Trent College Inspection Report for Boarding School

Trent College Inspection report for boarding school Unique reference number SC020205 Inspection date 29 April 2008 Inspector Elaine Cray / Dawn Taylor Type of Inspection Key Address Trent College Derby Road Long Eaton NOTTINGHAM NG10 4AD Telephone number 0115 849 4949 Email [email protected] Registered person Trent College Head of care Head / Principal Gill Dixon Date of last inspection 22 January 2008 Inspection Report: Trent College, 29 April 2008 . © Crown copyright 2008 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Inspection Report: Trent College, 29 April 2008 3 of 11 About this inspection The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment. The inspection judgements and what they mean Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inspection Report: Trent College, 29 April 2008 4 of 11 Service information Brief description of the service Trent College is a co-educational boarding and day school established over 140 years ago. The school and boarding facilities are located on the outskirts of Long Eaton, a large town on the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire borders, which has a range of amenities and is close to the cities of Nottingham and Derby. The school is readily accessible from the motorway, and there are good rail networks close by. The school is also within easy reach of Nottingham East Midlands Airport. There are four boarding houses, two houses accommodate sixth form boys and girls respectively and are situated in the grounds of the school. The two other houses accommodate boy and girls aged from 13 to 18 years and are located within the main school building Boarders are provided with appropriate bed space, storage units and study facilities in either single or shared rooms. Each house presents its own identity as housemasters, housemistresses and young people are involved in the running of the house. There are live-in boarding staff for each house. There are also additional boarding staff who visit and work in the houses on a daily basis. Welfare provision also includes contact with the nurses at the medical centre, the chaplain and there is a school counsellor. The school has a medical centre and a variety of sporting and leisure facilities. Summary This three day inspection took place in order to assess the progress made by the school following an inadequate judgement by Ofsted at a previous inspection in January 2008. This inspection covers the majority of the National Minimum Standards for boarding schools, with particular in-depth focus on the key standards and all the previous recommendations. The head and boarding team provided an immediate response the recommendations set at the last inspection in January 2008. A clear action plan was submitted to Ofsted and this has been implemented to timescale up to this inspection taking place. There is significant improvement throughout the management of the boarding facilities and the majority of recommendations are met or in the process of being met, due to the extent and consequent timescale for some actions such as building work and the availability of external training. Young people continue to be very positive about boarding at Trent College and they present excellent behaviour and show a good level of confidence about how they are cared for. The head, the boarding staff team and other staff associated with the boarding facilities present a clear commitment to meeting the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, procedural frameworks are now implemented and there is ongoing development of the boarding facilities and staff practice in order to provide positive outcomes for young people boarding at Trent College. The overall quality rating is satisfactory. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection. Improvements since the last inspection There are significant improvements in the provision, management and monitoring of the boarding services at Trent College. New procedures are now in place, existing policies are improved, with clear practice protocols for staff to follow in order to provide a good procedural framework for the boarding facilities. Staffing arrangements are now adequate, with staff cover in the houses throughout the day, there are clear arrangements for children who are ill and additional activities are now on offer. Whilst some recommendations such as staff training and refurbishment issues, are not met due to the extent and timescale of the required actions, there Inspection Report: Trent College, 29 April 2008 5 of 11 are clear plans, schedules and funding in place. Additionally, the head and boarding management team are able to present a clear action plan to address recommendations. There are early indications that all recommendations will be met in a satisfactory timescale and a strong commitment from the management team to further develop and continue to improve the boarding service at the school. However, clear quality assurance systems and monitoring processes to sustain the management and improvement of the boarding facilities remain outstanding. Helping children to be healthy The provision is satisfactory. Arrangements for promoting and meeting the health and medical needs of young people boarding at the school are in place. Young people spoken with on this inspection, and the vast majority of young people's surveys from a recent inspection, say they are well looked after when they are ill. Boarding houses have written protocols and procedures to promote consistent health care and communication between the school’s medical centre and the boarding houses. There are comprehensive policies on countering major risks to health, including smoking, substance use and sexual health. Health information is displayed in the boarding houses and included in information folders for young people, parents and staff. Young people say that they receive good information about risks to health and this will be enhanced by plans to extend the school’s Personal Health Social Educational (PHSE) programme in the new academic year. Young people can visit or telephone the medical centre when needed to obtain advice from the nursing staff and arrange a consultation with a doctor when necessary. Young people are very positive about the staff at the medical centre, saying they are approachable, helpful and have good respect for confidentiality. The medical centre is well organised, providing round the clock nursing cover and on-call system. Medical records are well maintained. There are medical protocols drawn up for young people with specific physical medical conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy and asthma. Boarding staff work in conjunction with the medical centre to ensure young people’s medical needs are met and monitored and have extended these processes to include welfare plans for young people with significant mental health, behavioural and emotional difficulties. However, these records lack detail on how the boarding staff support such young people on a day to day basis in the boarding houses. Arrangements for the storage, administration and recording of medication include appropriate storage facilities, clear administration procedures, good monitoring systems and daily routines of communication between the medical centre and the boarding houses. All young people have a lockable facility in their bedrooms and are able to self-administer and store their own medication after a written risk assessment process has been carried out. Staff have a working knowledge of medication procedures. There is progress in meeting a recommendation from the recent inspection for all staff to receive first aid training. One of the school nurses has recently completed a training course so she can in turn train all the boarding staff. The domestic bursar is also due to complete the same course and first aid training is scheduled in order that all boarding staff are appropriately trained by the commencement of the new academic year in September 2008. The care of ill boarders, who are not able to go home, is provided at the medical centre. The medical centre is adequately resourced with a sick bay. However, the school has also recruited a matron and two housekeepers for the boarding houses and there is a current review of arrangements with a possibility of young people being able to stay at the boarding houses when they are ill, in the light of the new staffing arrangements. Catering arrangements are well managed via a central kitchen and all meals are taken in the main dining room. Each boarding house has separate kitchens where young people can store food and prepare snacks. All young people Inspection Report: Trent College, 29 April 2008 6 of 11 spoken with on this inspection say the meals are very good. There is an excellent commitment to providing young people with a varied, nutritional and balanced diet. There is an extensive choice at each meal, including hot and cold meal options, a self-serve jacket potato and salad bar and a selection of desserts, including fresh fruit.

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