Cheltenham College Inspection Report for Boarding School
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Cheltenham College Inspection Report for Boarding School Unique reference number SC029123 Inspection date 04-Mar-2011 Inspector Debbi Flint Type of inspection Key Setting address Cheltenham College, Bath Road, CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire, GL53 7LD Telephone number 01242 265600 Email [email protected] Registered person Alex Peterken Head/Principal Alex Peterken Nominated person Karen Davies Date of last inspection 24/01/2008 Inspection Report: Cheltenham College 04/03/2011 2 of 9 © Crown copyright 2010 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 Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Inspection Report: Cheltenham College 04/03/2011 3 of 9 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 outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service. 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 3 Inspection Report: Cheltenham College 04/03/2011 4 of 9 Service information Brief description of the service Cheltenham College is an independent boarding and day school for pupils aged 13 to 18 years. It was founded in 1841 as a preparatory day school for boys. By 1868 it had extended its age range and made provision for boarders. It has remained predominantly a boarding school. Girls were first admitted into the sixth form in 1981 and the school became fully co- educational in 1998. The college is situated in extensive grounds close to Cheltenham town centre. Its Victorian buildings are dominated by the large Victorian chapel, the library and the period dining hall. The senior school has 10 boarding houses which are situated in roads adjacent to the main college campus. At the time of this inspection there were 417 boarders accommodated in boarding houses in the senior school. Summary The overall quality rating is outstanding. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection. At this announced inspection the senior school was inspected. All key standards were assessed and the recommendations from the previous inspection were followed up. The school's boarding provision is managed by the Deputy Head Pastoral who provides strong and enthusiastic leadership. The school also employs a Director of Pupil Welfare who reports directly to the Deputy Head Pastoral and whose role is to promote boarders' well- being and to ensure that all boarders are well-supported by competent staff. Boarders state that they like living in the school because they have very good relationships with their teachers and also because boarding staff 'are really supportive and fair.' Boarders also state that they particularly value the high standard of health care that they receive and they are very satisfied with the school's catering provision. Menus are extensive and the food provided is of an exceptionally high quality. The promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding throughout all the standards inspected. The school has a vibrant and inclusive community which has recently been further enhanced by the appointment of an international tutor. While the standard of care is outstanding overall, some minor improvements are required. These are to ensure that references are taken up for one part-time casual member of staff; to replace kitchen work surfaces in one boarding house and to update the pupils' complaints policy. Improvements since the last inspection At the last inspection three recommendations were made and these were: to continue to implement the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) pharmacist recommendations; to complete the updating and recording of fire risk assessments in all of the boarding houses; and to ensure the school's satisfactory recruitment process can be verified from recruitment records. The first two recommendations above are met. The third recommendation is partially met. There was one minor shortfall. 4 Inspection Report: Cheltenham College 04/03/2011 5 of 9 Helping children to be healthy The provision is outstanding. Boarders' health is promoted by an extensive staff team and boarders' well-being is ensured by the provision of very good medical facilities. The school has a medical centre which is open every day except Sunday. This centre is staffed by a head nurse and three part-time nurses. Doctors from a local medical practice hold a surgery in the medical centre every day except Saturday and there are also two afternoon surgeries a week. The school's doctors have long associations with the school and state that they would always give out-of-hours advice and guidance if they were available. There is also a general hospital which is in very close proximity to the school and staff use the local casualty should the need arise. Staff are also vigilant in ensuring extra medical provision is available when boarders engage in high risk activities. For example, the school employs two paramedics during the rugby season. There are 71 members of staff trained in first aid and those staff who teach high risk activities have the more advanced first aid qualification. Staff ensure that boarders' welfare is supported through the use of comprehensive welfare plans which are drawn up for any boarder with additional needs. Staff also complete a 'cause for concern' form if they have any new concerns about a pupil. This form enables any concerns to be brought to the attention of the whole staff team and rapid action to be taken. Such rapid action has been particularly valuable when any boarder has been experiencing any emotional difficulties. The school also has a counsellor who has a private room in the medical centre and is available once a week. The school has sound procedures which ensure that all medication is administered safely. These include a pupils' self-medication protocol and risk assessment and protocols for the storage and administration of medication in the boarding houses. All medications are kept secure and medication records are accurate. The school has a large period dining hall which is beautifully decorated and immaculately maintained. Mealtimes are staggered and are relaxed and orderly occasions. Boarders state that they really like the food and make very few complaints. Lunchtime choices include a wide variety of bars such as a salad bar, sausage and mash bar, soup themed bar, pasta bar and cheese bar. There are also two cooked main choices and an additional third cooked vegetarian option. Supper consists of a good selection of hot and cold choices with a salad bar. Special diets are also provided for any pupil with additional needs. The school's catering manager is very enthusiastic about his work and very keen to ensure that menus are both nutritious and reflect the choices of pupils. An on-line food survey has recently been carried out and all pupils were involved. The high quality of this school's catering provision has been recognised by the local authority and the school has the five star award from the environmental health department. Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe The provision is outstanding. Boarders' safety and well-being is strongly promoted by the Deputy Head Pastoral who has been appointed relatively recently and demonstrates a high commitment to her role. She leads a team of caring and equally committed staff who ensure that all safeguarding policies are followed in practice. 5 Inspection Report: Cheltenham College 04/03/2011 6 of 9 The school ensures that all housemasters and housemistresses are trained in countering bullying and are aware of the school's procedures. Any incidents of bullying are reported and boarders state that swift action is always taken. There is a pupils' guide to bullying and cyber-bullying and pupils are also given on-line independence seminars in cyber-bullying awareness. The Deputy Head Pastoral is also very pro-active in building a culture of mutual respect and has been keen to educate boarders that any practice which they may regard as harmless fun should be carefully considered if it undermines another pupil. The school's designated person for safeguarding has received local authority and legal training and has also attended Boarding School Association (BSA) training. She ensures that all staff receive an annual safeguarding update and can also access on-line safeguarding training. The school has a behaviour policy and a policy on dealing with serious behavioural incidents. When dealing with behavioural incidents staff place a large emphasis on discussion, openness and transparency. As a result of this some pupils, on occasions when their behaviour may have not been totally honest or satisfactory, have made amends and turned their behaviour around. This means that boarders live in a community where high standards are expected but tolerance, encouragement and support is given to those who cannot initially meet these standards. Boarders living at this school state that they do not have any major complaints and, should they have any complaints, they would know how to complain.