Craven College

Craven College Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Alison Humphreys, His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 February 2025

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Type of provider: General further education college

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Address:

Gargrave Road Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 1US Monitoring visit: Craven College, 12 and 13 February 2025

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Context and focus of visit

Craven College was inspected in February 2024. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Reasonable progress

The new leadership team now have a clear oversight of attendance. They have improved the systems that they use to support managers to forensically review learners’ attendance and identify causes for concern. They have a robust attendance strategy that clearly outlines leaders’ high expectations. Leaders have focused on enhancing their partnership with parents and carers to support learners to attend college. Leaders have listened to learners’ feedback and put in place designated spaces for learners to work in and reduced the gaps in their timetables. They have reviewed the start time of the college day to ensure learners that travel from a distance are able to access public transport and attend on time.

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Reasonable progress

Managers review attendance weekly. They ensure that learners with lower attendance have robust action plans in place to support them to attend more often and to catch-up when they have fallen behind. Progress mentors and well-being advisors provide individual support to remove any barriers learners have that prevent them from attending their course. Leaders have increased learners’ attendance compared to the same point in the previous year.

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Reasonable progress

Senior leaders have recently made careful changes to improve the workloads of staff. They established a workload steering group. This involves managers, staff and the recognised teaching union working together to understand the pressures on staff. As a result of these discussions, leaders have implemented changes to reduce staff workloads. To support those staff that perform duties in addition to their teaching, leaders have introduced a new model that reduces their teaching hours. This enables staff to complete these duties more effectively. Leaders have developed new timetabling guidelines that provide staff with blocks of time to access training or to complete administrative tasks. Staff can now benefit from the hybrid working policy Monitoring visit: Craven College, 12 and 13 February 2025 which means that they can complete tasks from home if they choose to. Staff value the opportunity to work flexibly when they are not teaching.

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Reasonable progress

Lecturers talk enthusiastically about the improvements that leaders have made to reduce their workloads. They benefit from formal reviews three times a year to discuss workloads and wellbeing. Staff feel confident to ask for support when needed and say that leaders and managers are approachable and better understand their circumstances.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have strengthened their quality assurance arrangements to help them to monitor and track the quality of education that learners receive more effectively. They have implemented a range of quality assurance and improvement activities, such as departmental quality and finance reviews, classroom visits and discussions with learners. Leaders use this information to put in place targeted support to curriculum areas that underperform. As a result, more young people benefit from better teaching and achieve their qualifications. Leaders have further developed the training that staff receive to improve their teaching skills. They use the results from classroom visits to plan departmental and individualised staff training which is supported by advanced practitioners. Recent training has included the use of adaptive teaching and effective assessment strategies. Most lecturers use effective teaching strategies to check, consolidate and

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Reasonable progress

extend learning. For example, in animal care, lecturers use questioning skilfully to develop learners’ knowledge of pre and post operative procedures. However, a few teachers do not use teaching and learning strategies effectively to check and consolidate learning.

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Significant progress

Since the previous inspection governors have recruited a permanent leadership team. Leaders and governors have been relentless in their drive to create a collaborative culture where staff participate in decision making and feel listened to. Following extensive consultation with staff, leaders have launched a new strategic plan with a vision to be exceptional and which puts learners at the heart of all their decision making. Leaders have made significant changes to improve the quality of education that young people receive. As a result of these changes leaders have secured rapid improvements in the number of young people who achieve their qualifications. Monitoring visit: Craven College, 12 and 13 February 2025 Leaders hold weekly meetings with managers to closely monitor the performance of each department. They have established clear accountability for the quality of education that learners receive, and empowered managers to make decisions that

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Significant progress

meet the needs of their curriculum areas. Managers hold weekly meetings with their staff to cascade information from the leadership meetings. Staff have a clear understanding of the improvements that leaders are making and are enthusiastic about supporting leaders to continue to improve. Leaders have improved communication with their staff. They hold six weekly face-to- face briefings to inform staff of the progress made against the areas for improvement and their strategic objectives. Staff receive weekly updates through the ‘Craven Chronicle’ that details events and successes in the college. Staff talk enthusiastically about the visibility of leaders, and they have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas to improve in the college. Staff value the extensive communication from leaders and embrace the vision of ‘one college one team.’ Governors are passionate about the college and supporting leaders and staff to

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Significant progress

rectify all the areas of improvement identified at the previous inspection. They take an active role in providing support and challenge to leaders and managers. Governors have a clear and accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have in place appropriate policies and procedures to report and follow up safeguarding concerns. They deal with and record safeguarding referrals and well- being concerns swiftly. Leaders use information gained from referrals, local incidents and crime mapping to inform future training for staff and learners. Staff and learners benefit from talks by outside agencies on a range of topics such as the risks of drug misuse, risks of sexual violence and mental health awareness. Leaders provide safeguarding updates through ‘seven minute’ briefings and termly safeguarding newsletters. These provide staff with useful information on how to report concerns and spot signs that learners may be at risk. Monitoring visit: Craven College, 12 and 13 February 2025 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

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Reasonable progress

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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