeships or work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No failures of the national minimum standards were identified at this inspection and no points for improvement were made. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Loughborough College 7

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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: Loughborough College 8

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accommodation details

Social care unique reference number: SC043659 Principal/CEO: Corrie Harris

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Inspectors

Phillip Morris, Regulatory Inspection Manager Ellen Monk, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Loughborough College 9 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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