Birtenshaw College

Overview: Birtenshaw College is an independent specialist college providing further education for young people aged 16-25 with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and complex health needs. The college has a calm environment where learners build confidence and develop social interactions, but it requires improvement in the quality of education and leadership and management.

Strengths:

• Learners are polite and respectful towards each other, staff and visitors.
• Learners are happy at college and find teachers and learning support assistants (LSAs) helpful and supportive.
• Staff hold suitable professional qualifications for their roles, including teaching and support qualifications.
• Staff use the knowledge and skills they learn in their training to support learners.
• Learners develop their communication and social skills while taking part in a wide range of personal development activities.

Areas to improve:

• Ensure that the sequencing of non-accredited curriculums builds learners’ knowledge and skills over time.
• Ensure that targets are set, recorded and monitored effectively, including progress towards social and emotional, and EHC plan outcomes.
• Improve the quality of teaching that pre-entry learners receive.
• Ensure that LSAs and teachers give learners the time that they need to process questions or carry out activities independently before they intervene.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.