Willow Green CIO

Willow Green CIO

Address: Irwell Road, St Werburghs Development Centre, Willow Green Cio, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 6DQ Unique reference number (URN): 149187

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders quickly identify learners’ education, support and health needs prior to offering them a place at the college. They work collaboratively with parents, carers and authorities to ensure that they are familiar with learners’ needs and their barriers to learning. Staff source external support where they identify that learners’ therapeutic needs cannot be met by college staff. Therapy staff use this information to plan effective support as soon learners start college.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders train staff to use a continuous cycle of ‘assess, plan, do and review.’ As learners' needs change, staff work with agencies to adapt their approaches. Leaders train staff to use whole communication approaches in their teaching. Therapy staff provide sessions for learners who have sensory processing needs and work with employers to break down tasks so that learners are not overwhelmed. They successfully support learners to manage their health needs and adjust support when needed. Support is reduced over time to help prepare learners for employment.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff are persistent in securing access to information about learners who have experience of social care. Staff frequently attend meetings, identify safeguarding concerns and monitor these closely. Through working with agencies, staff support learners to successfully complete their studies.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

There has been a significant change to the leadership and governance at the college since the previous inspection. The refreshed trustee board has been heavily involved with a new leadership team, to quickly identify and drive improvements. They recognise that there are a few further improvements to be made, such as improving the recording of learners' achievement in published data.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are mostly qualified and experienced. Leaders provide an extensive professional learning programme. They support staff to undertake qualifications to help them develop in their roles as teachers, therapists and support staff. Training ensures staff can support learners with their everyday health and medical needs. On a few occasions where staff are less experienced, the quality of teaching and support is not yet consistently high.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious for the college. They have worked hard to build relationships with partners including local authorities. Through working collaboratively, they have made changes to curriculums, including introducing the internship pathway. Working with schools, leaders have developed a pathway for learners who are not yet ready for an internship. Leaders are working with partners to consider new premises to meet an increasing demand for places.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide a nurturing environment for staff. Leaders put in place strategies to support a diverse staff team, ensuring they provide time for staff to manage their workloads. Staff value the support they receive and how this enables them to work successfully with learners.

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Achievement Expected standard

Staff plan learners’ pathways to reflect their education, health and care plans and individual starting points. They monitor learners' progress closely, ensuring that learners achieve their non-accredited learning targets. Most learners achieve their work-related qualifications.

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Achievement Expected standard

Teachers take the time to rebuild learners’ confidence in studying English and mathematics. They integrate these subjects into the everyday skills learners develop during their placements. This helps learners improve their confidence in these subjects and achieve their functional skills qualifications.

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Achievement Expected standard

Through placements, staff teach and support learners to develop the technical and practical skills they need to be successful in the workplace. Learners on internships demonstrate the standards expected for the sector. Learners move on to their planned next steps including, paid or voluntary work, further study or adult social care.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have carefully designed pathways to prepare learners for employment and life after college. They provide learners with opportunities to develop practical and vocational skills alongside improving their confidence and resilience. When working in reception, staff teach learners how to welcome visitors, demonstrating the skills they need to work in customer service. Leaders recognise that in a few instances learners do not gain industry specific qualifications that would help support them in their chosen employment.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Most teachers use the information on learners' starting points to plan teaching effectively. They plan time in sessions for learners to process new learning. Staff work with learners with sensory needs, providing safe spaces in the classroom where they can take the time to respond to questions. This ensures that learners can talk about their feelings and improve their ability to self-regulate. In a few instances, staff do not plan the introduction of new topics to reflect learners' starting points sufficiently. Occasionally, learners do not understand new learning and a few learners lose interest during sessions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff use their expertise to plan sessions and use resources to increase learners’ independence. They teach learners how to use their augmentative and alternative communication tools to access the vocational and personal vocabulary they need for placements and classroom activities. Teachers build on the skills that learners have developed during travel training to introduce new topics on staying safe. They teach learners how to use bus timetables if they get lost. This ensures that learners increase in confidence and become more independent.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Learners’ attendance is high. Leaders have high expectations for learners’ attendance and quickly intervene where there are concerns. Staff have established positive relationships with families. Where necessary, they undertake home visits and work alongside external agencies to support learners to attend.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff match most learners’ skills and knowledge to work-related activities effectively. They support learners to develop the skills they need to work in sectors such as hospitality, hairdressing and customer service. In a few instances where learners have prior knowledge of working in a sector, placements do not provide learners with the opportunities to extend their knowledge and skills further. Most learners on the supported internship pathway gain paid or voluntary employment either during or on completion of their placement.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Staff have designed a comprehensive careers advice and guidance programme for learners. They provide learners with a range of helpful activities including monthly employer talks, mock interview workshops and travel training. Staff ensure learners receive dedicated one- to-one sessions with an external careers advisor. Leaders have identified the need to broaden the range of external placements to ensure the opportunities on offer reflect learners work aspirations.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners have a sense of belonging while at the college. They develop an understanding of democracy, tolerance of others and cultural diversity. Where learners have previously had negative experiences in education, they benefit from the support they receive to re-engage in learning. Learners who are members of the student parliament advocate on behalf of their peers. Learners make friends, improve in confidence, become more independent and achieve their qualifications.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners’ opinions are respected by staff who provide them with opportunities to share their views on a regular basis. Following feedback from learners through the wellbeing survey, staff introduced ‘chill and chat’ sessions. These give learners the time to speak to staff informally and share their views. Staff have implemented changes suggested by learners such as increasing the availability of technology in lessons. Learners benefit from working with staff that know them well. Therapy staff take time to get to know learners before they start at college. They use drawing and talking therapy skilfully with learners who have experience of trauma. Therapy staff share strategies with the wider staff team and most employers to support learners to build and improve their confidence and resilience.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Learners are taught how to keep themselves safe at home, work and in their local communities. Staff work with local partners to understand local risks such as sextortion and knife crime. They plan teaching to cover these topics to prepare learners with how to deal with things such as hate crime. Learners are confident in identifying and reporting risks and concerns.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to improve their reporting systems, including the way in which they record learners' achievements so that the published data is accurate. Leaders should continue to focus on the improvement of the quality of teaching for all learners, to ensure consistency across all classroom and work-related activities. Leaders should ensure that all learners participate in work-related activities and external placements which are matched to their skills, abilities and long-term plans for employment.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's inspectors (HMIs) or Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with learners, leaders, trustees, staff, employers and other stakeholders during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Willow Green CIO is an independent specialist college that was established in September 2021. Originally based at Green Lane Community Special School in Warrington, the college moved to separate premises in Warrington in September 2022. It provides education and training for young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and social, emotional and mental health needs.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 11 learners studying on one of two pathways. There were 8 learners studying on the pre-supported internship pathway at entry level 3 and level 1 and 3 learners were studying on the supported internship pathway towards level 2. All learners have an education, health and care plan and study at the college for up to 5 days per week.

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Lead inspector:

Andrea Dill-Russell, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Lisa Duncalf, Ofsted Inspector Jen Fawcett-Jones, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them. Head of College: Rehan Tran

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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