Livability Nash College Ofsted Report

Inspection report: Nash College, 5-7 March 2013

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Full report

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all support staff have the skills, knowledge and confidence to enable learners to engage fully with their learning tasks.  Formalise the sharing of good practice, identified from observations of teaching and learning, to continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning.  Monitor, evaluate and set actions to continue the improvements to learning facilities on the main campus and off-site venues to ensure they meet all learners’ needs and add value to learning.

Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners

Good  Learners make good progress in achieving their overall targets, and learners working towards award and certificate external accredited qualifications last year were all successful.  A very useful ‘destinations and outcomes framework’ is at the centre of the college’s restructured curriculum. The framework successfully identifies and sets learning priorities that capture individual learners’ progress and development very well against five life areas. A spider graph system, to produce a visual map of the progress learners make in communication, independent living skills and behaviour, successfully demonstrates learners’ progress over the past three years.  The college routinely gathers a range of data about learners’ performance and ensures that thorough analysis and actions are set to narrow any gaps where differences in performance of different groups of learners are found.  Learners develop their ability to communicate their views and wishes particularly well. Learners have greater opportunity for working within the community in the plentiful off-site venues developed since the last inspection, including increased opportunities for work placements. As a result, challenging personal, social and employability targets are set and achieved.  Destination goals set for learners are now more achievable and take into account learners’ long term goals set at the beginning of their time at college. The majority of learners work towards some type of supported living arrangement and a small, but increasing, number of learners secure voluntary work when they leave college.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Good  Teaching, learning and assessment are good and ensure that learners make very good progress towards their learning goals. Teachers, therapists and the majority of support staff are highly skilled and enthusiastic. Signing, and the use of symbols and photographs to establish meaning, are very effective. Staff know their learners well and are ambitious in their expectations of what they can achieve.  Teachers plan individual learning very well with each learner’s tasks and targets clearly understood. Most lessons proceed at a good pace and challenge learners well. Teachers ensure support staff have detailed and specific directions that enable learners to be fully and actively engaged throughout the lesson. However, a minority of support assistants lack the confidence and skills to engage with learners effectively.  Teachers take full account in their planning and teaching of how learners can best engage with and benefit from learning activities. All staff use well designed behaviour plans to ensure that learners who need significantly more personal space than their peers are still able to take part in Inspection report: Nash College, 5-7 March 2013

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learning. On the occasions when learners become distressed, staff have clear strategies to defuse their anxiety and help them return to learning.  The outstanding therapeutic support provides a wide range of interventions both in and out of the classroom. Thorough assessments of learners’ needs form the basis for some imaginative and effective programmes. Therapists work alongside teachers in modelling strategies and resources that develop learners’ skills very well. A recently developed programme, for learners with strong sensory stimulus needs, has greatly increased their ability to concentrate on learning.  The college has very effective strategies for establishing learners’ starting points. Pre-entry assessment is comprehensive and includes observational visits to previous education providers to help to understand learners’ strengths, within familiar surroundings. On entry to college, an extended period of observation and very thorough skills assessment establish a secure baseline from which to measure progress.  The assessment, monitoring and recording of learning is good. Teachers and support staff accurately track learners’ achievements and progress in lessons and throughout the learners’ time in the college. Arrangements for onward destinations are thorough and benefit from good collaboration with local authorities and other agencies. The college is successful in finding effective ways for learners to express their dreams and aspirations and keep them at the heart of the decision-making processes.  The development of English, mathematics and information and communication technology is good. Work with learners on improving communication skills and signing is particularly effective. Where specialist functional skills lessons are planned these are expertly taught so that learners undertake real world tasks, such as using their developing literacy skills to sort the college post and count and sort cutlery as it emerges from the dishwasher.  The promotion of equality and diversity is good. The flexibility of the curriculum, of teaching styles and support to meet the needs of each learner, all ensure that learning is generally inclusive. The college uses the cultural and linguistic skills of the staff well to help learners engage. Learning activities offer many ways to appreciate and celebrate difference through music, taste, smell and colour. In a recent survey of local shops and services, undertaken by learners to test their accessibility, some local shops reviewed their own facilities and the local authority was challenged to improve road crossing arrangements.  The college has worked hard to minimise the restrictions imposed by physical accessibility challenges on the main site. However, not all teaching spaces are appropriate or adequate for planned activities. Travel to more accessible sites takes up a disproportionate amount of time available for learning and interaction with other site users.

The effectiveness of leadership and management

Good  Leaders and managers set a clear vision for the college, fully supported by governors and the parent company, and shared by all staff. Strategic and business planning is very thorough, highlighting the many changes made since the last inspection. Governance of the college and the accountability of senior managers are much improved.  Leaders and managers take well-informed decisions and set themselves challenging actions to implement changes and improvements to its main site and the curriculum. The main teaching block is now more accessible, with a new lift installed. Managers are continuing to develop learning facilities on the main campus and evaluating how external venues are adding value to its provision.  Partnerships with local authorities, employers and peer working groups have increased very well. Links with local communities have expanded significantly, enabling learners to access off-site learning through 41 venues. Inspection report: Nash College, 5-7 March 2013

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 Continued improvements to teaching, learning and assessment practice are an on-going priority for the college. Formal observations and unannounced learning walks ensure managers have an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching across all areas of learning.  Managers provide good support for all staff to gain the qualifications and skills they need to ensure learners benefit from their expertise and knowledge. Staff are generally well qualified and, as the needs of learners have changed, they are fully supported through a good range of both internal and external training.  The self-assessment process systematically includes views from all staff, governors, learners, parents and a wide range of partners. The latest self-assessment report, based on the new Common Inspection Framework, is appropriately self-critical and largely reflects the judgements made by inspectors.  Managers ensure that thorough checks on the quality of its provision take place. A detailed quality improvement plan, reviewed regularly, clearly links to the self-assessment report. Managers make good use of data to monitor and manage performance.  A comprehensive review of the college’s curriculum resulted in changes to pre-entry, initial, baseline and on-going assessments to ensure learners follow individual timetables to meet their very specific learning needs. As part of this review, actions taken include using off-site community venues for timetabled learning activities. Managers continue to monitor off-site learning facilities to ensure they add value for learners.  The college promotes equality and diversity well, with an equality and diversity group that meets regularly and identifies actions for improvement. Staff work very effectively with learners, who have significant communication difficulties, to ensure their understanding that bullying and harassment are not tolerated, and an annual anti-bullying week builds on developing learners’ understanding. The college ensures that learners have the most appropriate aids and adaptations to learning resources to meet their needs. The attention to providing a very diverse range of food to meet learners’ cultural and medical needs is excellent.  The college effectively collates, analyses and uses data relating to gender, ethnicity and types of disability of learners in order to identify any differences in performance, explores potential causes, and sets actions accordingly. An analysis of last year’s data indicates females achieve less than males and day learners achieve more targets than residential learners. While there were some differences between groups with different ethnic heritages, small numbers make the analysis less reliable. However, the college explores possible causes, such as the use of culturally diverse resources, and checks to ensure all resources and equipment enable full accessibility for learners, in both on- and off-site learning venues.  The college meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding learners very thoroughly. The college promotes the well-being and safety of learners diligently, through individual and activity- based risk assessments and through e-safety initiatives. Any identified safeguarding issues are followed up rigorously using the college’s clear procedures and guidelines.

Inspection report: Nash College, 5-7 March 2013

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) Nash College

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires improvement 4: Inadequate

Overall effectiveness

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Outcomes for learners

2

2 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment

2

2 The effectiveness of leadership and management

2

2

Inspection report: Nash College, 5-7 March 2013

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Provider details

Nash College

Type of provider

Independent specialist college

Age range of learners

19+

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year

Full-time: 78 Part-time: 0

Principal/CEO

Ms Claire Howley-Mummery

Date of previous inspection

October 2009

Website address

http://www.livability.org.uk/service/nash-college-bromley/

Provider information at the time of the inspection Main course or learning programme level

Level 1 or Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 below and above

Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships)

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+

Full-time Part-time

- - 76 1 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Number of apprentices by Apprenticeship level and age

Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ - - - - - -

Number of learners aged 14-16 Number of community learners

N/A N/A Number of employability learners N/A

Funding received from At the time of inspection the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

Education Funding Agency (EFA)



Nil

Inspection report: Nash College, 5-7 March 2013

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Information about this inspection

Lead inspector

Diane Stacey HMI

One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and two additional inspectors, assisted by the vice principal as nominee, carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors also used data on learners’ achievements over the last three years to help them make judgements. Inspectors used group and individual interviews to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected throughout the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all of the provision at the provider. Inspectors looked at the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across all of the provision. Inspection report: Nash College, 5-7 March 2013

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What inspection judgements mean

Grade

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4

Judgement

Outstanding Good Requires improvement Inadequate Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills 2012, Part 2: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/handbook-for-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills-september-2012

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website:

www.ofsted.gov.uk If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

Learner View is a new website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too. To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk