Spot check report Organisation name Inspection date 5 July 2016 Atlas Language School, Dublin BACKGROUND Organisation profile Inspection history Dates/details First inspection July 2014 Last full inspection July 2014 Subsequent spot check (if applicable) July 2015 Subsequent supplementary check (if applicable) Subsequent interim visit (if applicable) Other related non-accredited activities (in brief) at this centre Other related accredited schools/centres/affiliates Other related non-accredited schools/centres/affiliates Current accreditation status and reason for spot check Current accredited status Accredited Reason for spot check Follow up on Points to be addressed Atlas Language School, Chichester (Seasonal multicentre) Year-round centre in Dublin. Junior vacation courses in Ireland and the USA. Premises profile Address of main site Details of any additional sites in use at the time of the inspection Details of any additional sites not in use at the time of the inspection Sites inspected Atlas Language School Portobello House, Portobello, Dublin 2, Ireland University of Chichester, College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 6PE None Atlas Language School, Bristol (seasonal centre), University of West of England, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY For 2016, the school had relocated from City of Bristol College to the University of West of England (UWE) campus. This year was the first the school had used the UWE campus. At the time of inspection, the school was using three classrooms for teaching and had a further two for use by the centre managers and for staff. The management and staffrooms and two of the classrooms were on the second floor, the third was on the fourth, where there was also a lecture room used for inductions etc. Students and staff had use of relaxation areas including the dining hall, sports facilities and residential accommodation on the campus. Accommodation consisted of single ensuite bedrooms, arranged in flats of six bedrooms per flat with a kitchen. All the accommodation, which was shared by students and staff, was in a single residential block five minutes from the main teaching accommodation, and allocated exclusively for Atlas use. Student and staff profile At inspection In peak week (July) Total ELT/ESOL student numbers (FT + PT) 39 42 Minimum age (including closed group or vacation) 11 11 Typical age range 11 17 12 17 31 March 2019
Typical length of stay 1 week 2 weeks Predominant nationalities Italian, Spanish Italian, French Total number of teachers on eligible ELT courses 3 3 Total number of administrative/ancillary staff 2 2 INTRODUCTION Background Atlas Language School is based in Dublin, Ireland. The year-round school in Dublin offers general and professional English courses for adults, and also teacher training courses. The school runs junior vacation centres in Ireland, in Bristol and Chichester in the UK, and in the USA. The Bristol centre opened in summer 2013 and was inspected in July 2014. Accreditation was awarded for an initial period of one year because, although all section standards were met, there were some weaknesses relating to the safety and safeguarding of the junior students. A spot check took place the following July at the Chichester centre to determine whether accreditation should be extended for a further three years. The 2015 spot check in Chichester was conducted by two inspectors. They recommended that accreditation be withdrawn because the section standard for Care of under 18s was not met and there were significant weaknesses in Staff management, Publicity, Academic management, Care of students and Leisure opportunities. Their recommendation was reviewed in October 2015 following the provision of further information about that spot check and the choice of the centre inspected, and accreditation was extended pending further investigation, which included this 2016 spot check of the Bristol centre. The Atlas Junior Bristol course is for students aged 11 17. In previous years it was run at City of Bristol College in the city centre. In 2016 the location has been changed to the University of West of England (UWE) campus in the north of the city. The homestay option available for the city centre site has been withdrawn and now all students are in residential accommodation on the UWE campus. Most students follow a programme of 15 hours general English per week plus a programme of activities and excursions. A 20-hour option is also available for students who do not require the full activity programme. In 2016 the programme at the Bristol centre is being run for three weeks in July. Preparation The inspectors received the first inspection report, the spot check report, the annual declaration, publicity materials and copies of correspondence between the school and the Accreditation Unit. One inspector contacted the main school in Dublin to check the course dates of the Bristol centre. At the start of the week planned for the spot check he contacted Dublin to check the name and contact details of the Bristol centre manager, and indicated that the spot check would take place during that week but did not specify the day. Programme and persons present Two inspectors conducted the spot check, one of whom had been the reporting inspector at the spot check of the Chichester centre in 2015. They arrived at the UWE campus at about 09.00. There they met the centre manager and the director of studies (DoS). They later had meetings with the three teachers, the activity leader, a group of more advanced students and three group leaders from Italy and Spain. They checked a range of documents, toured the premises used for teaching and the residential accommodation, had lunch in the dining hall and briefly attended a health and safety induction session given to all the students and staff by a member of the UWE accommodation office staff. They left the site at about 16.30. FINDINGS The spot check took place on the Tuesday of the first week of the three-week course. Most staff had arrived on the previous Saturday and the students on the Sunday, although a small group had arrived on the Monday. Most students were from Italy and Spain, were staying for one or two weeks and had come with group leaders. A small number, from Spain, Poland, Russia and Turkey, had booked independently. All were in the age range 11 17 and, except for two students staying locally with a cousin, were staying in the UWE residential accommodation. Premises and facilities Criteria Not met Met Strength R1 Adequate space R2 Condition of premises 31 March 2019 See comments
R3 Classrooms and learning areas R4 Student relaxation areas and food R5 Signage and display R6 Staffroom(s) Comments R1 The areas used by Atlas are spacious and provide a comfortable environment for students and staff. However, one of the classrooms is on the fourth floor, away from where the other classrooms and staff rooms are grouped and it would facilitate easier supervision and be more convenient if they were all grouped together. R2 The premises are in a good state of repair and decoration. R3 The classrooms are appropriately and comfortably furnished, well ventilated and free from extraneous noise. R4 Students have access to a supervised area near two of the classrooms, and to the dining hall and other relaxation areas. R5 Signage is adequate and there is good provision of board-space in the classrooms. R6 Staff have a classroom for their use and the preparation of lessons and storage of academic resources. Care of under 18s Criteria Not met Met Strength C1 Safeguarding policy C2 Guidance and training C3 Publicity See comments C4 Recruitment procedures C5 Safety and supervision during scheduled lessons and activities C6 Safety and supervision outside scheduled lessons and activities C7 Accommodation C8 Contact arrangements Comments All the students at the Bristol centre were in the advertised age range of 11 to 17. C1 There is an appropriate safeguarding policy for Bristol that covers Atlas s own staff and staff of premises and service providers, group leaders, and bus drivers. The centre manager is the designated safeguarding lead and suitably trained. C2 All staff have an induction which includes safeguarding training and are issued with the provider s safeguarding policy, which they sign. They were booked onto an online basic safeguarding course and evidence was sent to the inspectors shortly after their visit confirming that this had taken place. C3 The description in publicity of the level of care and support for students is brief but adequate. C4 The requirements of this criterion are generally met. Safer recruitment procedures specified in the safeguarding policy are generally followed. Evidence of suitability was provided for all but one member of staff. The inspectors saw correspondence that confirmed that the provider had applied for this well in advance and the HR department in Dublin had been actively pursuing the matter. However, no risk assessment had been conducted to identify and address the risks related to appointing this person before receipt of suitability clearance. One group leader from Italy with 40 years experience said she did not have a police certificate of good conduct, but that it was not possible for her to be employed in a state middle school in Italy if she had a criminal record. Nevertheless, group leaders are among those covered by the Atlas Bristol safeguarding policy and so the organisation should have required her to provide some written evidence of suitability rather than relying on what they had been told. C6 Arrangements for the supervision and safety of students are good. They are given clear rules in writing and these are explained at induction. Students then have a group task to make a poster illustrating some of the rules. Supervision is effective, including moving around the campus in groups with a member of staff, pairing students who wish to leave class to visit the WC, suitable supervision ratios for on- and off-site activities and taking registers for activities, meal and trips. C7 The centre manager, most of his staff and the group leaders are accommodated on separate floors in the same residential block as the students. Students are allocated to male or female flats according to gender, and also
preference and age. The centre manager and activities leader are first aid trained. Care of under 18s summary The provision meets the section standard. There is appropriate provision for the safeguarding of students within the organisation and in the leisure activities and accommodation provided. POINTS TO BE ADDRESSED Points to be addressed from the previous inspection report with comments (in bold) to indicate how far these have been addressed. Only points reviewed during this spot check are included here. Any points outstanding from the 2015 spot check inspection of the centre in Chichester will be checked at the next inspection. Management M1 Neither of the two teachers at Chichester had received a full written contract. Addressed in Bristol. The inspectors saw that all teachers had contracts. The school may be exceeding the maximum amount of photocopying permitted under the CLA licence. Not yet addressed in Bristol. CLA guidelines are not displayed next to the photocopier and the centre and academic managers were not sure of what limits the CLA licence permitted. Not yet addressed in Bristol. M3 There is no specific mention of responsibility for safeguarding in any of the job descriptions. Addressed in Bristol. The centre manager s job description includes safeguarding responsibility. M6 Teachers were not asked to bring originals of certificates to the course. Addressed in Bristol. All teachers had brought their original certificates. M7 More could be done at induction to inform staff about their safeguarding responsibilities. Addressed in Bristol. All staff are informed of their safeguarding responsibilities at induction and sign a copy of the safeguarding policy as read. M13 Students next of kin details do not include the name of the person to be contacted in case of emergency. Addressed in Bristol. In those records sampled the person to be contacted is named. M22 The website refers to the school s unique theme-based syllabus. There was no evidence to support this claim. Not yet addressed. No attempt is made in publicity to substantiate this claim. M24 The publicity does not state the maximum class size. Addressed. Publicity states the maximum class size in Bristol and Chichester. M25 There is no indication of the cost of the course either in the brochure or on the website. The publicity does not include terms and conditions. Partially addressed. Publicity states the course costs in Bristol and Chichester but does not include the terms and conditions. M29 The website states inaccurately that the University of Chichester is fully licensed by the British Council. Addressed. The reference has been removed. Teaching and learning T2 One teacher did not have an ELT/TESOL qualification which met Scheme requirements. Partially addressed. In Bristol, one teacher did not have a qualification that met Scheme requirements (T2) The inspectors asked the centre manager to submit rationales. These were accepted in the context of this inspection. (Neither the teacher nor the school was aware that the certificate course the teacher had completed, although with 120 hours of input and six hours of observed teaching practice, is not accepted by the Scheme because it is not externally validated.) Another teacher did not have level 6 qualification (T1) but a rationale was provided and accepted in the context of this inspection. T9 There are no guidelines for teachers on dealing with continuous enrolment. Not yet addressed. Although the theme-based course structure overcomes some of the potential difficulties of continuous enrolment, the teachers handbook does not contain any advice on managing continuous enrolment. T10 There is very little guidance and support for teachers.
Addressed in Bristol. Support for teachers is satisfactory, a view confirmed by the teachers, who told the inspectors they had had good inductions and felt well supported by the DoS and centre manager. T11 Teachers have not been formally observed. Addressed in Bristol. Although the spot check coincided with the first teaching day of the course, the teachers confirmed they were expecting both drop-in and formal observations within a week and, independently, the DoS explained details of his plan for observations. T14 Students are not provided with course outlines. Addressed. Publicity now provides an adequate course outline by showing the content of a typical sample timetable. T15 There is no explicit teaching of study or learning strategies. There was no evidence to demonstrate that students are encouraged to organise their own work. Not yet addressed in Bristol. T18 There are no systems in place to monitor students progress. Addressed in Bristol. The weekly plans include time on Fridays for a weekly test and then for students to make presentations. Welfare and student services W1 The premises are not secure at all times. No premises risk assessments have been carried out. There is no accident log. Staff have not received training in fire evacuation procedures. Staff and students are not identified in any way; this makes supervision of students on site problematic. Oaklands House is located on a busy road, but there are no procedures in place to ensure students safety when crossing the road. Provision for the safety and security of students. Addressed in Bristol. Provision for the safety and security of students at UWE is good. W4 The language of the bullying policy is not accessible. Not yet addressed. The Atlas student handbook has several sections, including that on bullying, with information presented in language that most students will not understand. W22 The kitchen in the residence visited was very untidy and in need of cleaning. Addressed at Bristol. The kitchens in the flats were clean. Electrical equipment except for the fridges is disabled by the university before the junior vacation course students arrive. W28 There are no risk assessments for leisure activities or excursions. Addressed in Bristol. There were satisfactory risk assessments for about two dozen on- and off-site activities, although the system for checking whether all activity leaders had read them was unclear. Care of under 18s C1 There is no safeguarding policy in place at Chichester. Addressed in Bristol see comments in Care of under 18s section above. C2 No training has been given on safeguarding issues at Chichester. Addressed in Bristol. C3 There is no statement in the publicity about the level of care provided for students. Addressed see comments in Care of under 18s section above. C4 No suitability checks have been carried out on one of the teachers or the social programme supervisor. The residence supervisor had a suitability check carried out overseas. She informed the school of the check, but was not asked to provide evidence. Partially addressed in Bristol. Evidence of suitability was provided for all but one member of staff. The inspectors saw correspondence that confirmed that the provider had applied for this well in advance and the HR department in Dublin had been actively pursuing the matter. However, no risk assessment had been conducted to identify and address the risks related to appointing this person before receipt of suitability clearance. One group leader from Italy said she did not have a police certificate of good conduct, but that it was not possible for her to be employed in a state middle school in Italy if she had a criminal record. However, group leaders are among those covered by the Atlas Bristol safeguarding policy and so she should have been required to provide written evidence of suitability.
Points to be addressed arising from this visit M25 Publicity does not include accessible terms and conditions. R1 One of the classrooms is on the fourth floor, away from where the other classrooms and staff rooms are grouped. It would be more convenient and facilitate supervision if they were all grouped together. CONCLUSIONS Atlas Language School has successfully addressed most of the weaknesses identified in the inspection and spot check reports of 2014 and 2015 as they relate to its Bristol centre. The inspectors judged the centre to be well managed and appropriately staffed, and to be operating to the benefit of its students. All five section standards, including Care of under 18s, are now met. RECOMMENDATION The period of review may now be ended and accreditation may now be extended until the next full inspection, which falls due in 2018. However, evidence must be submitted within three months to demonstrate that weaknesses in the Chichester centre identified by the 2015 spot check have also been addressed. ASAC should reserve the right to recommend a further spot check of that centre next year. SUMMARY STATEMENT Changes to summary statement An updated summary statement can now be issued. Summary statement The British Council inspected and accredited Atlas Language School in July 2014. The Accreditation Scheme assesses the standards of management, resources and premises, teaching, welfare, and care of under 18s and accredits organisations which meet the overall standard in each area inspected (see www.britishcouncil.org/education/accreditation for details). This private language school offers vacation courses for under 18s. The inspection report stated the organisation met the standards of the Scheme.