Reaseheath FE College

Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Reaseheath FE College 1 Reaseheath FE College Reaseheath, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 6DF Inspection of residential provision Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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residential accommodation

Reaseheath College is a specialist provider of vocational education and training in further education (FE) and higher education (HE) for businesses, industries and communities that are mainly, but not exclusively, rural and land-based.

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residential accommodation

Four halls of residence on the Reaseheath campus accommodate learners aged from 16 to 18. These include male and female students.

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requires improvement to be good

How well young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The college is not yet delivering good help and care for young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 18 January 2022

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requires improvement to be good

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

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to be good

Students feel happy in residential halls. They have positive experiences and make friends. They spoke fondly about residential staff and said that they feel well cared for and supported by staff. Students said that if they need support or help out of hours, they have a clear system they can use to access help from the student support services. Students are confident to use this service and say that it is helpful.

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to be good

Staff have not coordinated their support to ensure that all students can access child protection or health and well-being services in a timely way. This has meant that for a minority of students the risks associated with their emerging vulnerabilities have not been fully addressed. During the inspection, the college took prompt action to rectify these shortfalls.

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to be good

The physical environment for students is safe and secure and protects them from harm, or the risk of harm. When maintenance issues are raised by students, they are quickly addressed.

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to be good

The college actively builds relationships with students’ parents and seeks their feedback and views on the care provided to their children. Feedback received through recent college surveys and discussions during the inspection showed that parents are happy with the support their children receive and with their experiences and progress.

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to be good

Students are provided with a variety of food outlets which provide an assortment of different choices. Although there are restricted opening hours with hot meals only being available until 18:30, students also have access to ‘emergency’ meals out of hours should they need it, and the college organises weekly shopping trips to local supermarkets for the students. However, some students said that they would benefit from an increase in choices for their evening meal to ensure that all dietary preferences can be met.

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to be good

There is a variety of clubs, groups and activities for students to get involved in, such as seasonal events, movie nights, sports events and social nights. Some activities link to the curriculum through enrichment activities. Students are consulted about what activities they would like to have access to and where possible these are put in place. In addition to planned activities, students also have access to a recently refurbished on-site gym and common room.

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to be good

Students’ views are listened to through the student union and student council. They influence positive changes on the college campus to improve residential students’ experiences. They have brought positive changes to the social aspect of residential life. The student union president also attends regular meetings with the leadership team and governors to share students’ views. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Reaseheath FE College 3 Residential hall meetings take place regularly. Students attend these and understand that this is their opportunity to share their views, wishes and feelings about residential and their experiences. There is evidence that action is taken to consider and address students’ feedback and concerns. However, students reported that they do not always receive information about what action has been taken.

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to be good

Students new to the residential are welcomed through careful and considerate planning to ensure their individual needs are met. The freshers crew provide students with a buddy system, which helps new students to understand campus life and to settle in quickly.

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to be good

When students have additional needs, the special educational needs coordinator works alongside students and their parents to ensure that they have suitable arrangements in place for them to live comfortably, and with reasonable adjustments if needed. This supports students and maximises their learning opportunities. When students have an education, health and care plan, the residential team is aware of their goals and targets and incorporate these into their individual residential development plan (IRDP).

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to be good

There are new recording systems and management structures within the safeguarding department, which are intended to improve the college’s approach to safeguarding; however, these are not yet successfully embedded. This has resulted in some shortfalls in action taken when safeguarding concerns arise for some students.

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to be good

One student was supported to access emergency medical support during the inspection. They returned to the residential following discharge with a plan for regular welfare checks throughout the night and following day. However, information about the nature of the welfare checks was not handed over to staff on duty the following day. This meant that staff did not have an understanding of what was expected of them to provide the necessary care and support to the student.

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to be good

Leaders have provided suitable reassurance that a plan is being developed to review all residential students’ records to ensure that no other issues have been overlooked. The college will continue to seek external support for this to ensure there is suitable scrutiny or records and actions taken.

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to be good

IRDPs are in place for all students. These are regularly reviewed and the student’s voice is heard throughout the plans. These plans support staff to understand students’ individual needs and targets. However, some strategies within these plans are generic and do not include sufficient detail for staff to provide individualised support for students who may require additional help. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Reaseheath FE College 4 Staff have demonstrated their understanding of the process for whistle-blowing. When concerns have been raised about staff, they have been suitably investigated, relevant professionals notified and appropriate action taken as a result.

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to be good

The student code of conduct and halls rules are clear documents for students to read and understand. When it has been necessary to impose consequences or disciplinaries, they are reasonable, proportionate and necessary, in line with the college’s student conduct policy.

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to be good

There have been no occasions when it has been necessary to report students missing from the campus. There are sufficient security and identity card systems in place to ensure that students are accounted for. There are protocols for when students are not in halls by curfew and staff understand and put these protocols into practice.

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to be good

Students are supported to understand safeguarding topics and build life skills through Be Ready sessions and a Well-Fest event. This supports students to access resources and increase their knowledge to help keep themselves safe.

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good

There are systems in place for the monitoring and oversight of the residential provision through self-assessment reports and quality improvement plans, and there are also electronic recording systems in place. However, these are not effective in identifying when concerns arise and ensuring that follow-up work is completed. As a result, there have been missed opportunities to safeguard students and to ensure that lessons are learned to prevent reoccurrences or to influence changes to systems and processes.

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good

Governors demonstrate an understanding of safeguarding and students’ well-being. The chair of governors works closely with the designated safeguarding leads and takes their responsibilities seriously. The quality standards committee meeting is attended by the chair of governors alongside leaders and the student union president, who helps students provide input about the residential. This also supports governors to offer valuable support and challenge to enhance the development plans presented by college leaders.

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good

There has been a restructure of the residential staff team with a view to improve student experiences. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities. Their focus is ensuring students feel comfortable and confident to talk to staff and share any concerns; students expressed through surveys and feedback gathered that they can talk to staff and they will listen.

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good

Staff are trained in courses including safeguarding and first aid. They are also provided with a variety of workshops and development sessions to support their knowledge in additional areas relevant to their role to protect and support the well- Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Reaseheath FE College 5 being of the students. Staff feel well supported by the leadership team and said that they are provided with support and guidance from their line managers.

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good

Team meetings take place regularly and they are well attended. They discuss a variety of topics that are focused on improving students’ experiences in residential. However, safeguarding is not a standing agenda item. Students would benefit from this as it would ensure that safeguarding is at the forefront of all staff thinking and practice.

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good

New staff are provided with an organised induction process to integrate them into their roles in residential, ensuring they have the understanding of their role before they commence. Staff new to the role are carefully monitored throughout their probationary periods and any areas of development highlighted and support implemented. Staff receive regular sessions with their line manager to reflect on their progress. However, these are not always recorded and therefore do not capture the discussions taking place or enable any monitoring of actions arising. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Reaseheath FE College 6

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education residential accommodation

The college does not meet the following national minimum standards for further education residential accommodation:

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education residential accommodation

 The college ensures that:  arrangements are in place to safeguard and promote the welfare of residential students;  such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State that applies to the college; and  all staff who have responsibility for the care of residential students undertake safeguarding training, including regular updating. When disabled students are resident, specialist training is undertaken to enhance staff knowledge and understanding about their additional needs. (Further education residential accommodation: national minimum standards 11.1)  The college’s governing body and/or proprietor takes responsibility for monitoring the effectiveness of the leadership, management and delivery of the residential and welfare provision, and takes appropriate action where necessary. (Further education residential accommodation: national minimum standards 13.1)

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Point for improvement

The college should have, and implement effectively, appropriate policies and arrangements for the care of residential students who are unwell and ensure that the physical and mental health and emotional well-being of residential students is promoted. The arrangements should be known to students and parents. Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Reaseheath FE 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: Reaseheath FE College 8

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accommodation details

Social care unique reference number: SC041920 Principal/CEO: Marcus Clinton

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Inspectors

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Denise Jolly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for further education college with residential accommodation: Reaseheath FE 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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Inspectors

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