Inspection report

Organisation name LAL Torbay

Inspection date 19 - 22 August 2014

Section standard Met Not met

Management: The management of the provision will operate to the benefit of
its students, in accordance with its publicity and in accordance with the
Declaration of legal and regulatory compliance.
Resources and environment: The learning resources and environment will
support and enhance the studies of students enrolled with the provider, and
will offer an appropriate professional environment for staff.
Teaching and learning: Teachers will have appropriate qualifications and
will be given sufficient support to ensure that their teaching meets the needs
of their students. Programmes of learning will be managed for the benefit of
students. The teaching observed will meet the requirements of the Scheme.
Welfare and student services: The needs of students for security, pastoral
care, information and leisure activities will be met; any accommodation
provided will be suitable; the management of the accommodation systems
will work to the benefit of students.

Care of under 18s section N/a Met Not met

There will be appropriate provision for the safeguarding of
students under the age of 18 within the organisation and in
any leisure activities or accommodation provided.

Recommendation

We recommend continued accreditation.

Publishable statement

The British Council inspected and accredited LAL Torbay in August 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/accreditation for
details).

This large private language school offers courses in general and academic English for adults (16+), closed groups
of under-18s and vacation courses for under-18s.

The inspection report noted a need for improvement in the area of publicity.

Strengths were noted in the areas of staff management, premises and facilities, care of students and leisure
opportunities.

The inspection report stated that the organisation met the standards of the Scheme.

Report expires 31 March 2019

 Organisation profile

Inspection history Dates/details

First inspection 1989
Last full inspection 2010
Subsequent spot check (if applicable) N/a
Subsequent supplementary check (if applicable) N/a
Subsequent interim visit (if applicable) N/a
Current accreditation status Accredited
LAL London and LAL Summer Schools. Also schools in
Other related schools / centres /affiliates
Malta, South Africa and USA.
Other related non-accredited activities (in brief) at this
Teacher training
centre

Private Sector
Date of foundation 1985
Ownership LAL Language Centres Holding Ltd / FTI GmbH
Other accreditation/inspection ISI

Premises profile
Address of main site
Details of any additional sites in
use at the time of the inspection
(location/normal use of site/when
used/number of rooms used)
Details of any additional sites not
in use at the time of the inspection
Inspectors note of sites inspected
Conway Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 5LH
The gymnasium of the adjacent independent school, Tower House, is available if
needed as an overflow space for testing, as a prayer-room and for activities.
N/a
LAL Torbay occupies a large purpose-built school building, formerly owned by
the adjacent independent school and dating from the mid-twentieth century. It
consists of two wings, each with three floors. There are 31 classrooms of various
sizes, an internet study room, a large student caf and lounge, an adult lounge,
offices, a teachers room and a large partly paved garden. The building is light
and the corridors and stairways spacious.

In peak week August

Student profile At inspection
(organisations estimate)
Of all international students, approximate percentage
100% 100%
on ELT/ESOL courses
ELT/ESOL Students (eligible courses) At inspection In peak week
Total ELT/ESOL student numbers (FT + PT) 399 656
Full-time ELT (15+ hours per week) 18 years and over 172 244
Full-time ELT (15+ hours per week) aged 16-17 years 121 228
Full-time ELT (15+ hours per week) aged under 16 106 184
Part-time ELT aged 18 years and over 0 0
Part-time ELT aged 16-17 years 0 0
Part-time ELT aged under 16 years 0 0
Minimum age (including closed group or vacation) 8 8
Typical age range 15-35 12-28
Typical length of stay 2 weeks 2 weeks
German, Saudi,
Predominant nationalities German, Saudi, Italian, Czech
Italian, Russian
Number on PBS Tier 4 General student visas 4 4
Number on PBS Tier 4 child visas 0 0
Number on student visitor visas 63 78
Number on child visitor visas 21 24
 In peak week
Staff profile At inspection
(organisations estimate)
Total number of teachers on eligible ELT courses 27 39
Number teaching ELT under 10 hours/week 0
Number teaching ELT 10-19 hours/week 3
Number teaching ELT 20 hours and over/week 24
Total number of administrative/ancillary staff 6

Academic staff qualifications to teach ELT/TESOL

Profile at inspection

Professional qualifications Total number of teachers

Diploma-level ELT/TESOL qualification (TEFLQ) 6

Certificate-level ELT/TESOL qualification (TEFLI) 20

Holding specialist qualifications only (specify)

YL initiated

Qualified teacher status only (QTS) 1

Rationale(s) required for teachers without appropriate ELT/TESOL qualifications

Total 27

These figures exclude the academic manager(s)

Comments
The one teacher with QTS was teaching young learners. The academic manager and two senior teachers, who were
not timetabled to teach, are TEFLQ.

Course profile
Eligible activities Year round Vacation Other - N/a

Run Seen Run Seen Run Seen

General ELT for adults (18+)

General ELT for juniors (under 18)

English for academic purposes
(excludes IELTS preparation)
English for specific purposes (includes
English for Executives)
Teacher development
(excludes award-bearing courses)
ESOL skills for life/for citizenship

Other

Comments
General, intensive and specialist English for adults (16+ years) of 15 and 22.5 hours per week and Young Learner
courses (8-17 years) of 15 hours per week plus activities. Classes are run in three shifts: a morning A shift and an
afternoon C shift of three hours each and a B shift of one and a half hours from 12.45 until 14.15. Private tuition is
available but is a minor provision. Adult courses include specialist German Abitur exam preparation for teenagers,
Cambridge and IELTS exam preparation, business English and a revised academic English course due to launch
later this year but being piloted during August.
 Accommodation profile
Number of students in each at the time of inspection (all ELT/ESOL students)
Types of accommodation Adults Under 18s
Arranged by provider/agency
Homestay 95 214
Private home
Home tuition
Residential 41
Hotel/guesthouse 11 5
Independent self-catering e.g. flats, bedsits, student houses
Arranged by student/family/guardian
Staying with own family
Students own arrangements 25 8

Introduction
LAL Language Centres Holdings Ltd is owned by FTI GmbH, a large German tour operator whose director and
major shareholder founded LAL in Paignton (Torbay) 30 years ago. Today LAL owns accredited schools in London
and Paignton, an accredited seasonal multi-centre operation, and schools in the USA and South Africa. It has a 50
percent share in a school in Malta and partnership agreements with schools in Canada and India. The LAL head
office is in Twickenham in a building very close to LALs London school, but some head office functions are
conducted at LAL Torbay and the chief financial officer is based in Malta. There are international sales managers
around the world. The great majority of students book their courses through agents.

LAL Torbay teaches general English to adults and juniors year round. For most of the year student numbers are
around a hundred mainly adult students per month. In the summer they peak at over 600, with the majority being
young learners (YLs). As well as general English, the school provides relatively small amounts of English for
business, academic English and preparation for examinations including, in the summer, the German Abitur. The
school also has a teacher training department providing CELTA and DELTA courses. In peak periods in previous
years, LAL Torbay has used additional classrooms nearby, but in 2014 all the courses were run in the schools own
building. Lessons are arranged on a shift system with, at the time of this inspection, adults being taught in the
mornings, young learners in the afternoons and more specialist lessons being timetabled between those two main
shifts.

This inspection took two inspectors four days. They interviewed the following staff: the general manager, the
operations manager & welfare co-ordinator, the HR & administration manager, the accommodation & welfare co-
ordinator, the facilities manager, the academic manager, the head of teacher training, the head of YL teaching, the
academic administrator, the senior teacher and the long-stay student tutor. They held meetings with groups of
teachers and adult, young learner and some Abitur students. They observed all but one of the teachers teaching.
One inspector briefly joined a Study Support Group meeting and a Book Club session and the other visited four
homestays and the schools residential accommodation. The LAL chief operating officer visited the school during
the inspection and the group CEO attended the final roundup.

Management

Legal and statutory regulations

See
Criteria
comments
M1 Declaration of compliance
Comments
M1 The items sampled were satisfactory.
 Staff management
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
M2 Management structure

M3 Duties specified N/a

M4 Communication channels

M5 Human resources policies

M6 Qualifications verified N/a

M7 Induction procedures

M8 Monitoring staff performance

M9 Professional development
Comments
M4 Effective channels of communication operate at all levels. Within the school, there is daily informal
communication among teaching and administrative staff and their managers. There are also weekly minuted
teachers meetings, monthly meetings of heads of department, and the general manager has a monthly meeting
with the LAL chief executive officer. All the LAL schools senior management teams meet at the groups annual
general meeting where centre managers report on their schools results. Every two years there is a conference of
LAL academic managers.
M5 The HR administration manager for the group, who is based in Torbay, was recruited in 2012 from outside the
sector and has been reviewing the companys human resource policies and procedures. These are now
comprehensive and well developed. There is an up to date employee handbook, a system of appraisals for all staff,
and policies which comply with the latest employment law.
M6 The school is in the process of transferring from paper-based to electronic staff records. Some older records
were incomplete but newer records were up-to-date and comprehensive.
M7 All staff receive a thorough induction, and sign it off when they have completed it.
M8 There are policies and systems for monitoring and appraising all staff and procedures for handling
unsatisfactory performance. Appraisals include self-assessment by the appraisee and the setting of timed
objectives. Earlier this year, the HR manager conducted a skills audit of staff, the results of which inform their
appraisals and the schools programme of continuing professional development (CPD).
M9 CPD is targeted according to need and, as well as the weekly teacher workshops, has recently included pay-roll
training, fire-awareness training, management & leadership training, customer services training, and a one-day first-
aid course for eight staff. All working at the school have received child protection awareness training.

Student administration
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
M10 Administrative staff and resources

M11 Information on course choice

M12 Enrolment procedures

M13 Student records

M14 Student attendance policy

M15 Conditions and procedures

Comments
M10 The central reservations department of all LAL schools is based at LAL Torbay, and the school benefits from
the additional support those members of staff can provide.
M13 On arrival, all students complete a form which records details of their next of kin, local addresses and mobile
phone numbers.
M14 The school has firm policies on student attendance and punctuality and procedures for implementing them.
There is an effective ten-minute rule on punctuality which benefits the whole school. Teachers complete class
registers within the first ten minutes and place them in a special rack outside their classroom where administrative
staff check them. Students know that they will be marked absent for the entire two-lesson period if they arrive after
the register has been checked. Under-18s who are absent by that time are followed up at once. All students require
a minimum 80 percent attendance in order to receive a final certificate of attendance and attainment. Progress to
the next level is also dependent on good attendance. The poor attendance of any visa student is reported to the
UKVI.

Quality assurance
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
M16 Action plan N/a

M17 Continuing improvement

M18 Student feedback and action

M19 Staff feedback and action

M20 Complaints
Comments
M18 First week and end-of-course questionnaires are issued and long-stay students have tutorials. For young
learners, the feedback questionnaires are in paper form and the rate of return is high. Students on adult courses
complete their questionnaires electronically. The return rate for adult first week questionnaires is only about 50
percent and that for their end-of-course questionnaires is just 10-15 percent. Feedback from first week
questionnaires (both paper and electronic) is circulated to relevant managers. Teachers are informed of specific
issues arising from feedback, and any action taken is recorded.
M19 The school regularly seeks and records feedback from all staff. Weekly meetings are minuted, all staff receive
annual appraisals and teachers have an opportunity for input during the feedback sessions following their regular
observations. At the end of their employment, all staff are invited to complete an exit questionnaire and attend an
exit interview with their line manager.

Publicity
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
M21 Accessible accurate language

M22 Realistic expectations

M23 Course description

M24 Course information N/a

M25 Cost

M26 Accommodation

M27 Leisure programme

M28 Staff qualifications N/a

M29 Accreditation N/a

Comments
LALs main publicity consists of its website, and of an adult and a young learners brochure. These brochures are
primarily intended for agents and other industry partners. The website and brochures are generic: they provide
information about all LALs own and its partners courses and centres around the world. LAL also makes use of
social networking websites and publishes summaries of its main brochures.
M21 Publicity is in clear and accessible English. The website is available in several languages.
M22 Although the text and photographic content of publicity generally raises realistic expectations, six of the eight
students in the adult focus group did not consider that the collection of graded readers in a locked bookshelf in the
internet room amounted to the library claimed in publicity. A graph in the 2014 brochure illustrating typical progress
through levels against time of study was potentially misleading. The school responded during the course of the
inspection by redesigning the graph to produce a more realistic picture for the 2015 brochure and showed the
inspectors a proof of the new brochure.
M23 Publicity gives well-expressed outline descriptions of each course.
M24 The maximum adult class size was ambiguously stated on the website as 12 or 15, but this was corrected to
15 during the inspection. The printed price list states the different maximum class sizes clearly (these depend on
class-type or season), but the brochure gives the maximum class size as 12. The minimum age for adult courses is
shown on the website and the printed price list but not in the brochure.
M25 All costs including extras are clearly explained.
M28 Teachers are described as experienced, which is not always the case.
M29 The website stated that the premises were noted as points of excellence by the British Council during the last
inspection. This edited extract from a publishable statement was removed during the course of the inspection.

Management summary
The provision meets the section standard. The management of the school operates efficiently to the benefit of its
students. There were some minor inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the schools publicity, but some of them were
addressed during the course of the inspection. However, a need remains for improvement in the area of Publicity.
Staff management is an area of strength.

Resources and environment

Premises and facilities

See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
R1 Adequate space

R2 Condition of premises

R3 Classrooms and learning areas

R4 Student relaxation facilities

R5 Signage and display

R6 Staff room(s)
Comments
R1 The premises provide a spacious and appropriate environment for students and staff, even in the busiest
periods.
R2 All parts of the building are clean, simply but freshly decorated and in a good state of repair. The exterior of the
building and the surrounding garden are well maintained.
R3 Classrooms vary in size but satisfactorily accommodate the numbers of students allocated to them. Classroom
furniture is comfortable. In smaller rooms, the rather unwieldy tables reduce the teachers ability to make best use of
the available space, and in a few rooms the position of the whiteboard might be improved. However, overall the
classrooms provide a well-lit and pleasant learning environment for students and staff.
R4 The spacious student lounge-cafe on the ground floor provides a good choice of affordable snacks and drinks. It
has seating for about 60, a pool table, four PCs for students use, drinking water and vending machines. Adult
students also have the use of their own lounge on the top floor with comfortable seating and a large TV. In good
weather students can use the garden, which is partly paved and furnished with tables and seating, for relaxing and
eating their packed lunches.
R5 There is excellent signage and facilities for the display of information throughout the school. Noticeboards are
attractive and well-managed, with specific noticeboards for young learners, long-term students and forthcoming
school events.
R6 The teachers room is large, comfortable and provides space both for work and relaxation. There is an array of
well organised noticeboards, ample work stations and good storage facilities for teachers personal possessions.
The teachers room is conveniently located adjacent to the resources room with three PCs and a photocopier, a
further preparation room and to the academic management teams offices.

Learning resources
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
R7 Learning materials

R8 Resources for teachers

R9 Educational technology

R10 Self-access facilities

R11 Library/self-access guidance

R12 Review and development

Comments
R7 Most adult courses are based on well-known coursebook series. Students (except those on one-week bookings)
are required to buy the book. One-week students receive photocopies. Students changing level may be required to
buy a second coursebook. Adult students also have access to LAL Advantage, an independently produced online
learning platform which they can access a week before their course starts and continue to use for three months
after it ends. Young learners are given Vacation English coursebooks that LAL has itself developed at five levels.
These colourful books have been developed since 2009 and are now in their third edition.
R8 There is a range of well-organised, accessible and up-to-date resources for teachers, including internet access
and printing and copying facilities. Paper resources include flash cards, board games, role-play and question cards,
and course, skills, business and examination practice books. The teachers described their resources as good or
very good.
R9 The school has a satisfactory level of educational technology. There are two interactive whiteboards, which were
noted at the last inspection. Nine flat screen TVs have recently been bought and six laptops for classroom use,
which are kept in the academic office. Classes that do not have their own TV can use the one in the adult lounge.
The internet study room has 10 PCs. Each classroom has a CD player.
R10 The internet study room is available for quiet study and self-access work when not being used for teaching.
There is a shelf of graded readers which students can request to borrow, and they can access the internet learning
platform LAL Advantage which includes a range of language practice exercises.
R11 Guidance is available if students ask. There is also a weekly Study Support Group session in the internet study
room which students can choose to attend. This helps students to develop their independent study skills and
introduces them to a variety of paper-based and internet resources. The senior teacher visits the classes showing
students what is available on LAL Advantage and encouraging its use.

Resources and environment summary

The provision meets and in some areas exceeds the section standard. The schools learning resources and
environment support the studies of the students enrolled and provide staff with an appropriate professional
environment. Premises and facilities is an area of strength.

Teaching and learning

Academic staff profile

See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
T1 General education (and rationales) N/a

T2 ELT/TESOL teacher qualifications

T3 Rationales for teachers N/a

T4 Profile of academic manager(s)

T5 Rationale for academic manager(s) N/a

Comments
T1 Four members of the teaching team did not have level 6 qualifications, but the rationales for their employment
were accepted within the context of this inspection.
T2 All the teachers had teaching qualifications that met the basic requirements of the Scheme. One teacher was
teaching on a pilot course in preparation for the start of the schools revised Academic Focus Diploma course due to
launch later this year. The teacher is very experienced, has worked for the school for more than 20 years and has
been closely involved in the development of the new course. Although the teacher is not TEFLQ, the Scheme allows
a small percentage of EAP teachers to be only certificate-level qualified if there is a good rationale for their
deployment to the task.
T3 The rationale for the deployment of the teacher described in T2 above was accepted in the context of this
inspection.
T4 The academic director for LAL English centres is acting as academic manager in Torbay while the DoS is on
maternity leave. She leads a strong and well-qualified academic management team that includes the head of
teacher training, the head of YL teaching and the senior teacher, all of whom are TEFLQ.

Academic management
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
T6 Deployment of teachers
T7 Timetabling

T8 Cover for absent teachers

T9 Continuous enrolment

T10 Support for teachers

T11 Observation and monitoring

Comments
T6 Teachers are deployed according to their experience and qualifications, ambitions identified at their appraisals
and the academic managers desire to develop individual teachers skills in order to strengthen the teaching team.
T8 A solid provision of internal and external cover is available.
T10 There is a good programme of professional development for teachers, partly informed by a skills audit
conducted by the senior teacher earlier in the year and by teachers appraisals. Recent session subjects ranged
from using Active Teach or LAL Advantage to What students want and need. Meetings take place at Friday
lunchtimes and sandwiches are provided. Some sessions are doubled up, with an input session in the first week
and a reflection session in the next. Teachers also occasionally attend external events such as those arranged by
Devon Director of Studies Association and English UK. The majority of core teachers have been encouraged and
assisted to complete the Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test module Knowledge About Language.
T11 All teachers are observed formally at least once a year. Observations are conducted using well-structured
guidelines for the observer and the teacher and are followed by oral and written feedback and a self-evaluation.
Peer observations are encouraged and facilitated. Teachers also benefit from being observed by trainees on the
schools CELTA and DELTA courses.

Course design and implementation

See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
T12 Principled course structure

T13 Review of course design

T14 Course outlines

T15 Study and learning strategies

T16 Linguistic benefit from UK

Comments
T12 Adult and young learner general English course designs are book-led and use a broadly communicative
approach. Other courses examinations, business English, intensive English, the new Academic Focus Diploma
course all have suitable structured guidelines and/or schemes of work. The young learner courses use LALs own
Vacation English series of books for half of the three-hour teaching session. Teachers decide with their students
which units to cover and then have a consolidation lesson and test at the end of the week. The books have space
for a learner diary, realia, and test results. In the second half of the session, the class moves on to project work,
usually associated with the Saturday excursion. The inspectors considered that this course design meets the needs
of younger students on short courses in the UK very well. The adult course design uses well-known coursebooks as
its basis, with some negotiation at the start of every week between teacher and students on what that weeks
lessons should contain. However, it inevitably means that short-stay students will cover only a small portion of the
coursebook they have bought. It also raises the question of whether such coursebooks, designed as they are for the
global English market, are best-suited to meet the needs of summer course students in Devon. However, the design
is better suited to the needs of the long-stay students sharing the class, and the weekly negotiation of a scheme of
work goes some way to overcoming its disadvantages for the short-stay students.
T13 The main coursebook used for adult general English was reconsidered by teachers and confirmed in 2013. The
content of the early afternoon skills lessons for students choosing the Intensive English course is currently under
rd
review. LALs young learner Vacation English series, now in its 3 edition, will continue to be developed.
T14 Publicity provides a satisfactory broad outline of course content. Teachers post a scheme of work or Weekly
planner in their classrooms that tells students what they will be working on that week.
T15 Teachers are instructed to incorporate some learner training into their lessons at least once a week, and there
is a reminder on the weekly planner template. The LAL Advantage learning platform encourages learner autonomy.
Students who wish to can attend the Study Support group which meets for an hour every week to consider how best
to learn vocabulary, organise notes, check written work, remember collocations, and so on. Students can also raise
queries about any language points, and are given a list of nearly 30 useful English language websites.
T16 Teachers are encouraged to set homework tasks that require students to use English outside the classroom,
for instance with their homestay hosts or in shops, using news articles on LAL Advantage or researching local
people and places of interest on the internet. Some classwork on some courses is devoted to preparing for
excursions. There is also a magazine Stop Press to which students and teachers contribute. One of the teachers
runs a weekly Book Club in which students read and discuss over six weeks a set book borrowed from Torbay
Library and for which the library lends ten copies. There are also other local or cultural links such as an Agatha
Christie Week and Christmas Pudding Week which bring life to language and the language to life.

Learner management
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
T17 Placement and level

T18 Monitoring students progress

T19 Examination guidance

T20 Assessment criteria

T21 Academic reports

T22 Information on UK education

Comments
T18 Adults have regular tests at the end of each week or module. Young learners have a weekly test on Fridays.
Students who wish to change level can, with the teachers recommendation, take a level test to change from one
CEFR band to the next. To change, they have to achieve 70 percent in the test and also show good attendance.
Publicity states that students enrolling for twenty one weeks or more will receive monthly tutorials. In fact, they are
available to any longer-stay student, and the long-stay student tutor is pro-active in meeting students booked for
more than about two months shortly after their arrival and posting lists of those due to be seen on the long-stay
students noticeboard. The tutorials are well structured, inviting self-assessment of learning and progress, and
include an action plan. They also check on the students general welfare.
T19 The school regularly prepares small numbers of candidates for Cambridge FCE, CAE and CPE and for IELTS.
Trinity GESE exams are available on demand. Barrier tests may be used to help guide candidates to exams at a
suitable level.

Classroom observation record

Number of teachers seen 26
Number of observations 27
General English and Intensive English (adults), Business English, Exam
Parts of programme(s) observed preparation including Abitur preparation, Young learner general English
classes and one-to-one.
Comments
One teacher was not seen; one teacher was seen twice, teaching different sorts of class.

Classroom observation
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
T23 Linguistic systems of English

T24 Appropriate language

T25 Planning content

T26 Coherent and relevant activities

T27 Classroom management

T28 Teaching techniques

T29 Student engagement

T30 Sensitivity and learning
atmosphere
Comments
T23 Most teachers showed a sound knowledge of the linguistic systems of English and provided good models, and
one or two drew on their knowledge of other languages to highlight contrasts or warn against false friends. A few
explanations of grammar and vocabulary were inaccurate or ambiguous and a few examples were poorly chosen,
suggesting there had been insufficient checking when preparing the lesson. However, these instances were
exceptional.
T24 Most teachers graded their language accurately to the level of their students. They were sensitive to different
learners needs, and at higher levels provided good examples of natural speech.
T25 Most lessons had been thoroughly planned to meet the course objectives, a process assisted by the schools
well-designed lesson-plan template. In some lessons, the teacher shared the sessions aims with the students at the
start of the lesson. Content was sometimes clearly in response to students requests rather than that dictated by the
coursebook. The language practised generally matched the level of the classes, although at some lower levels more
care could have been taken in evaluating the usefulness of the vocabulary selected for teaching. Some Abitur
lessons were lively and well-focused while others were too book-bound and included language exercises which did
not perhaps make the best use of students time on a short course in England. The content of one or two lessons,
both for adults and young learners, was not sufficiently challenging for the students ability.
T26 All lessons included a coherent sequence of activities, appropriate to the ages and abilities of the students.
Activities appropriate to younger learners were well-chosen.
T27 Teachers generally demonstrated effective management of the classroom environment and resources. The
inspectors noted some good use of the CD players and TVs, well-planned boardwork with purposeful use of colour,
and use of students smart-phones to find information. There was also some scrappy boardwork, use of poor-quality
hand-outs and, in one or two cases, a failure to rearrange classroom furniture to make optimum use of the available
space in the classroom, but these were exceptional instances.
T28 Generally there was good attention paid to pronunciation, with work quite often included in lesson plans. Some
teachers used phonemic script and stress marks effectively with students they had trained to recognise important
features. There was good monitoring by teachers of pair and group work, with points picked up for later review by
the whole class. Peer and self-correction were encouraged and there was some well-handled delayed correction.
The area showed evidence of the schools recent teacher development workshops on, for instance, error correction
and the integration of pronunciation.
T29 Teachers generally gave clear instructions and often skilfully checked understanding. In young learner classes,
good use was made of movement in games and races to engage students. Some teachers were successful in
controlling the use of L1, often by actively managing seating, but other teachers were not, failing to provide decisive
management of their classes. Some teachers were more skilful than others in rounding off activities and
acknowledging the contributions individual students had made.
T30 Most teachers were aware of individual students, knew their names and had produced useful class profiles. In a
few classes, not all the students were fully engaged, but in most they were. Praise when it was delivered was
usually deserved, and most teachers were successful in creating a purposeful learning atmosphere.

Classroom observation summary

The teaching in the lesson segments observed was almost always satisfactory, often good and occasionally
excellent. Teachers generally displayed a good knowledge of the linguistic systems of English, had prepared their
lessons thoroughly to meet their students needs and the course objectives, and managed their classes effectively.
Students were generally engaged in and enjoying their lessons.

Teaching and learning summary

The provision meets the section standard. The teachers have appropriate qualifications and are given a good level
of support to ensure their teaching meets the needs of the students. Course design and implementation is always
satisfactory and some aspects of the provision are very good indeed, and the management of teaching programmes
works well to the benefit of the students. The teaching observed met the requirements of the Scheme.

Welfare and student services

Care of students
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
W1 Safety and security onsite

W2 Pastoral care

W3 Personal problems

W4 Dealing with abusive behaviour

W5 Emergency contact number N/a

W6 Transport and transfers

W7 Advice

W8 Medical and dental treatment N/a

Comments
W1 Visitors sign in at the reception desk which is continuously staffed when the school is open. There is CCTV
coverage of the whole site, monitored from the IT office. Students are made aware of safety and security issues at
induction. Detailed premises risk assessments are in place. Fire action procedures are included in the school health
and safety policy; there are two fire marshals responsible for overseeing evacuation in emergency. Two members of
staff are fully trained first aiders. A further eight members of staff have completed one-day first aid training courses.
W2 Students are informed at induction and through the student handbook who to ask if they need pastoral care.
Activity leaders are instructed to inform the student services team if they have any concerns about the welfare of
specific students. A room is made available for private prayer. A shuttle service to take students to the local mosque
is provided outside the summer.
W3 The operations manager is the named person responsible for the welfare of juniors, the welfare co-ordinator is
responsible for the welfare of adult students and the long-stay students tutor has a pastoral as well as an academic
role. There is also an Arabic-speaking teacher who oversees the academic and general well-being of Middle
Eastern students.
W4 The bullying and harassment policy is on display and is also available on the student learning platform. It is not
included in the student handbook. The language in which the policy is written is not accessible to all students.
Evidence was provided of a recent behaviour problem being sympathetically and effectively dealt with by staff, with
the support of group leaders.
W5 The emergency number is on the website, in pre-arrival information and the student handbook, and on the
student card. Outside office hours calls are answered by one of the student services team. In high season two extra
members of staff are recruited to attend evening social events for young learners and to answer the emergency
phone number overnight. They are fully trained on the various scenarios which might arise and have the phone
numbers of senior staff members if they require assistance.
W6 In high season large numbers of students are picked up and returned to the airports every weekend and very
detailed procedures are in place to ensure all goes smoothly. An external meet-and-greet service is used for junior
students arriving at smaller airports. Activity leaders are assigned to accompany juniors to these airports on the
return journey. Full information about travel to Torbay is provided on the website for independent adult students.
W7 All required information is given in the student handbook or on notices at the school. Separate booklets are
provided for adults and juniors. Both are attractively designed to a high standard. The adult guide includes useful
sections on adjusting to life in the UK, the homestay service, staying safe in Torbay and also has full details of
school excursions and local tourist attractions. Information in the junior guide is kept simple and is written in
accessible language. There is a strong emphasis on student rules, safety and security, and the emergency help
available. A local police community support officer attends induction sessions to promote the Student Support Point
initiative which provides students with a safe haven at shops and businesses around the town.
W8 The school makes appointments for students at three local surgeries and a nearby dental practice. Younger
students are accompanied on request. Students are made aware of any costs in advance. Medical insurance can
be booked through the school if required.

Accommodation profile
Comments on the accommodation seen by the inspectors
The school has a register of 380 homestay providers in Paignton and Torquay. Four hosts were visited. All were
friendly and welcoming and all provided a service in line with Scheme requirements in comfortable homes of varying
sizes. Hosts commented that they had good relations with the school and could rely on support being provided if
necessary. Hosts were within walking distance of the school or a short bus ride away.
A former hotel is used as a student residence. The residence, which overlooks the sea, is a ten-minute walk from
the school. There is a large reception area, a lounge and a TV room. There are 23 single rooms and 15 twin rooms,
all with en-suite facilities. The large shared kitchen has three cookers, three fridges and a freezer. Cooking
equipment is provided. School staff sleep at the residence and a member of staff is available at reception in the
evenings. The facilities manager visits daily and deals with maintenance or discipline problems. All students at the
residence are adults.

Accommodation: all types

See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
W9 Services and facilities

W10 Accommodation inspected first

W11 Accommodation re-inspected

W12 Accommodation registers

W13 Information

W14 Student feedback

W15 Meals in homestay/residences

Comments
W9 The school requires homestay providers to change towels twice a week.
W10 Since May 2014, initial visits have included a fire and safety risk assessment, carried out with the help of a
school representative.
W11 Hosts are re-inspected every two years. Hosts taken on before May 2014 will be helped to carry out a fire risk
assessment at the next re-inspection.
W13 The host home confirmation specifies the level of service required. Students are not asked to share a room
except where this is agreed in advance.
W14 Students are informed at induction, during an initial tour of the school and in the handbook who to contact in
case of accommodation problems.
W15 Hosts visited all confirmed that they took students likes and dislikes into account when planning meals.
Students in the focus group were mostly complimentary about the food provided by hosts, although one student
commented that the host left food in the fridge for the student to heat in the microwave.

Accommodation: homestay
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Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
W16 No more than four students N/a

W17 Rules, terms and conditions

W18 Shared bedrooms N/a

W19 Students first language N/a

W20 Language of communication N/a

W21 Adult to welcome N/a

Comments
W17 Hosts are required to submit application forms annually to ensure that the information held by the school is up
to date. Hosts sign a contract and receive a very detailed host home manual, updated annually. The manual
includes information on homestay administration, welfare issues, rules for under 18s, details of students academic
and social programmes, guidance on special diets, the suggested content of packed lunches and emergency
procedures. There was evidence that hosts are removed from the register if they fail to adhere to the rules set out
by the school.
W19 One student in a focus group reported that her host had accepted from another school two students who
spoke the same language as she did. The school had not been informed of this by the host. Prompt action was
taken to remedy the situation.
W21 All under 18s who use the school airport transfer service are brought to a central arrival point in Paignton for
collection by hosts. Hosts receive an automated text, explained in the manual, informing them of the time and place
of drop-off for the return airport transfer.

Accommodation: residential
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
W22 Cleaning

W23 Health
Comments
W22 All public areas in the residence, including the shared kitchen, are cleaned daily. The facilities manager visits
daily to check that standards are maintained.
 Accommodation: other
See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
W24 Information and support

W25 Other accommodation N/a

Comments
W25 The school recommends one hotel and three guesthouses. Details of these options, including photos of
facilities and rooms, are on the website and on information sheets. The inspectors stayed at the hotel and found it to
be comfortable and welcoming. It is accurately described in the publicity.

Leisure opportunities
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Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
W26 Events and activities

W27 Leisure programmes

W28 Health and safety

W29 Responsible person

Comments
W26 A monthly school magazine, Stop Press, includes ideas for free-time activities in the locality as well as student
reviews of local venues and tourist attractions. The student guide, updated every 12-18 months, has information
about shops, restaurants, local amenities and excursion destinations. Both publications are designed to a high
standard. Tourist information leaflets for specific attractions are also available in the school.
W27 Adult students are offered a half-day activity or excursion four days a week at extra cost; in high season there
is a choice of destinations on two of these days. Evening events and weekend excursions are also available.
Young learners have five half-day activities and one full-day excursion per week as part of their course. An
additional package of five evening activities can also be booked.
W28 School-produced risk assessments for all activities and destinations are in place. These are presented to staff
at induction and are available for reference in the student services office. Risk assessments produced by the
venues themselves are also on file. There are also generic risk assessments covering areas such as coach travel
and in-school activities.
W29 At the time of the inspection there were 17 activity leaders, supervised by an experienced senior leader.
Leaders receive appropriate training and can refer to a comprehensive manual. Background notes are provided on
each destination.

Welfare and student services summary

The provision meets the section standard and in some respects exceeds it. The needs of the students for security,
pastoral care, information and leisure activities are well met. Accommodation arrangements are efficiently managed.
The leisure programme takes account of the varying age groups of the students and is well organised by
enthusiastic leaders. Care of students and Leisure opportunities are areas of strength.

Care of under 18s

See
Criteria Not met Met Strength N/a
comments
C1 Safeguarding policy

C2 Guidance and training

C3 Publicity

C4 Recruitment materials N/a

C5 Suitability checks N/a

C6 Safety and supervision

C7 Accommodation

C8 Contact arrangements
Comments
C1 A detailed and appropriate safeguarding policy is in place although this does not currently include contact details
of the local authority designated officer. The operations manager is the designated safeguarding officer for the
school.
C2 All staff and homestay providers receive a copy of the safeguarding policy. At induction staff receive in-house
safeguarding training equivalent to Level 1. This includes a multiple choice test so that new staff can check their
knowledge of safeguarding procedures. The designated safeguarding officer is trained to Level 3. Six members of
staff have Level 1 safeguarding certificates.
C5 All staff are DBS checked. All host families are DBS checked or are in the process of being checked. Copies of
police checks for most staff recruited from overseas and for group leaders are on file. Where no evidence of checks
can be provided, the applicant signs an appropriate declaration.
C6 An inclusive leisure programme is provided for under 18s. The stated staff/student ratios are 1:20 for students
over 12 years and 1:12 for under 12s. On most activities, however, higher ratios of 1:15 and 1:8 respectively are in
place. Rules for under 18s are clearly stated. Students are expected to go straight home after activities and staff are
on hand to ensure that this happens. The school entrances are staffed by activity leaders during the breaks on
junior courses to ensure that no juniors leave the premises unauthorised. On excursions, students aged 12 years or
over are allowed limited freedom for shopping. Under 12s are never left unsupervised on excursions.
C7 Under 18s in homestay have full board accommodation, including packed lunches on school days and on full-
day excursions. Curfews are clearly stated and are well understood by both students and homestay providers.
Under 12s are transported between school and homestay either by hosts or by the school. Hosts are instructed that
under 12s must never be left alone in the house. Residential accommodation is provided for adult students only.
C8 Parents or guardians provide contact details in advance on the welfare form. Students complete a registration
form to confirm the same information. Neither form includes information on the parents or guardians level of
English.

Care of under 18s summary

The provision meets the section standard. The schools safeguarding procedures are appropriate and staff have
received training. Under 18s are well protected on leisure activities. Rules about what they may do during
unsupervised periods are clear.