Baskerville School

Baskerville School Inspection report for residential special school

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SC017168 Unique reference number 13 March 2008 Inspection date Andrew Hewston / Martha Nethaway Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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The Baskerville School Address Fellows Lane BIRMINGHAM B17 9TS 0121 303 3525 Telephone number

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Email

Birmingham City Council; Children, Young People and Families

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Registered person

Rosemary Adams Head of care Rosemary Adams Head / Principal 23 January 2007 Date of last inspection .

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Registered person

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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Registered person

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 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 2008

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Brief description of the service

Baskerville school is a joint day/residential school for students aged 11 to 19 with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. There are 24 residential placements for those young people who require 24 hour curriculum. The residential provision is split into four main areas on four levels including units for students with Aspergers Syndrome and an independent living unit. All of the young people have separate bedrooms and sufficient bathing facilities to meet the needs of the young people. The school is located in Harbourne, a residential area close to the Birmingham City Centre. It is close to local amenities and public transport to the city centre and beyond.

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Summary

The school continues to offer a high standard of care to the resident young people. The health needs of individuals are well met and the school links well with additional medical support structures. Young people are kept safe within the school and appropriate systems are in place to ensure that all incidents are dealt with appropriately and professionally. Very good links are in place between the school environment and the residential provision and good planning to meet the behavioural needs of the young people is available. Young people enjoys a good range of activities that are enhanced by their basis being within the schools 24 hour curriculum and the Asdan training package. The building continues to offer a good standard of accommodation to the young people and the units have been adapted appropriately to meet the needs of the young people that are resident. The school management and organisational structure is

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Summary

appropriate and the appointment of a new head of care has ensured that the development of working practice, training and supervision of staff continues. The overall quality rating is outstanding. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The school has a record of notifications that records the outcomes of events that have occcured within the school that need to be reported to Ofsted. Recordings of additional records of control are now being placed within young people's files as of the beginning of 2008. Although information required to be within placement plans is not pulled together, sufficient evidence is in place within young people's files to show that effective planning is being completed to assess young people's needs and how these can be met. The girls unit has now been changed into a specific unit to meet the needs of the residents more appropriately and girls are now resident within the Firs unit. The Firs bathroom/shower and toilet facilities have been adapted to meet this changing client group. Staff now receive individual supervision on a half termly basis and these are recorded. Senior staff are increasingly responsible for ensuring that

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. The health needs of the young people are assessed in a range of differing ways within the school and residential units. Health planning as required by standard 14.6 are not fully accessible within the young people's files although information regarding the checks is within other reports such as reviews and pen pictures, additional information has previously also been recorded within the school nurse's information. Checks are in place within files relating to 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 2008 height and weight. Previous inspections have shown that the school nurse has a high involvement in assessing the baseline of different young peoples needs. Additional support for children's health needs is very good and is supplemented by the school's autism support team that includes two speech and language therapists, a psychotherapist and two staff that have a range of

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Helping children to be healthy

experience in pastoral support and links with National Autistic Society and mental health services, and student services support who works closely with parents and communication staff. The residential units are involved with the development awareness of health issues in the evenings through activities such as a vegetarian week and development of their own menus. Young people also attend the local gym and a local school's swimming pool with attempts to keep fit. The school has it's Healthy Schools Award. Sufficient staff are trained in first aid to a basic degree to ensure that a trained staff member is available at all times. Additional and more in depth training in first aid is planned for two staff. Two medication mis-administration events have occurred since the last inspection, these were quickly highlighted by staff and responded to appropriately. Interim arrangements are in place following these to ensure safe

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Helping children to be healthy

administration. All staff have received basic medication training and additional accredited training is planned. Medication administration records include double signatures and controlled drugs are appropriately tracked with running totals being kept. Medication is stored appropriately. No young people administer their own medication currently although no specific assessment is completed relating to this. This is planned for with the reviewing of the current medication policy. There are currently no storage facilities available to facilitate this.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Young people's privacy is respected by staff and staff are aware of the need for confidentiality regarding the need to protect children. Young people's records are stored appropriately within office areas or locked storage. Young people are able to access a school payphone that is situated within a private area. They also have access to the unit's telephones and some young people have mobile phones that they use to contact family and friends. The school has a basic privacy policy with regard to personal care and although this was adequate when the school had a girls unit the development of mixed sex units makes this policy insufficient. The head of care is aware of this and states that it is planned to be updated. The school's complaints policy and procedure are appropriate although need to be updated to include the contact details of Ofsted rather than Commission for Social Care Inspection. The young people within the school

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

helped to develop the current complaints leaflet which is accessible to all. No formal complaints are recorded since the last inspection. Parents are made aware of the school's complaints procedures when young people are admitted and additional information can be supplied. Staff are appropriately trained in safeguarding issues. Staff are aware of their responsibilities regarding raising concerns if they issues relating to unsafe childcare. The head teacher is the designated senior staff for safeguarding issues and keeps a register of ongoing and completed concerns. Incidents are responded to swiftly and appropriately by the senior staff team and records show outcomes of investigations or concerns. The school's policy with relation to bullying within the school is appropriate and staff are aware of distinguishing between behaviours that are based within the autistic spectrum as opposed to bullying behaviour. The majority of young people

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

who were spoken to or responded to questionnaires state that they have not been bullied within the residential unit. Those that stated that they had been bullied also added that this had been sorted out by staff. The school has an appropriate policy regarding young people that absent themselves from the school without permission. No young people have absconded from the school since the last inspection, this is due in part to high staffing ratios and a secure school 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 2008 environment. A pro-forma for recording absences is available and meets the expectations of NMS 8.6, this recording tool implies that 'reasons for absconding' would be recorded under the details of the absconder. Appropriate risk assessments are in place for young people with possible absconding behaviours. Behaviour management is well planned for and staff are trained in additional measures of control including the recording of events. Each child has a behaviour

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

management strategy record that is sufficiently in-depth and includes preferred responses for the young people involved. Sanctions are recorded within individual unit's logs appropriately and the system for the whole school regarding restraints is based on a monthly log containing basic information with additional serious incident sheets that are cross referenced to the monthly log, collated and then bound. Some of the recordings within the monthly log have not been fully completed to show if a restraint has been used and the head of the school or designated senior staff has not signed each incident that involves the restraint of a child. The recording of additional measures of control is not duplicated within young people's files in all instances although this practice is now in place and has been since January 2008. Some young people's files show analysed recordings of sanctions and serious incidents, although these are inconsistent

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

and do not fully show details of specific incidents such as dates. A staff member does however have responsibility for the examination of incidents within the school and is able to discuss how specific patterns are responded to. Staff are appropriately trained in additional measures of control and this is updated on a regular basis by some members of the staff team who are accredited trainers. Residential staff are able to discuss differing behaviours that young people display and how these are best responded to. No concerns regarding the sanctions or responses to serious incidents are apparent. Health and safety checks continue to be completed well and the building service supervisor has a high awareness of their responsibilities relating to ensuring the safety of young people and staff. Appropriate electrical and gas safety checks are completed and fire safety checks are also done in a timely fashion. Plans are underway to update the fire

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

procedures following work that is due to be completed on the corridors to ensure that young people do not have to be fully evacuated to outside the building. Appropriate safety risk assessments are completed and available. An issue with the variation in water temperatures across the residential provision and school is being responded to with work scheduled this year. An additional fire sounder has been added to the Oaks unit due to its proximity to the main boarding provision. Previous concerns relating to labelling of COSHH items is being rectified with a new labelling and refilling system. Appropriate safe recruitment procedures are completed for all staff and recordings are available of identity checks, references, criminal records bureau checks, application forms and interview notes. All staff that are employed at the school through a staffing agency have documentation to show that they appropriate checks have been

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

completed by the agency. The staff responsible for ensuring recruitment checks are completed is also due to complete the safe recruitment in schools course, which has been attended by the head teacher.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Staff report a high awareness of 'joined up' thinking between the teaching and care staff team. Young people and staff are fully involved with the concept of the 24 hour curriculum, and planning shows that evening activities link up with both Asdan awards and the five Every Child Matters outcomes, this is shown within folders showing a good range of activities that young people are involved with. Young people have educational statements on file and two differing individual education plans, one relating to specific educational provision and the other relating to residential provision and social care learning objectives. Communication between the teaching 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 2008 and care staff is good with staff taking children to the school in the morning and passing on information, and school staff also being involved with evening activities, there is also a handover

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

log. The combi-posts working within both school and residential provisions add an additional link between the two areas. Examples of where residential staff have had a direct impact on young people's educational provision is available. Senior staff are involved with sleeping in within the residential area to develop an increased awareness of issues within the residential provision. Activities are well-organised and evidence of these are displayed throughout the residential units. Planning of activities is completed on a half termly basis and these have included young people being involved with religious festivals, trips out and range of school based activities. Young people are involved with the south Birmingham special olympics team and this also develops good links between the school and parents who support their children. The strategic support of individual young people continues to have a high importance within

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

the school. The school ensures that young people are fully supported with their communication needs through an active involvement of the speech and language therapists within school and the school fully supports additional services that the young people access. The school has an independent listener who visits the residential unit on a half termly basis and information is passed onto the staff team where required relating to meeting the needs of the young people. Information is available around the residential units stating how young people can contact the listener on the telephone. The independent listener is employed through an agency to ensure their independence, and evidence is available to show that appropriate recruitment checks have been carried out.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Evidence is available throughout the residential provision relating to the need to access young people's views, including TEACCH boards and symbols, PECs and clear information. Communication skills audits are completed and are evident within young people's files and these are updated on a regular basis. The school has it's own pupil council that raises issues with the senior staff. Each residential unit has children's meetings on a weekly basis and recordings show that issues raised by the young people are responded to including activities and menu development, as well as highlighting good things that have occurred within young people's weeks. Staff are fully aware of the differing communication needs of the children and the organisation of the children within the units is in some ways dependant on differing communication needs. Young people have recently been involved with choosing charitable

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Helping children make a positive contribution

organisations to support and raise money for, and this has led to a sum of money being raised for Barnardo's and for this term the residential units are supporting the RSPCA. The school's website features pictures drawn by one of the residential pupils in their time within the residential provision. Young people do not have a specific placement plan that includes information relating to each of the areas as required within NMS 17.5. However, each child does have a personal information sheet and a pen portrait, and additional planning that sufficiently cover the necessary areas with appropriate depth. Each file contains targets for residential provision. Young people who are cared for by the local authority do not have additional Looked After Children documentation, although there is information regarding LAC reviews. The school's staff attend statutory reviews and school reviews are recorded within

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Helping children make a positive contribution

young peoples files. Young people are encouraged to maintain contact with parents and significant adults. Contact arrangements are clear within young people's files. Each young person goes home at the weekends and school holidays, therefore there are no concerns regarding young people's inability to have regular contact with family and significant adults. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 2008

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. Previous concerns relating to the use of the girls unit and the lack of space due to the differing needs of the young people have been removed due to the creation of a mixed unit on the Firs unit. Staff state that this move has improved both the female young people's behaviour and the behaviour of the young people with aspergers who now occupy this area. The Firs bathroom arrangements have been updated and now offer appropriate bathing and toilet facilities to both boys and girls. The residential unit continues to offer a good range of accommodation to the young people that is well cared for by the care and domestic staff. Young people have well personalised individual bedrooms and communal areas are well decorated.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The school has a Statement of Purpose that has been reviewed within the past three months. This contains all areas required by standard 1.3 and includes good descriptions of the residential units and how individual needs will be met within these units. The Statement of Purpose does not include a full staffing policy that includes staff hours and the number of staff requiring to be on duty at all times, although the residential units are well staffed and appropriate arrangements are in place to cover for staff if required through the use of school staff and agency staff when necessary. Sufficient staff are on duty at all times within the residential units including at nights. Supervision is completed by the senior staff and records show that this has been completed in line with the standard on a half termly basis for the majority of the time. Staff state that they are well supported within the school with a range of staff that they may

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Organisation

contact if they require advice or support. Sickness levels that have previously effected the level of supervisions completed have decreased. Individual appraisals are being rolled out by the management team and all staff are expected to have had reviews of their working practice by the end of the year. Training plans for residential staff are available and show that staff are receiving a range of training experiences in line with their posts. The head of Care is appropriately qualified and has a range of experience within the residential field. Staff are involved in training at NVQ Level 3 standard, with 50% of the staff having completed this course and a further 30% are on the course and due to finalise within nine months. Staff receive a good induction to the school and the systems within it. Monitoring of the areas required by the standards are being completed on a regular basis within the residential areas. Both by the Head of Care and

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Organisation

by the governors as part of their remit to visit.

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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): 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 2008 • provide health plan within the children's individual file covering all areas as stated within NMS 14.6 • update the complaints policy to ensure that Ofsted is included within this as a contact point. NMS 4.8 • ensure that a member of the senior staff team sign all physical interventions on a child by an adult. NMS 10.14 • ensure records of sanctions and physical interventions are also made within the individual child's file. NMS 10.17 • ensure that placement planning within the young people's files is clear and sufficiently detailed. NMS 17.5 • provide a staffing policy that covers all areas identified within NMS 28.2 within the Statement of Purpose. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 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) 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 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. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Baskerville School, 13 March 2008

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