Ofsted Residential Care Reports

Our February 2019 Residential Care inspection report was judged as 'Good' across all areas. 

Feedback we're proud of:

• Young people are happy at school and make confident progress in their communication skills, social skills and understanding of the world. This is because they are supported well by residential staff who care about them. The staff build positive relationships with them and help them to feel safe
• The young people’s views are well represented in the control that they have over their lives. They help to plan their targets and think about their futures
• The staff have a good understanding of how young people are affected by autism spectrum disorders. The school uses a national accredited approach to work with young people with autism spectrum disorders more effectively
• Young people enthusiastically described the progress that they have made because of their residential experience
• Parents said that their children have improved their independence, well-being and sociability. They say that staff keep in touch regularly and that this open approach gives them confidence and trust in the staff to keep their children safe and happy
• Young people enjoy friendships in the residence, because staff help them to appreciate the wishes and feelings of others
• Young people use community-based activity to improve their understanding and experience of the world. They have fun and develop new skills that enhance their quality of life
• Staff sensitively help young people to manage change. Young people are involved in decisions about their futures
• They have lots of opportunities to develop independence skills, and this is something that they value. For example, they shop and cook, follow domestic routines and increase their confidence in the local community, including independent travel from the residence to school
• Staff are sensitive to any ups and downs that young people experience. By seeking and offering the right help, staff promote young people’s choices, well-being and confidence as they develop into young adults
• Care staff continue to provide good-quality care to young people. They are supported within a clear team structure. They are appropriately qualified. New staff enrol promptly for a residential care qualification and have a structured induction that includes autism-specific training

Our 2018 Residential Care inspection report was judged as 'Requires improvement'. 

Ofsted say our strengths are:

• Education and care staff work well together to ensure that residential pupils have consistency between school and the residential provision
• Residential pupils are supported by a well-resourced and efficient therapy service which supports young people in their progress
• Residential pupils are supported to develop independence skills which will help prepare them for adulthood
• Behaviour management practices are robust and effective
• Staff receive a good level of support and training to ensure that they can meet the needs of the residential pupils they are looking after

Other positive comments made we're proud of are:

"Residential pupils are making good progress in their education. This is because education and care staff work well together to ensure consistency for residential pupils between the residential provision and school. Care staff support residential pupils at school during the day and some school staff support the care staff in the residential provision. There are daily morning meetings at which residential pupils are discussed. As a result, residential pupils make good progress in their education. Some are going on to college and university and school data shows that residential pupils make progress academically. They demonstrate the positive impact that living at the school has on residential pupils’ progress."

"The school has speech and language therapists on site and they work effectively with care staff to ensure that residential pupils can actively participate in decisions about their lives. Staff use picture exchange communication systems and social stories with residential pupils to aid their understanding of situations and behaviour. There is good evidence that the speech and language team support care staff through training to use these methods effectively. Overall, the school is well resourced in terms of therapeutic support available for residential pupils."

"Staff are effective in safeguarding practice and have a strong feeling of shared ownership to keep residential pupils safe. Staff adopt a whole-school approach to understanding the importance of safeguarding."

"Behaviour management practices and effective. These promote residential pupils’ positive behaviours."

"Staff like working in the residential provision and feel that they work well with education staff in the school. Staff receive supervision and feel well supported in their role."

Our 2017 Residential Care inspection report was judged as 'Good' with Quality of Care and Support judged as 'Outstanding'. 

Ofsted say our residential provision is good because: 

• Young people are safe and feel safe here.
• They are making very good progress in relation to their starting points in all aspects of their development.
• Young people have a good relationship with the staff. They enjoy spending time with them and are increasingly able to talk to them about how they are feeling.
• The leadership and management of the residential provision are sound. As a result, the residence is an intrinsic part of the school.
• All staff work together effectively to support the young people.
• Parents and carers are supportive of the setting and said that, as a result of their child’s stay, ‘they now have their child back’. They are happier and better able to manage challenging situations, such as going out in the community. 
• The school is well led and managed by the Principal, who is committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for all young people, regardless of their starting points.

Other Ofsted feedback includes:

"Young people engage better with education because of their stay. School data demonstrates that residential pupils are achieving 100% in their targets in a number of subjects in school."

"Young people thoroughly enjoy spending time with their friends in residence and on trips in the community. They take part in an extensive range of activities that incorporate their individual needs, preferences and interests."

"Parents talked about the changes that their child's attendance have brought about for them 'She loves school and going out with us. She is now able to engage in all of her classes, because they understand her sensory issues and are continually addressing these.' Another parent said 'The decision to send their child here was huge and not what we wanted. However this has been 'massive' for us. His anxieties have greatly reduced, meaning that we can go out as a family. he is much happier and he now has friends."

The quality of the care and support is 'Outstanding'

"The interaction between school and care staff is seamless. Care staff said 'We are not care staff and school staff; we are one staff team, and we all work together to support the young people."

"Supporting young people's independence is at the heart of everything the staff do. Consequently, all young people are making excellent progress across all areas of their development."

Our 2016 Residential Care inspection report was judged as 'Good' with 'Quality of Care and Support' judged as 'Outstanding'. 

Ofsted say our residential provision is good because

• The school provides outstanding levels of care and support for children and young people.
• Staff across the school work closely and collaboratively and are aware of the individual needs of pupils. Relationships between staff and young people are strong and respectful.
• The children and young people make sustained progress, both academically and personally during their time at the school. They make effective use of the wide ranging opportunities offered to develop their skills and interests. As a result, they build their self-esteem and grow in confidence.
• Safeguarding policies and practice operate effectively to keep children and young people safe. The school has a robust training programme and works closely with other authorities to ensure that children and young people are safe. 
• The senior leadership team, governors and staff are all committed to improving the lives of the children and young people in their care. Staff feel well supported in their role through a wide range of training events. 
• Relationships with parents and carers are strong. Parents are positive about the care they receive with one saying ‘The boarding experience my son gets is excellent, the staff are wonderful and go above and beyond to help him.’ 

Residential Care inspection in March 2015, West Kirby School was judged “Good” with “Outstanding Features”.

The report stated “Residential pupils significantly improve their self-esteem and confidence because of their residential experience...  They live in a caring social community where they develop trust in each other… Pupils enjoy their time in the residential unit and feel comfortable in the safe surroundings of the wider school. They show an exceptional improvement in independence and self-esteem, according to their starting points. ”

With regard to the care provided to residential pupil’s, Ofsted comment “The care provided to the residential pupils is of an exceptionally high standard. Pupils have access to an experienced and very stable team of care staff who know them very well. The staff are responsible for the pastoral care of the pupils. This means that the pupils are able to share their personal thoughts and any concerns at any time. They say that staff always listen to them. Care staff demonstrate a positive enthusiasm for their work… They are very active in supporting the residential pupils to enjoy life at the school”.

Here's some other previous Ofsted feedback:

• Comments from parents included, ‘I wouldn’t want him anywhere else’, ‘she has achieved things I never thought she would achieve’ and ‘communication is excellent’
• Residential pupils are looked after by a longstanding and experienced team of staff who are consistently child-centred in their approach
• Staff have an innovative approach to behaviour management, which is effective in helping young people learn to manage their own feelings and behaviour
• Residential pupils identify trusted relationships with staff and these relationships support young people’s progress
• The key-worker system is a real strength
• Residential pupils feel that staff help keep them safe and help them with their behaviour. This view is mirrored by parents
• Leaders and managers have a good understanding of residential pupils and their plans
• A real strength is effective working relationships that support residential pupil’s progress
• Residential pupils make good progress in all areas of their development, due to the care and support that they receive from staff
• Residential pupils make good progress at school. This is because there is good partnership working between residential and school staff
• Residential pupils receive consistency across both settings and this supports their educational progress
• Multi-agency work within the setting is a strength and contributes to residential pupils making progress
• The therapy service, education, health and residential staff communicate effectively to ensure that residential pupils receive a holistic approach to their care
• The school has a highly effective health department that supports residential healthcare practice, where it is necessary to do so regarding specialist support, and, more generally, with emotional well-being
• Transitions are managed well