ISC Inspection findings 2010-2011 Joyce Deere HMI

1. ISC Inspection findings 2010-2011 Joyce Deere HMI 18 May 2011

2. Grades: Sept 2009- Mar 201121 Colleges

3. Grades: April 2010 - Mar 201113 Colleges

4. Inspection Grades of Independent Specialist Colleges September 2009 to March 2011 (21 colleges)

5. Inspection Grades of Independent Specialist Colleges April 2010 to March 2011 (13 colleges)

6. Inspection Outcomes 2009-2011 Grade one: outcomes • Progression routes are excellent. The college has outstanding success in supporting learners to gain employment. Over the past two years, through excellent local partnerships, 100% of leavers have gained sheltered employment averaging about 25 hours per week. The use of robust destination data demonstrates that the employment is sustained over time. • Target setting is rigorous and well informed by the outcomes of thorough multidisciplinary assessments. High quality PCLPs are detailed and comprehensive. They empower learners and inspire them to achieve the targets they have set themselves. Each learner is responsible for updating their PCLP with personal progress and achievement.

7. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: outcomes • Learners make exceptional progress. Outcomes are outstanding and highly focused on meeting individual need. The college is very successful in raising the self-esteem and confidence of learners and promoting self-advocacy. Young people develop highly effective communication and personal skills and are enabled to participate actively as valuable members of the wider community. • A rigorous analysis of destination data clearly demonstrates that learners make excellent progress in achieving their long-term goals and in a range of national awards from pre-entry level to level 2. Excellent use of alternative and augmentative communication systems gives learners the ability to make choices and express their opinions.

8. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: outcomes • Students make exceptional progress in developing practical craft skills to a very high standard. Self-confidence increases significantly and students develop social and communication skills and their ability to manage their own behaviour particularly well • Progression is excellent and the majority of students move into further education, training or employment when they leave the college. • Outcomes are outstanding. Achievements of national awards are excellent.

9. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: outcomes • Outcomes for students have not improved since the previous inspection and in some cases success rates have declined. The college has no systems in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the achievement of targets. • The college does not keep adequate records of success rates and does not track progress on an annual basis. Destinations data have not been adequately analysed.

10. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: quality of provision • Teaching and learning are outstanding. Teaching is strongly learner centred. All teaching involves real practical tasks which engage students’ interest and enthusiasm. Behaviour management is excellent. Tutors are highly skilled in their own specialism and developing students’ communication and practical numeracy skills. • However, the teaching of reading and writing skills is not yet sufficiently developed.

11. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: quality of provision • Teaching is of a very high standard. Teachers skilfully use a wide range of strategies to engage, challenge and raise learners’ aspirations. Comprehensive lesson planning ensures an excellent focus on matching learners’ individual needs. Staff promotion of learner interaction in lessons is exceptional. • Assessment processes are outstanding. The trans-disciplinary approach leads to rigorous, well-used initial and baseline assessment. Comprehensive person centred plans ensure that all learner programmes are highly individualised. Individual learner goals and targets are very specific, challenging and clearly linked to long-term aims

12. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: teaching and learning • The promotion of individual learning is outstanding. Highly qualified teaching staff and specialist therapists work very well together. They use a highly effective trans-disciplinary approach to minimise barriers to learning and set high standards of achievement. The promotion of communication, social interaction and independence in lessons is particularly effective.

13. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: teaching and learning • Teachers do not use appropriate methods to engage students and activities are not planned to meet their diverse needs. Teachers do not use information and learning technology (ILT) to enliven sessions, and the resources and use of language are not always appropriate for adult students. • Teachers do not make sufficient use of assessment information to identify individual targets. Too many targets are unspecific or simply copied from qualification specifications. They are insufficiently focused on students’ vocational work or life goals.

14. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: meeting needs and interests • The college’s approach to meeting the needs and interests of learners is outstanding. A comprehensive and detailed curriculum framework minimises the impact of autism spectrum condition (ASC). Staff reduce barriers to learning and enable learners to use their disability to their advantage. For example, obsessive attention to detail is turned into a key strength in retail and production activities.

15. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: meeting needs and interests • The highly innovative and inclusive curriculum has a strong and relevant focus on disability arts. A wide range of practical activities motivates learners to succeed and to improve their Skills for Life. Excellent opportunities are created for learners to progress between levels of courses.

16. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: meeting needs and interests • The range of programmes and resources available to students is outstanding. Students have individually designed flexible programmes chosen from an unusually wide range of options. They receive maximum personal attention from working in very small groups. Work experience opportunities are very good. The living skills programme is excellent. Students enjoy a good variety of enrichment activities.

17. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: meeting needs and interests • The curriculum at the College site does not provide sufficient opportunity for learners to progress and work placement opportunities are not yet adequate. The curriculum is still in the early stages of development, with too much focus on the requirements of qualifications. It does not fit well with a person-centred approach.

18. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: partnership working • Partnership working is outstanding and a major strength of the college. Links with a wide range of employers, schools, further education (FE) colleges, community groups and local authorities provide excellent work placements. • Outstanding social enterprise is used to increase employer engagement and to identify and extend opportunities for developing skills in real work situations.

19. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: support, care and guidance • The college provides outstanding levels of care, guidance and support. The preentry three-day assessment is exceptionally thorough and supports students to identify and develop strategies to manage their own behaviour. Students benefit greatly from an extensive range of therapeutic support. Transition planning is highly effective

20. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: support, care and guidance • The arrangements for care, guidance and support are outstanding. Individual behaviour support plans are highly effective and encourage learners to identify and address their own difficulties and take increased responsibility for themselves. Transition planning is highly effective.

21. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: support, care and guidance • The arrangements for care, guidance and support are excellent. The management of learners’ severe and challenging behaviour is extremely good. Individual behaviour support plans are outstanding and encourage learners to identify and address their own difficulties

22. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: safeguarding • The promotion of safeguarding is outstanding. The college has created a highly effective learning environment underpinned by rigorous safeguarding practices. A well-developed culture of informed risk taking and comprehensive, well monitored risk assessments ensure that these vulnerable learners can participate in a range of practical and community-based activities.

23. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: safeguarding • The college has outstanding procedures and practices to ensure that students are kept safe. These are executed rigorously in a climate that nevertheless encourages students to understand, identify and manage risk for themselves,and ultimately take responsibility for their own safety. (1) • Safeguarding is a particular strength of the college. Policies and procedures are robust and are successfully implemented. The college has strong links with the local safeguarding board and is highly regarded for its work and expertise in this area (2)

24. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: safeguarding • The college has outstanding safeguarding and safety practices for all environments experienced by learners. Good relationships with the local safeguarding board contribute to the highly effective support and training for staff. (1) • Arrangements to secure the safeguarding of learners are excellent. Staff and students have a very clear understanding of all aspects of health and safety. Risk assessments are extensive and very effective. (2)

25. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: safeguarding • Safeguarding is inadequate. The college has appropriate policies and all staff have had Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks. However, the college has not systematically reported incidents to governors and the recording and follow up of incidents are inadequate. The college does not carry out checks to ascertain whether agency staff have had adult and child protection training and not all staff enforce protective safety procedures.

26. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: equality and diversity • The promotion of equality and diversity permeates all activities in the college. Meticulous analysis and evaluation of learners’ performance identifies those at risk of underachieving and removes barriers to learning. Governors and managers have ensured that appropriate policies and procedures are in place. Annual reports to the board monitor staff employment well, but information on the performance of individual and groups of learners is more limited.

27. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: equality and diversity • The promotion of equality and diversity is inadequate. The promotion and monitoring of equality and diversity are not sufficiently embedded across the college. The single equality scheme and impact assessments are insufficiently developed and equality and diversity targets lack challenge.

28. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: equality and diversity • The promotion of equality and diversity is inadequate. The college has been slow to respond to equalities legislation. Learner achievement data and wider equality data, including for staff are not analysed or monitored sufficiently to identify any significant variation over time and to ensure all potential discrimination is avoided. The promotion of equality through the curriculum is improving but is not yet consistent

29. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: capacity to improve • The college has outstanding capacity to improve. Since the last inspection, the management structure has been significantly revised to create a more inclusive and responsive community. This has been achieved without compromising the core principles by which the college operates, and has been accompanied by a substantial rise in students’ achievements to an outstanding level, and in the proportion of lessons which have been judged to be good or outstanding. The rate and extent of progress made over the last four years is impressive. The college knows itself very well.

30. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: capacity to improve Quality assurance and self-assessment are conducted collaboratively, are highly evaluative and enable the college to identify accurately strengths and areas for further development. Senior leaders and trustees are highly ambitious for the further development of the college, yet pragmatic in their business and financial planning for the future. With excellent morale, outstanding promotion of staff training, vigorous engagement of students in the daily life of their college and an underlying set of principles that give academic weight and philosophical coherence to all that it does on behalf of students, the college is extremely well poised to make and sustain yet further improvement.

31. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: capacity to improve • The college has outstanding capacity to improve. It has a successful track record of meeting challenging targets. Excellent progress has been made in addressing all of the areas for improvement from the last inspection, most of which are now strengths. A clear strategic direction for the college to become a centre of excellence has been established. Leaders have implemented a management restructure that has increased levels of accountability. Arrangements for quality improvement and self-assessment are rigorous and support year-on-year improvements. Governors know the college very well and are committed to its success. Sound financial management has improved the position of the college. Support from ……… is ensuring that the college has the plans in place to secure its future.

32. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: capacity to improve Leaders have implemented a management restructure that has increased levels of accountability. Arrangements for quality improvement and self-assessment are rigorous and support year-on-year improvements. Governors know the college very well and are committed to its success. Sound financial management has improved the position of the college. Support from ……… is ensuring that the college has the plans in place to secure its future.

33. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: capacity to improve • The college’s capacity to improve is outstanding. The chief executive and trustees effectively oversee sustained improvements in all aspects of provision. National and local priorities provide the firm basis of highly effective strategic planning. Senior managers inspire staff and learners to exceed challenging targets. Excellent local partnerships successfully contribute to the outstanding achievement of all learners gaining sustained sheltered employment and independent living. The college has implemented significant improvements in all aspects of the provision since the last full inspection.

34. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade one: capacity to improve All strengths have been maintained and all areas for improvement effectively addressed so that many are now significant strengths. The process of self-assessment is comprehensive, rigorous, fully inclusive and used successfully to secure improvements. A clear and detailed development plan, and termly quality reports, support the strong culture of continuous improvement. Management structures are clear and well defined with highly effective mentoring and supervision process. Outstanding training opportunities ensure that staff develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to recognise and interpret the complex needs of learners with autism spectrum condition (ASC).

35. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: capacity to improve • The college has not shown improvement since the previous inspection and many areas for improvement remain, with slow progress made. The college continues not to provide adequate information in the self-assessment report about the overall performance of students, and the systems for measuring the progress of students over time are in the early stages of development.

36. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: capacity to improve Governors have not set the college targets and have not required the college to provide reports on performance, or on specific issues such as safeguarding incidents or the equalities action plan. The merging of the college with the school has not been implemented appropriately for students in a further education college. The college has not ensured that its staff are adequately trained to meet skills for life requirements, and further staff training is required to meet the increasingly complex needs of the students. The college is still in the process of restructuring and defining its management roles.

37. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: capacity to improve • Progress against the two areas for improvement identified at the last inspection is inadequate. The monitoring and recording of individual achievement is still variable in quality and the college’s response to equalities legislation remains a significant area for attention. In addition, the college has not sustained all of its previous strengths. The college’s recent restructure has yet to be fully embedded and lines of accountability are not explicit enough. The self assessment report was overly positive about most aspects of provision and in many cases judgements were not substantiated with robust evidence or data. Overall, cross-college quality improvement arrangements are not thorough or cohesive and target setting is imprecise. Staff are committed to the college and learners’ well-being. Resources and accommodation are of a high standard and financial management is sound.

38. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Grade four: capacity to improve Progress against the two areas for improvement identified at the last inspection is inadequate. The monitoring and recording of individual achievement is still variable in quality and the college’s response to equalities legislation remains a significant area for attention. In addition, the college has not sustained all of its previous strengths. The college’s recent restructure has yet to be fully embedded and lines of accountability are not explicit enough. The self assessment report was overly positive about most aspects of provision and in many cases judgements were not substantiated with robust evidence or data. Overall, cross-college quality improvement arrangements are not thorough or cohesive and target setting is imprecise. Staff are committed to the college and learners’ well-being. Resources and accommodation are of a high standard and financial management is sound.

39. Inspection Outcomes 2010-2011 Trends Safeguarding a strength Outcomes better than other aspects Too much leadership and management just satisfactory Equality and diversity significantly lower than other aspects Too much quality of provision just satisfactory: teaching and learning is the main grade Lower number of outstanding colleges