Setting

Date of visit: 17 January 2007

This feedback contains brief findings from the annual assessment visit (AAV). It focuses on the themes explored during the visit and does not attempt to give a comprehensive overview of the college’s performance.

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of confidence and practical skills. Has this strength been maintained?

 The development of students’ practical skills and levels of confidence remains a strength. Farm facilities have been extended since 2005 and have enabled students to continue to work within a number of practical and realistic environments. For example, students have been involved in the construction of a new chicken house and have been involved in the design, construction and decorating of a new estates workshop.  The college has continued to engage with artists in residence undertaking creative projects such as sculpture work inspired by Anthony Gormley. Currently students are working with an artist on a miniature labyrinth project for the garden area. A project undertaken with the National Trust has enabled a small group of learners to gain first hand experience of working in ground maintenance at Nostell Priory, including preparatory work such as loading trailers and equipment.

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college addressed this issue?

 The college has completely reviewed the assessment and recording of learner progress. Initial and baseline assessments are now used more effectively to set individual learner targets and to monitor progress. All learner assessments, targets and progress are recorded on the new management information system. The system enables all staff to share these targets, monitor learner progress and record achievements. It also enables the young volunteer co-workers to play a more active part in learner assessment.  An education forum has recently been established to monitor and support the assessment process. Targets are now updated on a very regular basis. However, most targets do not specify appropriate timescales for measuring individual progress. Assessment and recording of learning are now more focussed and teachers are becoming more confident at producing less, but more meaningful, evidence. Teachers have received individual support from

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college addressed this issue?

the education forum in improving their assessment and recording of learning and a training DVD is being produced to provide further guidance. Learners are more involved in the identification and monitoring of their learning goals. Teachers speak positively about the new process and are more confident in recording progress. They feel that the new system has helped to promote the sharing of good practice and improved communications.

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well is it used by managers and teachers?

 The college has worked swiftly to establish the use of the new MIS. Since last summer, training has been provided on a number of college development days. Further training is planned for this year and ongoing support is available from key managers. There is broad enthusiasm from both teachers and managers about how the system can support their work.  There are some initial signs of the system being used to more effectively support a range of the college’s work. Its use to create, monitor and review individual learning plans is in its very early stages of development. However, managers have begun to use the system to record a range of college activity such as the monitoring of safeguarding records, behaviour management and initial care planning.

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Is the college now fully compliant with equalities legislation?

 The college, through its standards committee, senior management and curriculum teams, regularly reviews the progress it is making against the 12 themes identified as requiring immediate action. From the evidence seen the college is now compliant with equalities legislation. The meetings structure has been revised to ensure that the equality action plan and all other plans are reviewed every three months at co-ordinator team meetings. Trustee training on the disability equality scheme took place in the autumn term and the draft policy and plan are to be ratified early in 2007. Staff and students were involved in their development. All staff have received training in the new legislative requirements. The college is currently exploring ways to further develop student input. Accessibility to the estate has been reviewed, some adaptations made and funding applied for to further improve lighting and pathways. MIS is being used to capture and monitor all aspects of

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are all staff now engaged in the self-assessment process?

 The college recognises that staff were not sufficiently involved in the self- assessment process in 2005/06. The process has been reviewed for this year to encourage greater staff ownership, but it is too early to judge how successful this has been. From 2006/07, staff responsible for all vocational areas of the college’s work will complete a basic review of their provision, using a graded scale. The college intends to use this information to help staff form more evaluative curriculum self-assessments for key areas of the college’s work, such as land-based subjects and the residential houses. These evaluations are also intended to be used to identify staff training and development needs.  During the AAV, staff demonstrated a greater awareness of their role and future involvement in the self-assessment process. The college continues to use feedback from volunteer co-workers and a parents’ survey to support

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are all staff now engaged in the self-assessment process?

judgments within the self-assessment. The student questionnaire has been revised to better capture learners’ views. The previous version missed the opportunity to gather learners’ views on the themes of Every Child Matters, such as healthy lifestyles and making a positive contribution. A student forum is planned for the summer term to involve learners in organising their own communication of ideas and feedback. In addition, more formal reports are now requested from the regular trustee visits, undertaken as part of the college’s quality assurance cycle, to further support self-assessment findings.

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for all learners?

 The number of literacy, numeracy and language targets set for learners has been reduced and the targets better matched to learners’ long-term needs and goals, particularly in relation to their development of independent living skills. Baseline assessments are now used to set these targets and learners are more involved in the setting and recording of targets. Targets are now more individual, focussed on holistic development and embedded within the extended curriculum. For example, one learner identified the need to develop his written communication. He has been supported to do this through identifying stock needs for his house, writing and word processing relevant shopping and stock lists, and documenting resources produced through his work on the estate. The education forum is being used effectively to ensure that the literacy and numeracy strategy is embedded across the college. It has started to meet on a weekly basis to monitor

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for all learners?

target setting and the recording of learner achievement. Members of the forum also meet with staff on an individual basis to monitor targets set and their integration into lesson plans. Plans are in place to carry out systematic, planned reviews of these targets from the summer term. Whole staff training and individual support have been provided to teachers, particularly to help them to develop learners’ literacy, numeracy and communication skills within vocational programmes. Lesson observations are also beginning to pay attention to how well literacy, numeracy and language are developed.

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analysis:

 During 2005/06, 29 teachers were observed as part of the internal lesson observation process. The profile which resulted shows 55% of lessons were judged good, 38% satisfactory and 7% inadequate. This year the lesson observation system has adopted the four-point scale in line with the common inspection framework. All teachers who are identified as having areas for improvement have a clear, regularly-monitored action plan to support their development. More joint observations have been undertaken to ensure greater consistency in grading the quality of lessons, and the college is currently in discussion with Freeman College to arrange external joint observations for the summer term.  Since the last inspection the college has upgraded some of its staff accommodation. The Hibernia house has been extended to include a bright, spacious social area for students. The college is planning some major rebuilding work, including the creation of a rural craft school and the

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analysis:

redevelopment of the existing craft building to provide a designated reception area. Discussions on funding are underway.  There are clear procedures in place for safeguarding young people. A single central register has been created for child protection. New staff resident in the United Kingdom undergo an enhanced clearance. Those joining the college from abroad are required to come with police clearance from their country of residence. The identity of all staff is checked using appropriate procedures and evidence.

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analysis:

information quoted is reproduced verbatim without adaptation, and the source and date of publication are stated. Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted website (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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