Millgate School

Millgate School Inspection report for residential special school

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SC006452 Unique reference number 16 January 2008 Inspection date Caroline Brailsford Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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Millgate School Address 18 Scott Street LEICESTER LE2 6DW 0116 2704922 Telephone number jwoolstencroft@millgate.leicester.sch.uk Email Leicester City Council Registered person Jane Woolstencroft Head of care Jane Booth Head / Principal 4 December 2006 Date of last inspection .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Millgate School, 16 January 2008

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Brief description of the service

Millgate Residential Special School is primarily an educational establishment for boys. The pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need and associated social and emotional behavioural difficulties. The school has a three nights per week residential facility and can accommodate up to ten pupils. There are also facilities within the flat for boys to use an extended day provision. The school, including the residency is an older style building in a residential area within the city and is close to all local facilities including shops, a leisure centre, parks and approximately ten minutes travel by bus to the local library and city centre. The pupils who are resident also live either with parents or carers and return there at the weekends and holidays.

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Summary

This inspection was a 'Key Inspection' to the home and was unannounced. It covered all the key standards. The outcome areas Enjoying and achieving and Economic Wellbeing were judged as 'Good'. The remaining outcome groups 'Staying Safe', 'Being Healthy', 'Positive Contribution' and 'Organisation' were all judged as 'Satisfactory' The overall quality rating is satisfactory. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There were no recommendations made at the last inspection to the school in December 2006.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. The health needs of the children are identified and contained within a health section in their care plan. The plans, although do contain key information, do not always contain enough detailed information on what all the health needs are, and what staff should do to ensure that they can be met. Information as a consequence could be missed by staff and could put the children at risk. The staff understood the health needs of the children well. The children said that the staff encourage them to be healthy. There are policies and procedures in place for health promotion generally and the staff ensure that where other professionals are needed that this is arranged. This ensures that the children are taught effectively about health issues. There are procedures for the staff to follow if a child is ill. Medicines in the school are stored, recorded and administered correctly and in line with the Royal Pharmaceutical Guidelines and

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Helping children to be healthy

National Minimum Standards. The staff understand the procedure to be followed which is effective and has been developed to suit the school, its pupils and their health needs. The administration records were checked for one young person and were up to date. On the medication administration record there were dates missing although the staff were clear that it was from the previous 2 days. Where a particular health task is needed, the staff are trained accordingly. There is always a staff member on duty with a first aid qualification. The children at the school enjoy a healthy diet with choice options to suit their individual needs and likes. The cook prepares menus beforehand and always makes a record of the food served. Mealtimes are well ordered social occasions. There is always a staff member on each table to supervise the meal and to monitor and ensure that all of the children are eating well. The children are

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Helping children to be healthy

encouraged to try new foods and there are options that reflect various cultures. Where there 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Millgate School, 16 January 2008 are allergies, the parents fill out a section in the care plan about any special requirements needed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The children enjoy a high level of privacy in the residential accommodation, each has their own room and report that the staff allow them the privacy that they need. The children say that they feel able to tell the staff if they have a complaint. This helps to keep them safe in the school. There are posters up in all bedrooms and by the telephones to remind the children of the procedure. The staff are also familiar with the procedure. There have been a few minor concerns since the last inspection all of which have been resolved. There have been no complaints since the last inspection. There is a reference to the complaints procedure in the statement of purpose but it is not clear that parents know how to make a complaint or have received a copy of the procedure. Therefore, this potentially impacts on the information that parents should have. There is no reference to Ofsted in the schools complaints procedure. The children report

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

a feeling of being safe while staying in residence. The staff at all levels are clear about the importance of referring safeguarding concerns onto the relevant staff in the school. There is a designated child protection officer in the school and her name is in the procedure for staff to use. The detail in the procedure does not extend to provide clear instructions to staff about what to do if they have a safeguarding concern. It also does not contain the details of the Local Safeguarding board should they wish to refer the issue directly to them. This could potentially put children at risk as a safeguarding issue may not be passed to them for investigation. There are links however with the Local Safeguarding board and there is information in the school on their procedures. The children are clear that there is a zero tolerance approach to bullying. Children report a low level of bullying and say that the staff always do something about it.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

They feel able to tell staff if they are being bullied. The staff report that no children have become absent without authority in the recent past, or since the last inspection. There is a feeling from all concerned that the children while in residence, really want to be there. The staff know what they should do if a child does become missing and would inform senior staff, the police and parents. The management of behaviour in the school is based on a positive approach with an emphasis on de-escalation wherever possible. However physical intervention is used. The children report that they are only 'held' if there is safety risk to them, another person, or serious risk of physical damage to property. They also report that the staff know how to restrain them properly. Staff are trained in 'Team Teach' which is an approach accredited by 'BILD'. (British Institute for Learning Disability). There is a staff member responsible for

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

pastoral care in the school who has trained as a 'Team Teach' trainer and trains and advises staff. The staff are clear that all physical intervention is only conducted as a last resort. There are incentives for good behaviour and the children's good behaviour can lead to points which can earn them special activities. The recording of the restraints is not consistent. There is a bound book as the standards require, but it does not contain all the required information. There is further information on the child's record and on a computer system, where all information about behaviour is recorded (eclipse). However the detail on those reports is sometimes not adequate. The staff report monitoring the health and wellbeing of a young person while they are in ground restraints. However, while staff say that children are always monitored properly, these monitoring sheets are not consistently used. If there was an issue raised about a restraint

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

it would be difficult to evidence what the actions of the staff had been. There are appropriate measures in place to ensure that tests on the fire alarm system, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers, however the regular checks on the fire doors are not recorded. There is a fire 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Millgate School, 16 January 2008 door at the bottom end of the residential accommodation that does not shut properly. There is a fire risk assessment and the staff and children know what to do in the event of a fire. There are environmental risk assessments in place. There are risk assessments for individual children although the detail in these is not always as extensive as it should be according to the needs of the child. During the inspection, a child climbed on the banister upstairs at the end of the landing. There was no documented risk assessment for this, or the bathroom windows which children informed me they could climb out of onto a flat roof. The building appeared to be safe

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

otherwise and there is a dedicated team of premises and domestic staff who work hard to ensure that the building is cleaned and maintained to a high standard. There has not been a check on the electrical system since summer 2002. This check should be every three years. There has also not been an annual inspection of the gas central heating and boilers during the last year. During the inspection the staff arranged that test to be completed on the following day. This potentially impacts on children's safety. The recruitment procedures in place are robust and staff have to have the required checks completed before working with the children. This helps to ensure the safety of the children.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The residential staff contribute to the children's education and there are good relationships between the teaching and care staff. There are whole staff school meetings so that all staff understand and contribute to the approaches used with the children. There are facilities for homework and the care staff facilitate this well in the residential accommodation after school. Children report that the activities when they are in residence are good and that there are activities every day which they enjoy. They use the sports hall regularly for football and basketball. They also enjoy outings to parks, bowling and other activities in the local community such as pottery classes. The staff are keen for the children to experience different leisure activities in different settings so that they can learn the required socially acceptable behaviour. The children are involved in planning activities and outings and have a choice on a day to day

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

basis. The staff support individual children well. The school has links with a range of other agencies and the staff look for services to fit children's needs. Good relationships have been developed with these agencies such as the Youth Offending Team (YOT), school nurse, and Connexions. Children confirm that staff are approachable and are good at supporting them, they feel able to tell the staff about their problems.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. The children are frequently given choices throughout their time in residence and staff ensure that they have an element of personal choice over activities, food and other day to day decisions. There is also a student council where children are represented. The school council is influential and have recently discussed budgets, the tuck shop and school, uniform. There are care plans present for the children in residence, these identify general key issues and information. However these plans do not always provide instructions to staff on how the identified needs can be met during their stay at the school. They do not cover culture, leisure, health promotion or contact arrangements. This omission in the documentation could lead to staff not being aware of a particular need for a child. The staff are aware of the identified needs in the individual care plans and have the skills and know how the needs should be met. The Head and the Head of

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Care monitor the care plans but this is not recorded. The children have regular contact with 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Millgate School, 16 January 2008 their families if they choose to do so during their stay. There are telephones sited around the residence for their use. Parents often telephone their child. The staff team have built up good relationships with parents and carers and regularly consult with them about important issues and their child's day to day care.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. The location and design of the residential accommodation in the school is suited to the needs of the children. The accommodation has been refurbished since the last inspection and the children are pleased with the new layout, furniture and décor. The accommodation is domestic in style, homely and well decorated. It is well maintained and furnished with new furniture, fixtures and fittings which are of a high quality. The residential students also have access to other areas around the school during their stay, for example, the music room and the sports hall which is very popular. The standard of the new refurbished area adds to the feeling of self worth for the children and as a result they take pride in looking after it. Each child has their own bedroom which they know they can personalise if they want to. Staff accommodation is close to the young people's bedrooms and on the same corridor so that staff can be woken by

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Achieving economic wellbeing

the children should they have a problem.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. There is a statement of purpose and this is included in the parent and pupil handbook. There is reference to the appropriate policies and procedures. The document has been recently reviewed. It contains details of the organisational staffing in the school but not a staffing policy. Each child has a file containing a permanent record of their progress. In addition there are running records of day to day progress kept in a central diary along with other children's records. These records are not private if the young person or parent wished to view them as there is personal information pertaining to other children also in the diary. This could potentially compromise the privacy and confidentiality for the children. These records are not fully signed by the author. The number of staff on duty by day and by night is sufficient to meet the needs of the children and to support them in their activities and personal needs. The staffing policy

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Organisation

does not reflect the numbers of staff to be on duty by day and by night in line with National Minimum Standard Children know who will be on duty, when and the arrangements for their care . The staff team has a balanced mix of male and female. There have been some staffing difficulties. Last term the staff numbers were lower due to sickness. The staff report that the documentation has suffered rather then the quality of care to the young people. The staff team are competent. They are well motivated by the enjoyment of being with the young people and watching them progress. They create an atmosphere which is structured but relaxed with the use of humour and clear boundaries for acceptable behaviour. They have a good range of experience between them. The skills within the team are well matched to the group of children accommodated. National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) has a high profile in the school and

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Organisation

many staff have completed the award. The Head of Care meets the qualification standards. There is currently an Acting Head of Care who has a good oversight of what is happening in residence. The young people respond well to her and she is well thought of by the staff. There is also an Acting Head at the moment who is relatively new in post, she has not yet become familiar with the National Minimum Standards. She is however working hard to ensure continuity of good standards of care in the school. The staff and governors report that she is doing a good 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Millgate School, 16 January 2008 job. Monitoring does take place of all the relevant records and issues but, there is no set procedure for this, the monitoring is not documented making it difficult to evidence.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure that each child has a clear written health plan. (NMS 14) • ensure that a written record is kept by the school of all medication given, including a record of the date (NMS 14.20) • ensure that children and parents are told how they can make a complaint directly to Ofsted and ensure that families are provided with information on how to complain (NMS 4.2) • ensure that the school's procedure for responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse to a child include all the requirements set out in appendix one of the Nationam Minimum Standards for Residential Special Schools. (NMS 5.4) • ensure that a record of any use of physical intervention is kept in a seperate bound book and includes all elements. (NMS 10.14) • ensure that a record of all sanctions applied are kept in a bound and numbered book (NMS

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Recommendations

10.9) • ensure that gas installations are inspected at least annually, and that electrical instalations are checked three yearly (NMS 26.2) • ensure that risk assessment are carried out, recorded in writing and regularly reveiwed. This is in particular relation to the two risks identified by the inspector under 'Staying Safe' (NMS 26.1) • ensure that the placement plan for children at the school includes all elements. (NMS 17) • ensure that the school's staffing policy states all the required elements. (NMS 28.2) • ensure that the Head or senior staff delegated by the Head monitors and signs the records. (NMS 32) • ensure that each child has a private record of their progress and that written entries into the childs file are signed (NMS 18.1) 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Millgate School, 16 January 2008

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• children live in a healthy environment and the health and intimate care needs of each child are identified and promoted (NMS 14) • children are provided with healthy, nutritious meals that meet their dietary needs (NMS 15) Ofsted considers 14 the key standard to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• children’s privacy is respected and information about them is confidentially handled (NMS 3) • children’s complaints are addressed without delay and children are kept informed of progress in their consideration (NMS 4) • the welfare of children is promoted, children are protected from abuse, and an appropriate response is made to any allegation or suspicion of abuse (NMS 5) • children are protected from bullying (NMS 6) • all significant events relating to the protection of children in the school are notified to the appropriate authorities by the head of the school or designated person (NMS 7) • children who are absent without authority are protected in accordance with written guidance and responded to positively on return (NMS 8) • children are assisted to develop appropriate behaviour through the encouragement of acceptable behaviour and constructive staff responses to inappropriate behaviour (NMS 10)

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• children live in schools that provide physical safety and security (NMS 26) • there is careful selection and vetting of all staff and volunteers, and monitoring of visitors to the school to prevent children being exposed to potential abusers (NMS 27) Ofsted considers 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 26 and 27 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• the school’s residential provision actively supports children’s educational progress at the school (NMS 12) • children have ample opportunity to engage in purposeful and enjoyable activities within the school and in the local community (NMS 13) • children receive individual support when they need it (NMS 22) Ofsted considers 12 and 22 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• children are encouraged and supported to make decisions about their lives and to influence the way the school is run; no child should be assumed to be unable to communicate their views (NMS 2) • children have sound relationships with staff based on honesty and mutual respect (NMS 9) • children experience planned and sensitively handled admission and leaving processes (NMS 11) 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Millgate School, 16 January 2008

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Annex A

• children have their needs assessed and written plans outline how these needs will be met while at school (NMS 17) • in accordance with their wishes children are able and encouraged to maintain contact with their parents and families while at school (NMS 20) Ofsted considers 2, 17 and 20 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• children can wear their own clothing outside school time, can secure personal requisites and stationery while at school, and are helped to look after their own money (NMS 16) • children about to leave care are prepared for the transition into independent living (NMS 21) • children live in well designed and pleasant premises, which provide sufficient space and facilities to meet their needs • children live in accommodation which is appropriately decorated, furnished and maintained to a high standard, providing adequate facilities for their use (NMS 24) • children are able to carry out their personal care in privacy and with dignity (NMS 25) Ofsted considers the key standard to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• children, parents, staff and placing authorities have access to a clear statement of the school’s care principles and practice for boarding pupils (NMS 1) • children’s needs, development and progress are recorded to reflect their individuality and their group interactions (NMS 18) • there are adequate records of the staff and child groups of the school (NMS 19) • children are looked after by staff who understand their needs and are able to meet them consistently (NMS 28) • children are looked after by staff who are trained to meet their needs (NMS 29) • children are looked after by staff who are themselves supported and guided in safeguarding and promoting the children’s welfare (NMS 30) • children receive the care and services they need from competent staff (NMS 31) • children and staff enjoy the stability of efficiently run schools (NMS 32) • the governing body, trustees, local authority, proprietor or other responsible body monitors

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

the welfare of the children in the school (NMS 33) Ofsted considers 1, 28, 31 and 32 the key standards to be inspected. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Millgate School, 16 January 2008

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