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B93 0AJ
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Strengths
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- The Head of Care’s commitment to the residential care of the young people was seen as very high and he worked with a care staff team who showed a positive professionalism throughout the time of the inspection. p.20
- ENJOYING AND ACHIEVING Standard No Score MANAGEMENT 12 3 Standard No Score 13 3 1 3 22 4 18 3 19 3 28 3 29 3 30 3 31 3 32 2 33 1 Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 23 Are there any outstanding recommendations from the last inspection? p.22
Concerns
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- Poor recordings of sanctions and restraints within the daily observations, Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 12 and a lack of specific references to incident sheets created a lack of clarity within children’s files of when behaviour management interactions had had to take place for individual children. p.11
- Some daily observations recordings were assessed as ranging Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 20 from acceptable to poor due to their brevity. p.19
Next steps
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- An additional telephone has been placed on the top floor to aid both privacy and children’s ability to maintain regular contact with parents and carers. p.7
- A clearer children’s guide to complaints has been developed and the staff team had developed clearer bedtime routines with children to ensure their wellbeing. p.7
- An organisation is now involved with the school to offer an independent listener service to the young people and improvements were assessed as occurring with the sharing of information between residential and care staff. p.7
- Planning for children’s stay at the school had become consistent across the school site. p.7
- New carpeting and floor coverings throughout the whole of the accommodation within the main building had improved the look of these areas. p.7
- Permissions had been sought from parents of those children with alarms connected to their doors. p.7
- The school had developed an appropriate Statement of Purpose including all p.7
- Greater emphasis was stated to be placed on supporting staff through supervision and ongoing monitoring of staffs development. p.7
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- Pages
- 24
- Words of findings
- 5,441
- longer than usual (typical 1049)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 49, typical 45
- Average sentence
- 20 words
- Next steps
- 8
- typical 5
- Hedged sentences
- 6%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
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Full report text
B93 0AJ
Announced 4 th July 2005 The Commission for Social Care Inspection aims to:
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B93 0AJ
• Put the people who use social care first • Improve services and stamp out bad practice • Be an expert voice on social care • Practise what we preach in our own organisation
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B93 0AJ
Reader Information Document Purpose Inspection Report Author CSCI Audience General Public Further copies from 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Copyright This report is copyright Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of CSCI Internet address www.csci.org.uk Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 3 This is a report of an inspection to assess whether services are meeting the needs of people who use them. The legal basis for conducting inspections is the Care Standards Act 2000 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for this establishment are those for Residential Special Schools. They can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or obtained from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online
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B93 0AJ
Every Child Matters, outlined the government’s vision for children’s services and formed the basis of the Children Act 2004. It provides a framework for inspection so that children’s services should be judged on their contribution to the outcomes considered essential to wellbeing in childhood and later life. Those outcomes are: • Being healthy • Staying safe • Enjoying and achieving • Making a contribution; and • Achieving economic wellbeing.
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B93 0AJ
In response, the Commission for Social Care Inspection has re-ordered the national minimum standards for children’s services under the five outcomes, for reporting purposes. A further section has been created under ‘Management’ to cover those issues that will potentially impact on all the outcomes above.
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B93 0AJ
Copies of Every Child Matters and The Children Act 2004 are available from The Stationery Office as above. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 4
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SERVICE INFORMATION
Name of school Springfield House Community School
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SERVICE INFORMATION
Address Kenilworth Road, Solihull B93 0AJ
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SERVICE INFORMATION
Email address enquiry@spfldhs.bham.sch.uk
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inspection
8 June 2004 Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 5
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Brief Description of the School:
Springfield House School is controlled by the City of Birmingham Education Department and has been established to provide special education for 50 primary aged children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Some children (17 of the current 54 on roll) attend on a day basis and the others (21) spend some nights at the school depending upon their circumstances and needs. The school occupies buildings and grounds on a former country estate in a quiet and secluded location. The main building, which provides some of the boarding accommodation, administration and domestic facilities is understood to be of listed status thus limiting the extent to which it might be further adapted. Within its ample acreage bordered by a river, road and public footpath, there is a range of other buildings designated for use as classrooms/education resource rooms, further boarding accommodation, staff living accommodation and leisure facilities. Outdoors there are large open
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Brief Description of the School:
grassed areas, a small splash pool and three playgrounds equipped with a variety of apparatus. The children’s boarding accommodation is confined to two buildings within which they are divided into three units, two for male and one for female residents. The units are designed to be reasonably self-contained with leisure and sleeping areas, and facilities for light snacks. Located near a village and relatively isolated, whilst the school provides the space, freedom and safety that both the children and parents indicate that they value, it nevertheless presents some difficulty in access for those of the latter group who rely on public transport. The Head Teacher, as referred to throughout the report, is in overall charge of the school and is used to mean the Head of School. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 6
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SUMMARY
This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.
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SUMMARY
The inspection was completed over a three day period by Andrew Hewston and Warren Clarke. Prior to the start of the inspection the majority of the resident children were spoken to by inspectors with regard to the care that they were receiving at Springfield and questionnaires were completed, the remaining resident pupils not spoken to at this point completed questionnaires and these were forwarded to the inspectors. During the inspection the inspectors met with a variety of staff involved with the school including, care and teaching staff, music and speech and language therapist, educational psychologist and educational social worker and a school governor. Children were also spoken to throughout. The inspectors observed a number of school systems including a school council meeting, supervision and the pre-admission meeting for one child. Paperwork relating to the residential units recording systems were examined and three
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SUMMARY
children’s complete set of school files were looked at.
p.6
What the school does well:
The school was seen to actively promote a healthy lifestyle with an awareness of children’s medication and good menus offering sufficient choice. The school had responded appropriately to complaints and child protection concerns. Policies and practices in relation to absence without authority, responses to significant events and staff recruitment were followed in line with expected standards. Staff were able to use behaviour management systems to ensure children were safe with each other. Activities both on and off site were varied and with sufficient risk assessments having been completed. Good support structures were in place within the school from external parties to ensure that children were able to achieve and enjoy their experience at Springfield. Children’s education was also seen to be supported by the residential staff. The school has a range of systems to support children to be able to make
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What the school does well:
decisions about their lives within the school, including an active school council. Appropriate systems were also in place to support children’s admissions into the school and to help children with the move to secondary schools. The accommodation was assessed as being comfortable and homely with children enjoying well decorated rooms and single bedrooms when specifically required. The residential team were seen to be well supported by the schools senior management team, with staff receiving appropriate supervision, appraisals, and training. The inspectors were pleased to experience a school dealing with children’s difficulties effectively while still ensuring they enjoyed being at school. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 7
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What has improved since the last inspection?
An additional telephone has been placed on the top floor to aid both privacy and children’s ability to maintain regular contact with parents and carers. A clearer children’s guide to complaints has been developed and the staff team had developed clearer bedtime routines with children to ensure their wellbeing. An organisation is now involved with the school to offer an independent listener service to the young people and improvements were assessed as occurring with the sharing of information between residential and care staff. Planning for children’s stay at the school had become consistent across the school site. New carpeting and floor coverings throughout the whole of the accommodation within the main building had improved the look of these areas. Permissions had been sought from parents of those children with alarms connected to their doors. The school had developed an appropriate Statement of Purpose including all
p.7
What has improved since the last inspection?
areas as required by the Standard. Greater emphasis was stated to be placed on supporting staff through supervision and ongoing monitoring of staffs development.
p.7
What they could do better:
The school needs to ensure that medication administration is overseen appropriately. Appropriate risk assessments to be in place for children involved with child protection involvements and lone working. The school to address children’s concerns with regard to bullying within the school. Improved recordings are required relating to behaviour management, contact and daily observations. Governors and the senior management team to ensure that sufficient monitoring is completed of those areas stated within the Standards.
p.7
What they could do better:
Please contact the Head for advice of actions taken in response to this inspection. The report of this inspection is available from enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk or by contacting your local CSCI office. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 8
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CONTENTS
Recommended Actions identified during the inspection Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 9
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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)
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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for standard(s) 14, 15
Overall children’s health needs were appropriately promoted within the residential and school areas. Meals and menus helped children to achieve a healthy lifestyle within the school.
p.9
EVIDENCE:
Records of the children’s medical backgrounds were stored within the school nurses secure records and the children’s files. These were observed as being brief yet sufficient to meet the needs of the residents and in line with the expectations of the Standard. The school had recently been awarded the Healthy School Standard and was involved in ongoing activities to ensure that the award continued to be accredited, including a playtime buddy system. The school nurse ensured that health appointments were organised where necessary. Team leaders of the residential units were also involved in medication administration for the children and had either received or were undertaking accredited training for this role. A relatively high number of children were receiving methylphenidate in its derivatives. The inspectors suggested that staff needed to ensure that two staff members signed for the administration of this, the school nurse discussed the system for administration
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EVIDENCE:
with the inspectors. Medication was stored appropriately. Sufficient staff were trained in first aid to ensure that a member of care staff was available at all times who was suitably qualified. The inspectors enjoyed a range of meals within the two dining rooms. Children were offered sufficient choice of meals and staff were aware of differing children’s likes, dislikes and dietary needs. Children’s preferences of meals were forwarded to the schools bursar and catering staff through school council meetings and group meetings. Menus were available within all of the residential areas. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 10
p.9
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 by others.(NMS 6) • All significant events relating to the protection of children in the school are notified by the Head of the school or designated person to the appropriate authorities.(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, volunteers, and monitoring of visitors to the school to prevent children being exposed to potential abusers.(NMS 27)
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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for standard(s) 3, 4, 5 ,6 , 7 ,8
Arrangements to promote and protect the welfare of the children were positive in the majority of cases. Improved recording systems, full risk assessments, and records and systems covering responses to bullying were lacking to ensure that children were fully kept safe
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EVIDENCE:
Previous issues with regard to privacy and the sharing of bedrooms were seen to have diminished through the reduction in numbers in residence at the school. The school could now accommodate children within single bedrooms if so required. A new telephone had been installed on the top floor of the main Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 11 house, improving the privacy of the middle floor telephone. Records were stored with sufficient security.
p.10
EVIDENCE:
The school had developed a new complaints information pamphlet for children, including new timescales for responses. Children spoken to were aware of how to complain and could name staff that they would talk to if they were unhappy within the school. Responses from parents’ questionnaires stated that the majority were aware of their ability to complain to the Commission. The school had received two complaints since the last inspection, these were both recorded appropriately with sufficient responses.
p.11
EVIDENCE:
The school used an appropriate recording system relating to child protection concerns. Sufficient training had been completed relating to this area by the designated ‘teacher’ and by the majority of the care staff team. Some newer members of staff had not completed their training at the time of the inspection. The school was involved with regular ‘cross-border’ meetings to discuss differing child protection policies and procedures, with Birmingham and other local child protection agencies, alongside involvement from CSCI. The school responded in excess of its responsibilities with relation to a child protection concern, with the provision of accommodation for a child experiencing difficulties. Although the inspectors agreed that such a response was the correct for the well being of the child, additional paperwork in terms of Looked After Children documentation and a full risk assessment was required
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EVIDENCE:
prior to admission. This was especially required due to the area that the child was initially accommodated within. Subsequently staff needed to be fully made aware of the situation regarding this child and the need for increased observation and recording, this was not seen during the inspection.
p.11
EVIDENCE:
Over 50% of the children’s questionnaires stated that they felt bullied within the school, 50% of these stated that they were bullied within the home units. A number of these respondents were spoken to by the inspectors and a range of responses were recorded. Some stated that staff dealt with bullying straight away and others stating that staff don’t really do a lot when it happens. The school has an appropriate bullying policy and staff spoken to were aware of this and the appropriate responses to this behaviour.
p.11
EVIDENCE:
The Commission had not received any notifications from the school since the last inspection . A new system of reporting notifications had been developed by the Head of Care, including a clarity of which events were notifiable.
p.11
EVIDENCE:
The school had a policy regarding those children who absent themselves without permission, there were no concerns with this area of the school.
p.11
EVIDENCE:
There was a whole school approach to the recording of behaviour management interventions, which included a computerised analysis of events. There appeared to be some confusion with regard to such recordings within the home units. Poor recordings of sanctions and restraints within the daily observations, Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 12 and a lack of specific references to incident sheets created a lack of clarity within children’s files of when behaviour management interactions had had to take place for individual children. Some sanctions and restraints were stated within daily observations recordings and yet had not been recorded within behaviour management logs, while other recordings were noted within incident sheets yet had not been recorded within the daily observations. Although these recording problems were noted, the inspectors were not
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EVIDENCE:
concerned by the behaviour management within the residential units overall. Staff had completed restraint training and this was updated on a regular basis.
p.12
EVIDENCE:
The building health and safety checks were completed appropriately and on a regular basis with sufficient risk assessments in place. The accommodation included a high number of hot water pipes that were not appropriately boxed in and this needs to be addressed, although the inspectors were aware that this would be highly time consuming given the size of the accommodation.
p.12
EVIDENCE:
The recruitment checks were completed for new staff. The school had developed a new form for ensuring all appropriate checks had been completed. Those files examined included the vast majority of required checks and evidence. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 13
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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 both within the school and in the local community.(NMS 13) • Children receive individual support when they need it.(NMS 22)
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The intended outcomes for these standards are:
JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for standard(s) 12, 13, 22.
p.13
The intended outcomes for these standards are:
A good range of support services and activities ensured that children were able to enjoy their time at the school and achieve success in a variety of ways.
p.13
EVIDENCE:
The school has no specific structure for information sharing between teaching and residential staff, although staff from both areas stated that key information was passed on when required. The children’s care plans included targets that were directly linked to their Statement of Educational Needs. A number of the residential staff worked additional hours within the school in response to a need to meet their ‘banked hours’ requirement. This in term was seen as enabling a good sharing of information between teaching and residential areas. Residential staff were observed supporting the children with homework and some of the activities completed in the evenings were also linked to topics being studied within school.
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EVIDENCE:
A good range of activities were available both off and off site. A new member of staff discussed with the inspectors their responsibilities with regard to activities. All of the young people spoken stated that they enjoyed the schools activities and this was supported by the returned questionnaires.
p.13
EVIDENCE:
There was a good range of support structures available within residence for the children. These included an independent organisation ‘the Malachi Trust’ offering counselling and additional support for both children and families of the children at the school. These was assessed as being a valuable resource that the school was making good use of. In addition to this the school had enlisted the services of an organisation for the role of independent listener for the children, although this scheme appeared to be in its infancy at the time of the inspection. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 14 Additional support services had been ‘brought in’ to meet the needs of the children within the school including additional hours from the speech and language therapist and music therapist. Both of which stating that they were able to give advice to and take referrals from, the residential staff if required.
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EVIDENCE:
Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 15
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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) • 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 living away from home at school.(NMS 20)
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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for standard(s) 2, 9, 11, 17, 20
Effective consultation systems, along with good relationships between staff and children, ensured that children were fully involved with decision making processes in the school. On the whole ongoing assessments and planning of children’s placements were mostly adequate to ensure the children’s needs are being met.
p.15
EVIDENCE:
There was a good range of evidence of where children have an input into the school and residential experience. The school was seen to have an active school council where children were observed discussing a range of differing subjects involving both school and residential areas. Records of reviews showed that children are encouraged to take part in the planning of their time at the school and had also taken part in reviews. The residential units recordings had evidence of children meetings having taken place, although these were not always recorded sufficiently. The school did not have a specific keyworker system, although the children spoken to were able to state at least one member of staff who they would talk to if they had difficulties.
p.15
EVIDENCE:
Relationships between staff and children were observed as being positive throughout the inspection. Staff were observed setting appropriate boundaries Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 16 and children being aware of these and responding appropriately in the majority of cases.
p.15
EVIDENCE:
The school had an appropriate admissions policy and process including preadmission visits and information sharing meetings with the schools home/school liaison person. One of these meetings was observed by an inspector. Children were admitted in line with the expectations of their Statement. Discussions were held with team leaders with regard to where the child would best be placed through the examination of both their age and their specific needs. The school also had a good structure for supporting children moving on from the school into senior schools, which included support from the residential staff.
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EVIDENCE:
Placement plans within the residential units had developed since the last inspection to a more standardized format. Plans were sent to relate to children’s Statements with additional targets which were reviewed on a regular basis. These targets were considered by the inspectors, as often being vague and difficult to assess effectively. The placement plans were in line with the expectations of the Standard.
p.16
EVIDENCE:
Contact between children and parents was seen to be promoted in a variety of ways by the school including the work completed by the home/school liaison worker. Recordings within the children’s files showed if there were any restrictions of contact between children and family members. The school supported an arrangement for supervised contact to occur within one of the residential areas on a weekly basis. The inspectors suggested that the placing social worker to advise the school regarding the required recordings of these sessions, due to recordings being minimal at the time of the inspection. Contact was recorded within daily observation sheets, although these were assessed as sometimes being vague i.e. ‘yes’, without an explanation of if this was a physical meeting or a phone conversation, and if the latter who with. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 17
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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, providing sufficient space and facilities to meet their needs.(NMS 23) • 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)
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JUDGEMENT – we looked at outcomes for standard(s) 16, 23, 24, 25
The standard of the residential accommodation was good and effectively maintained, this along with planned improvements ensured the young people were safe and comfortable.
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EVIDENCE:
Children's clothing needs were seen to be met in the vast majority of cases by the children's parents / carers, with the school having a limited input into the choice of clothes that they wear in the residential accommodation. Children were allowed to change into more comfortable clothing in the evenings although the majority observed did not do this. The school has a basic uniform and there was an expectation that parents / carers provide this apart from the school sweatshirts Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 18 The premises comprised of several buildings including staff accommodation and a former coach house, which had been converted into an indoor activity / play area. The premises being in a rural and isolated location is free from the disruption of neighbours, although there is a footpath that encroaches into the school area, although additional signage has helped to reduce any security or
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EVIDENCE:
privacy issues. The children's living accommodation is provided within two main areas including the main building which is Grade II listed having an effect that certain refurbishments and adaptations are limited. The school has a security barrier at the start of the driveway, which is electronically controlled, and a driveway that has a one-way system. The school was seen to use auditory alarms on some bedroom doors for child protection purposes. Permissions were sought from parents to allow the use of these systems, which were observed, within the children’s files.
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EVIDENCE:
The accommodation throughout was comfortable and homely. The main building’s accommodation had been re-carpeted with new vinyl flooring around the sinks. Most of the rooms had been redecorated within the past two years. The majority of children had their own single rooms and rooms with two children in were able to discuss who they were to share with to a certain extent. Bedrooms throughout the main building and Lodge had been personalised to a certain extent, although the inspectors did acknowledge that the children were only in residence a maximum of 4 nights per week during term time. The staff sleeping in areas were appropriately close to the children's accommodation. Lounge areas were designed differently within all 3 accommodation areas and were all pleasant environments. Displays around the accommodation showed positive images of events that had occurred within the school.
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EVIDENCE:
Both of the residential areas contained sufficient bathroom and toilet facilities for the number of children that were resident at the time of the inspection. The lodge toilets required upgrading with fuller height walls to ensure privacy. The upgrading of the middle floor bathroom areas was similarly needed, although plans have been developed for these areas and working needing to be completed. Bathroom water temperatures were appropriate. This Standard scores a 2. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 19
p.18
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 is recorded to reflect their individuality and their group interactions.(NMS 18) • There are adequate records of both 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
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The intended outcomes for these standards are:
responsible body monitors the welfare of the children in the school.(NMS 33)
p.19
29, 30, 31, 32, 33
The school was seen to have a developing management team able to offer good support to the residential staff team, who were able to ensure good care and support to residential pupils.
p.19
EVIDENCE:
The schools Statement of Purpose had been rewritten since the last inspection and contained all of the required information as stated by the Standard.
p.19
EVIDENCE:
Children's files were separated into two main areas, with a working file within the children's own residential accommodation and the main school file including additional information. These contained all of the areas as required by the Standard. Some daily observations recordings were assessed as ranging Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 20 from acceptable to poor due to their brevity. Some recordings were undated, and some illegible.
p.19
EVIDENCE:
All necessary records relating to children and staff working within the school were available in line with the expectations of Standard 19.2. Staff files contained sufficient information in line with this Standard. The school had a accident book that included entries that were incomplete and in some cases undated. There was an additional data protection compliant book that included the same records however, and it was suggested that this one be wholly used by the school.
p.20
EVIDENCE:
The school had developed a new staffing policy that was in line with the expectation of the Standard. The inspectors were aware that due to the low level of female residents the staff often worked for lengthy periods on their own with additional staff being available through an on call system. There was no specific risk assessment available for this practice. Staff worked a system of split shifts and the inspector acknowledged the difficulties that this would case if a worker lived a distance from the school. Sufficient staff slept in within the residential homes. Cover for illness and absence was drawn from the existing staff team and the schools own bank of staff to ensure a continuity of care for the children and to ensure that staff were aware of the systems in use within the school.
p.20
EVIDENCE:
Evidence was available of staff having completed a range of training experiences, including both internal and externally accredited courses. New staff were able to describe the schools induction course. The staff team within the residential units included those with a range of experience and qualifications. All staff were now reported to have a personal development plan to examine their training needs.
p.20
EVIDENCE:
Staff discussed how they received regular formal and informal supervision on a line management basis. A staff appraisal session was observed by the inspectors, with other staff stating that this was a useful way of setting themselves targets for completing work. Minutes were available of staff meetings held for the residential staff, including team meetings and whole staff meetings.
p.20
EVIDENCE:
The head of care is a qualified teacher and has significant experience in working within educational and social care settings with children and young people. Team leaders of the differing home areas had substantial experience at working within the school and were aware of the differing systems within it. The Head of Care’s commitment to the residential care of the young people was seen as very high and he worked with a care staff team who showed a positive professionalism throughout the time of the inspection. Staff reported that the senior management team had “developed a greater cohesiveness” Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 21 since the last inspection and that they were accessible to talk to if differing decisions or advice was required.
p.20
EVIDENCE:
Some monitoring of the areas stated within Standard 32 was seen to have been done. Additional work was assessed as being required before this standard could be fully completed.
p.21
EVIDENCE:
One Standard 33 visits by the school governors had been completed since the last inspection. The inspectors met with one of the governors who was able to give reassurances that this would be completed more systematically in the new school year. The head of care had developed a new format for these visits. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 22
p.21
SCORING OF OUTCOMES
This page summarises the assessment of the extent to which the National Minimum Standards for Residential Special Schools have been met and uses the following scale.
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SCORING OF OUTCOMES
4 Standard Exceeded (Commendable) 3 Standard Met (No Shortfalls) 2 Standard Almost Met (Minor Shortfalls) 1 Standard Not Met (Major Shortfalls)
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SCORING OF OUTCOMES
“X” in the standard met box denotes standard not assessed on this occasion “N/A” in the standard met box denotes standard not applicable
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SCORING OF OUTCOMES
BEING HEALTHY MAKING A POSITIVE Standard No Score CONTRIBUTION 14 3 Standard No Score 15 3 2 3 9 4 STAYING SAFE 11 3 Standard No Score 17 3 3 3 20 2 4 3 5 2 ACHIEVING ECONOMIC 6 2 WELLBEING 7 3 Standard No Score 8 3 16 3 10 2 21 x 26 2 23 3 27 3 24 3
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SCORING OF OUTCOMES
ENJOYING AND ACHIEVING Standard No Score MANAGEMENT 12 3 Standard No Score 13 3 1 3 22 4 18 3 19 3 28 3 29 3 30 3 31 3 32 2 33 1 Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 23 Are there any outstanding recommendations from the last inspection? Yes
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RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
These recommendations relate to National Minimum Standards and are seen as good practice for the Registered Provider/s to consider carrying out.
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RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
No. Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations
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RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
1. 14 Two staff are required to sign for the administration of controlled medication. 2. 5 All staff to recieve training in child protection.
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RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
Full risk assessment to be in place for those children with child protection involvement and for the staff team to be aware of the basis of these risks. 3. 6 The school to address childrens concerns regard bullying 4. 10 All additional measures of control to be recorded appropriately within the schools recording systems including incident sheets, logs and a reference to incidents within the daily observations. 5. 26 All hot water pipes to be insulated within the residential area. 6. 20 Recording of contact that has to be clear within daily observations. 7. 25 Bathroom facilities on the middle floor to be sufficicntly upgraded to ensure childrens privacy. 8. 18 Recordings within daily observations to include sufficient detail, be legible and dated accordingly. 9. 28 Risk assessments to be completed for those staff working with children on their own for any great length of time. 10. 32 Evidence to be available that all areas of the Standard are
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RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
monitored within the specified timescales. 11. 33 Standard 33 visits to be completed on a half termly basis and a report to be created from this. Springfield School E54 S42411 Springfield V228405 040705 AI - Stage 4.doc Version 1.30 Page 24
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Commission for Social Care Inspection
Birmingham & Solihull Local Office st Floor, Ladywood House 45-46 Stephenson Street Birmingham B2 4UZ
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Commission for Social Care Inspection
National Enquiry Line: 0845 015 0120 Email: enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.csci.org.uk © This report is copyright Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and may only be used in its entirety. Extracts may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of CSCI
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