Trustees’ Annual Report 2019

___________________________________________ Trustees’ Annual Report 2019 Our difference makes no difference ‘Like Hogwarts, but with real magic’ Paul Curtis, Premier Inn Regional Operations Manager North Wales and North West This report is a slightly abridged version of the text which will accompany the Annual Accounts, to be submitted in due course to the Charity Commission and Companies’ House. Index The Board of Governors and co-opted members page 2 The objectives of Derwen College page 3 Our mission Our vision The current context and challenges page 3 The main activities during 2019 page 4 Provision overview Work experience Independence and personal development Sport and leisure activities Functional skills Therapies and support Competition activity Health and safety Development projects and the College sites page 9 Management and structural review page 11 Outstanding performance and quality page 11 Public recognition and inspection Governance page 14 The development of the Charity The current regulatory framework Governance activity in 2019 Financial and resource management page 16 A going concern Risk management Public benefit Fund-raising Investments policy and performance Looking ahead page 18 Building the sustainable future – the final word 1 The Trustees (governors), who are also the directors of the Derwen College charity, here report on the main activities of the College in 2019. Carol Thompson Clerk to the Board of Trustees / Governors During the year: John Morten resigned on 16 May 2019 as he moved from the area. Lord Lloyd Kenyon stood down on 16 May 2019 for health reasons. Jackie Ridge co-opted to Business & Finance and Estates committees resigned on 10 October 2019 Kay Eaton was co-opted to Standards and Effectiveness Committee from 4 April 2019 We record our thanks to all governors and co-opted members for their commitment and work. .We particularly acknowledge the enormous contribution made by John Morten, who has left the area, and extend our sympathy to the family of Lord Lloyd Kenyon following his death. 2 The objectives of Derwen College – where learning comes to life. The College is a specialist residential college. It is a nationally renowned centre of excellence for the training and development of students with learning difficulties and disabilities. Our Mission: To educate, inspire and empower young adults to lead the lives they choose – transforming lives. Our Vision: A world without barriers for people with SEND The current context and challenges Derwen College, a charity of over 90 years’ standing, is proud to report on another year in which the achievements of students have been outstanding, significant steps have been taken to secure the long term excellence and viability of its provision, and new developments and projects have been pursued. The unprecedented challenges of recent years continued throughout 2019. The College recognises that the principal risks and uncertainties facing the charity concern the regulatory frameworks within which the College operates. The impact of reductions in public spending are being felt across further education and have certainly had a significant impact on national specialist colleges. Funding constraints in England and Wales are both tighter and more unpredictable than ever before. Decision-making by local authorities means that students are frequently finding it harder to secure residential placements, as increasingly cash-strapped authorities are seeking to keep people in their home area. This has resulted in a continued reduction in the number of residential students in the College, with the number of day students not fully compensating for this loss. However, after three years of significant decline in numbers the probability of a little more stability is perceived as the next group of leavers will come from a smaller intake cohort. Total Cohort Main campus Main campus Satellites as at September Residential Day 2017 151 25 22 2018 105 22 24 2019 78 20 21 Anticipated leavers 2020 32 16 7 3 There is no lack of interest or applications. The Admissions Team are handling contact with 140 families looking for 2020 and 2021 entry. The residential recruitment target for 2020 is 35. These trends have been fully recognised and have been the main catalyst in the strategic planning undertaken. However it is evident that nationally the focus is on limiting the development and training of students with learning difficulties and disabilities to their home area. The Children and Families Act, the SEND Reforms and the SEN Code of Practice are still being implemented with varying and inconsistent patterns of practice and procedure across the country. Provision for people with high need learning difficulties and disabilities is not as easily secured as the legislation intended. Considerable time is spent lobbying. The College remains at the leading edge of discussions about specialist provision. The main activities during 2018 Provision overview The curriculum recognises the increasing complexity of the students’ range of learning difficulties and disabilities and maximises opportunities for development leading to access to work and meaningful activity. Analysis of destination data and regular review underpin the provision. The College’s specialism continues to be the provision of real experiences of work in customer-facing settings. The ‘Work Skills Pathway’ is designed for those not ready for a purely vocational route and for those for whom development of employability skills is not the primary learning outcome. 4 A learner’s programme is specific to his or her needs and aspirations. The development of specific understanding and skills which will be invaluable in the workplace, is underpinned by functional skills and work experience. It becomes more rounded and transferable through creative activity and independence development. Health and well-being, personal care programmes, and sport and leisure activities contribute to a student’s ability to act and live independently. Access to all provision is enabled through appropriate speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and counselling services provided as appropriate for each individual by the specialist staff team. Personal tutors and the Transition team help students set and monitor demanding targets, and offer advice and guidance to support decision making for the future. Impact: Students’ progress towards independent living developed during a two or three-year residential period continues to amaze those who knew them on arrival. From the parent of a local day student: X learnt to travel between College and home and back again safely. Once this was established, X worked with staff to learn how to travel by bus and then walk to his work placement at Premier Inn in Oswestry. X now has a paid job on leaving College. X also excelled at his independence skills, cooking, cleaning and laundry, and has gained a place within a supported living house locally, which he will move into soon. Work experience Work experience is an integral part of programmes. A particular strength of the College are the excellent real work opportunities provided within the commercial outlets on the College perimeter. The Orangery restaurant and the Garden Café have regular clientele as well as passing trade. The Garden Centre and its transformed shop offer real competition to local outlets. In the Food Centre, students produce chutneys, jams, bread and cakes which others then sell in the Garden Centre Shop, where the products of students’ creative talents are also on display – and for sale. The Karten Print Centre offers a range of services to local people. This leads to access to the wide range of external work placements with local and national employers. The College was the first Natspec college to achieve the Gold standard of the Work Experience Quality Standards, which was reaccredited in the summer 2018. Staff work systematically to strengthen the links with local employers and also with national chains, such as Premier Inn, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. This leads to links with branches in a student’s home area. Locally, students have worked with Nightingale’s charity shop (retail and upcycling)e; Spar; Moreton Hall school for food preparation in the kitchen area; external grounds maintenance work; local markets at Wrexham, Oswestry and Llangollen; Oswestry Cemetery; and Gobowen play group. There is a well-developed range of local community projects and partnerships, such as attendance at Farmers’ Markets, running the café at Gobowen railway station (another award-winning initiative), and producing hanging baskets for Llangollen Town Council. Bespoke placements in Wales are sought for our Welsh learners. Work at Derwen@Walford, Coleg Derwen @Ashdale and Derwen@Craven Arms continues to develop, with each developing its own identity and focus, while still maintaining the strong focus on independence development and vocational and project activity. Of particular note is the gardening team at Walford, Leaf It To Us, whose services are much sought after by local groups and householders. Impact: 98% of learners access 30 external placements.Destination data (100% return) shows that 52% of 17-18 leavers progressed into employment (21% paid, 31% voluntary) up from 23% in 16-17. The national average for paid employment for adults with SEND is 6%. 20% of leavers went into further education and training. 98% of students accessed external work experience. 5 Independence and personal development Of particular note has been the

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