INTERIM INSPECTION REPORT FOR WESTFIELD HOUSE UKVI LICENCE No: 86GB8DO97

Transcription

1 SIS INTERIM INSPECTION REPORT FOR WESTFIELD HOUSE UKVI LICENCE No: 86GB8DO97 Inspection relating to the educational oversight of private further education colleges on behalf of the Home Office s division of United Kingdom Visas and Immigration - UKVI The overall inspection findings for this college UKVI Standards for: courses and qualifications are teaching, learning and assessment are the cultural and moral development of students are welfare, health and safety are the effectiveness and suitability of staff are financial sustainability, leadership and governance are premises and accommodation are information and complaints are Compliance with UKVI Standards The college meets all the UKVI Standards CONTENTS OF THE REPORT Introduction Section A: Main Findings and actions required Section B: College and Inspection Details SIS UKVI educational oversight interim inspection: Westfield House 22 nd November

2 INTRODUCTION Purpose and scope of the inspection The School Inspection Service (SIS) is an approved educational oversight body authorised by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) section of the Home Office to inspect privately funded further education colleges in England, with a Steiner, Montessori or Eurythmy basis or background, or with a clear religious purpose. Inspection by SIS is designed to assess the college s compliance with the SIS College Standards. The Standards cover the quality of education and welfare provided to all students, including those from overseas who are sponsored by the college for Tier 4 visas, and, where applicable, those under eighteen and vulnerable adults. On-site student accommodation, where provided, is assessed for compliance with the Standards but is not subject to a full boarding inspection. Inspection provides objective and reliable reports on the extent to which colleges meet the Standards. By placing reports in the public domain, the information they contain is available to students, the UKVI, and the wider community. Inspection takes account of the context of each individual college, and of how it evaluates its own performance and demonstrates its success. It helps colleges, their staff and trustees/governors/proprietors to recognise and build on their strengths and to identify and remedy their weaknesses in relation to compliance. The inspection also takes account of the college s financial performance over the last two years for new providers and since the last inspection for established providers. Based on this evidence an assessment is made of the college s financial sustainability over the next four-year period. This work is done by a qualified accountant on the basis of information provided by the college. Prospective students, their parents and agents should make their own enquiries into the financial viability of institutions before accepting a place. Colleges are inspected on a four year cycle, with a full inspection of two days by two inspectors every four years, and an interim inspection of one day by one inspector in each of the three intervening years. Westfield House received a full inspection in May 2016 and an interim inspection in November Both of these inspections resulted in published reports which are available on the SIS website: SIS UKVI educational oversight interim inspection: Westfield House 22 nd November

3 Characteristics of the college Westfield House, the theological college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE), is a small residential college established on its site, close to Cambridge centre, since It offers theological study combined with a vocational and practical dimension. The core work is to prepare students for ministry in the Lutheran Church either as a pastor or for other church work. The college shares the site with a Lutheran church, and with a small outpost of an American university. There are at present 16 students attending the college, three with Tier 4 visas. The college currently has 15 exchange students, all from Concordia universities or seminaries in the United States of America (USA). Twelve of them are on a one-term Undergraduate Study Abroad credit transfer arrangement leading to Bachelor degrees at their home institution. The three Tier 4 visa students are studying at Westfield House for a year as part of their Master s degree in Divinity at their home institution. One student from an EU country is undertaking a Bachelor of Divinity university course accredited by London University International Programme as well as a course which leads to the Westfield College certificate in Lutheran ministry. Students have leave to attend lectures which provide enrichment for their Westfield House courses at various faculties of the University of Cambridge. SIS UKVI educational oversight interim inspection: Westfield House 22 nd November

4 SECTION A: Main Findings and Actions Required Main findings Westfield House continues to meet the UKVI Standards. Courses and qualifications are at a suitable higher education level, and are in keeping with the Lutheran theological ethos of the college. Prospective students are well informed about the prior subject knowledge required for their courses and know that they must have English to IELTS Level 6. Good staff to student ratios enable the college to provide effective support if needed for students to access their courses quickly. All students undertake full-time study and complete their courses. The college has accreditation from the British Accreditation Council for Further and Higher Education, and has Affiliate Centre status with the University of London International Programmes. Courses on offer to international students using Tier 4 lead to approved qualifications for UKVI purposes. Teaching enables students to acquire new knowledge and make progress, with highly qualified tutors whose teaching is well planned and delivered, with detailed curriculum, syllabus and individual session plans. Teaching shows confident subject expertise, good communication with students and rigorous intellectual demands made through debate and analysis. Challenging written assignments are set regularly and assessed appropriately, and include individual student presentations to the whole class. Students are well informed through weekly reflections in class on their progress, and tutors readily provide extra study support. The college explains clearly to students the demand of summative assessment which is more commonly used in the Westfield House higher education courses than in the courses students have taken previously at their home institutions in the USA. Discussions with students confirm that the courses help to develop their self-knowledge, with personal reflections on Lutheran theology an integral part of their study. The students have a positive view of the college, confirmed by a questionnaire completed in connection with this inspection. They are confident and articulate, and acknowledge the impact the college and its courses have on their cultural and moral development. They are respectful of each other and integrate well as a residential community and as part of the local Lutheran congregation. Students who are from other denominations also benefit from the contact they have with their own local congregations. Students say that they feel safe in the college and that they receive good pastoral support from their tutors and the local church communities. The college has appointed a counsellor with responsibility for student welfare and has plans to review this provision during the next semester. The college recently arranged for a police liaison officer to speak to students about radicalisation and the need for personal vigilance. The college has effective policies and procedures for health and safety. The recent retirement of a resident caretaker has led to some re-allocation of health and safety responsibilities. The college has taken professional guidance to ensure its health and safety policies and practical measures are compliant including fire safety training. Student attendance is excellent and carefully recorded. The required arrangements for reporting Tier 4 student absences to UKVI are in place. The college meets the standards for effectiveness and suitability of staff, with necessary checks made before appointment. There have been no dismissals for disciplinary SIS UKVI educational oversight interim inspection: Westfield House 22 nd November

5 reasons, and the college has no students under the age of 18. Financial plans and forecasts submitted as part of the inspection process show that there can be reasonable confidence in the college s financial sustainability, and that students are not at risk of being unable to complete their courses. The ELCE Executive Council is the governing body of the college and works with college leaders to ensure sufficient resources and the review of policies and procedures. The college is led and managed by a principal who provides institutional leadership and a preceptor with academic, theological and spiritual oversight. The Executive Council and college leaders are embarking on a major review of organisation, course levels and content and student numbers. The college is housed on a compact site close to the centre of Cambridge, carefully adapted and extended to meet its needs, with suitable seminar rooms, libraries, study areas and good quality student accommodation. There is a Lutheran church and a small outpost of an American university on the same site but these do not affect students study or welfare, health and safety. The college has well-established lines of communication with prospective students, including through partner institutions in USA and its website. Current students say that they are well informed about the college. They have read the student handbook and they know that there is a complaints procedure. There have been no formal complaints since the last inspection. Overall Main Finding The college meets UKVI requirements. Compliance It meets all the Standards. Outcome for the College It will receive an interim inspection check in one year and a further full inspection four years after the last full inspection. Actions Required No action is required. SIS UKVI educational oversight interim inspection: Westfield House 22 nd November

6 SECTION B: COLLEGE AND INSPECTION DETAILS Details of college Name of college: Westfield House Address of college: 30 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0HH Telephone number: address: Proprietor: Evangelical Lutheran Church of England Name of Principal: Dr Cynthia Lumley Licence number: 86GB8DO97 Type of college: Higher Education/Theological Studies Details of student body Age range 18 + Number on roll: Male Female Full Time: 7 9 Part Time: 0 0 Below Annual fees: 8,300 Details of inspection Type of inspection: Educational Oversight: Interim Inspection Team: Reporting Inspector: Peter Jones Dates of inspection: 22 nd November 2017 This report has been prepared by the School Inspection Service (SIS), which provides 6 independent professional inspection of colleges who offer education on offer to international students through Tier 4 of the points-based system for student visas. Further copies of the report are available from the college and on the SIS website: