Infocus School

WESC Foundation,, Topsham Road, Countess Wear, EXETER, EX2 6HA

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding 1 Residential pupils’ safety Good 2 Leadership and management of the residential provision Good 2

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The residential provision is good because

● The overall effectiveness of the residential provision is good. Staff across the service work effectively together to enable residential pupils achieve outstanding outcomes. ● Learners thoroughly enjoy their learning experience and feel they achieve great benefit. For example they make personal progress through life enhancing experiences and a range of social opportunities that results in improved confidence and self worth. ● This residential school provides a very specialised service. Learners benefit from a very positive, nurturing and enabling environment. Individual needs are fully assessed and all young people receive highly personalised care. ● Safeguarding arrangements are very thorough and well established. Named senior staff take lead responsibility for child protection. Residential learners said they felt safe and well supported. ● All national minimum standards are met and many are exceeded. Three areas of

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The residential provision is good because

improvement were identified during this inspection. These relate to: more robust and clearer records of incidents, including any physical restraints, providing a more balanced approach at independent monitoring visits and ensuring that specific ethical issues are given full consideration.

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Compliance with the national minimum standards for residential special schools

The school meets the national minimum standards for residential special schools Inspection Report WESC Foundation, 28/11/2013 Page 2 of 9

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Inspection team

Norma Welsby Lead social care inspector Guy Mammatt Social care inspector Inspection Report WESC Foundation, 28/11/2013 Page 3 of 9

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Information about this school

WESC Foundation is situated in Exeter, Devon. It is a non-maintained residential special school for children and young people of both genders, who have visual impairments. The majority of children and young people have additional complex physical, learning or emotional needs.

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Information about this school

There are almost 100 children and young people on the roll in both the school and the college. The age range of children and young people is five to 22 years. There are flexible boarding arrangements in place, from one to seven nights each week, to meet individual needs. Provision for young adults aged 18-22 years is inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

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Information about this school

The school provides a range of health services on site, including a 24 hour nursing and specialised therapy services. The residential accommodation and educational facilities are all on one 16 acre site. Residential accommodation is in several separate buildings. Some units have facilities and adaptations to meet the needs of young people with physical disabilities.

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Information about this school

The residential provision was last inspected in March 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

● Review recording systems in relation to incidents and physical restraints. ● Ensure all independent monitoring visits are balanced and contribute to the services' robust quality monitoring processes. ● Ensure that specific ethical issues are fully understood and given full consideration. Inspection Report WESC Foundation, 28/11/2013 Page 4 of 9

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Outcomes for residential learners are outstanding. Their individual needs are really well addressed, which enables them to develop their potential and enjoy experiences equal to their peers. Residential learners enjoy exceptionally good quality relationships with staff and they feel valued and respected.

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Residential learners thoroughly enjoy their boarding experience. One commented; 'I love it here. It is great.’ They are able to make a significant contribution to the service and knowing this improves confidence and self worth. Young people benefit from the really strong sense of community that exists. They feel safe and nurtured, while also feeling challenged to achieve personal goals. Residential learners confirm that they have a range of people they can talk to or ask help from, including teachers, carers and nurses.

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

At this school, residential learners benefit significantly from a staff team who are highly aspirational about their individual potential. Their residential experience compliments their learning as they develop their confidence and skills as they mature into young adults and prepare for transition.

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Residential leaners make excellent progress in achieving healthy lifestyles. Excellent attention is given to enhancing their understanding of and commitment to pursuing healthy relationships, healthy eating and regular physical exercise. For example young people are benefiting from regular opportunities to discuss personal relationship issues. They are also having increased opportunities to plan and cook healthy meals and are engaging in personalised fitness programmes.

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

The positive experience learners have at this residential school prepares them extremely well for their next stage in life. They leave equipped with the skills, confidence and resilience needed to be as independent as possible and gain further successes in education and employment.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

The quality of the residential provision and individual care it affords, has a significant impact on residential learners’ lives and opportunities. Their personal, social, cultural and educational development is enhanced by their residential experience.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

Care planning is very thorough, personalised and child-centred. Learners are highly consulted, engaged and empowered throughout the process. Each young person has personal targets that are regularly reviewed and developed. Where appropriate individuals have a detailed health plan and behaviour support plan. A 'hospital passport' is used whenever learners attend hospital to ensure all pertinent information is communicated effectively.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

Medication is appropriately managed and administered. Risk assessment are undertaken and wherever possible residential learners are supported to understand and self manage all or part of their own medication. Regular quality checks are in place and all staff with responsibility for handling medication have to pass a rigorous assessment of their competence, which is refreshed periodically.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

The residential accommodation is provided in a number of dwellings located across the school site. All of the residential accommodation is of a good standard with some being of an exceptionally high quality. A very careful and considered assessment is undertaken to ensure a compatible mix of residential learners in each house. All young people have their own single Inspection Report WESC Foundation, 28/11/2013 Page 5 of 9 bedroom, regardless of the number of their overnight stays. Bedrooms are very comfortable and highly personalised. Each residential house is suitably adapted to meet a diverse range of individual needs, including: electronic doors, accessible kitchen and bathroom facilities and equipment, the clever use of contrasting colour schemes and specialist audio equipment, such as 'talking menus'. Such high environmental specifications supports independence and enhances the quality of learners’ residential experience.

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Residential pupils’ safety Good

There are robust safeguarding policy and procedures in place. Residential learners confirm they feel safe and protected and that they have a range of people they can contact, both external and internal, should they have any concerns about their personal welfare.

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Residential pupils’ safety Good

The school has a number of designated senior staff who take lead responsibility for safeguarding matters. All visitors to the school are given details of who these staff are and contact numbers should they identify any concerns during their visit. Senior staff take prompt and thorough action to protect leaners as soon as concerns arise. They have an excellent track record in liaising with external professionals. For example, close working links are maintained with the local authority designated officer and the head of care always notifies Ofsted of issues arising and outcomes following investigation.

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Residential pupils’ safety Good

Particularly good emphasis is placed on helping young people develop their own broader awareness of how they conduct themselves in their day-to-day lives and the impact of behaviour on their own personal safety and well-being. For example, excellent attention is given to raising awareness about bullying, including cyber bullying and how young people can establish healthy relationships and good sexual health awareness. Equally good work is done to promote equality and tolerance and to encourage young people to value diversity.

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Residential pupils’ safety Good

Positive behaviour is really well supported. Staff work effectively to de-escalate incidents and enable young people to lean to self manage their own emotional responses and behaviour. Staff know and understand the needs of individual's extremely well. Through detailed assessment and a multi-professional approach, staff have a range of individually identified strategies in place which are used to manage behaviour in a nurturing and consistent way. While staff are very skilled in such practices, associated records relating to such incidents, whether or not they involve physical restraint (used minimally) are not of an equal standard. While some improvements to these have taken place since the last inspection, ways to make more sustained improvements were explored during this inspection.

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Residential pupils’ safety Good

Thorough procedures are in place for the safe recruitment and vetting of staff. Electronic records are maintained which are comprehensive and well organised and which evidence that these robust procedures are carried out in practice. Any volunteer workers undergo the same thorough checks as employed staff. All manner of visitors to the service are also appropriately vetted and supervised. These practices support the view that residential learners at this school are well protected.

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Residential pupils’ safety Good

The residential accommodation provides a very safe, well maintained and suitably adapted environment. Residential learners enjoy spacious and light accommodation that meets their needs, supports their independence and promotes their safety. Risk assessments and servicing arrangements are in place and both staff and residential learners have regular opportunities to practice fire safety procedures. Inspection Report WESC Foundation, 28/11/2013 Page 6 of 9

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Good

This is a very well managed residential provision. Senior staff across the school are dynamic and aspirational for the future of the service and for all of the learners. The residential provision is highly valued and seen as a core element of the school's functions.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Good

The school demonstrates a clear commitment to achieving further improvements. For example, since the last inspection continued improvements in the close working practices between school and residential staff, have benefited residential learners who receive a more seamless service.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Good

Staff feel really well supported in their roles. They enjoy working in designated houses with residential learners who they get to know really well. They receive regular supervision and have opportunities to attend a range of meetings where they can make a positive contribution. Staff also feel they are well trained and have on going opportunities to benefit from a wide range of training, from both internal and external training sources.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Good

All required records, policies and procedures are in place. Generally these are of an exceptionally high standard and are reviewed at appropriate intervals. Minor shortfalls exist where some records are not of a consistently good standard and where these have not been identified promptly through management oversight. Also, while all staff support residential learners extremely well, responding to a range of very complex needs, not all staff are fully aware of seldom used policies and procedures..

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Good

Independent monitoring visits take place regularly. In many respects these are very thorough and are highly valued by the senior staff who act promptly and thoroughly on all findings. However, emphasis during these visits is not always fairly balanced, which means some areas, such as monitoring of records is not given enough attention to really make a significant contribution to the school's internal quality monitoring processes in this area.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Good

The promotion of equality and diversity is excellent. Staff provide positive role models and demonstrate values such as positive engagement, respect and tolerance to residential learners. Staff engage enthusiastically with young people who are clear abut how they are expected to behave and treat each other. Inspection Report WESC Foundation, 28/11/2013 Page 7 of 9

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding A school which provides an exceptional quality of care and significantly exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 2 Good A school which provides a high quality of care that exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 3 Adequate A school which meets minimum requirements but needs to improve the quality of care it provides. Grade 4 Inadequate A school where minimum requirements are not met and the quality of care has serious weaknesses. Inspection Report WESC Foundation, 28/11/2013 Page 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 113652 Social care unique reference number SC022223 DfE registration number 878/7081

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School details

This inspection was carried out under the Children Act 1989, as amended by the Care Standards Act 2000, having regard to the national minimum standards for residential special schools.

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Age range of boarders

Headteacher Ms Tracy De Bernhardt Dunkin Date of previous boarding inspection 05/03/2013 Telephone number 01392 454 200 Email address info@westengland.ac.uk Inspection Report WESC Foundation, 28/11/2013 Page 9 of 9 guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Age range of boarders

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Age range of boarders

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Age range of boarders

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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Age range of boarders

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Age range of boarders

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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