Elemore Hall School

Elemore Hall School, Littletown, DURHAM, DH6 1QD

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding 1

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

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The residential provision is outstanding because

● Residential pupils achieve excellent outcomes through their boarding experience. Parents and professionals alike say that boarding 'has really made a difference' to residential pupils. The highly effective positive relationships between staff and residential pupils underpin their significant progress in all areas of their lives. ● Residential pupils receive exceptional personalised pastoral care from a dedicated staff team who ensure that their health, emotional and social needs are very well met. A professional described staff as 'going the extra mile to turn things around for the child and his parents'. ● Staff effectively promote the safety of residential pupils. They are supported and positively encouraged to manage their own behaviour within a well established and familiar framework of rewards. The environment is well maintained and provides a good standard of accommodation. ● Leadership and management of the residential provision is excellent. There is a strong

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The residential provision is outstanding because

culture of continual improvement. Residential pupils are cared for by an highly competent and motivated staff team who are extremely well supported themselves.

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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 Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

The school was notified of the inspection three and a half hours before it began. The inspector spent time in the boarding provision on two evenings. A lunch time and two evening meals was shared with boarders on days one and two. The Inspector made observations of care practice both on and off site. Meetings took place with the staff, the school transition co-ordinate, bursar and senior residential carer; the head of care was unavailable during the inspection. Children's views were sought through face-to-face contact, residential meeting minutes and school progress meetings. Parents views were sought through school's own consultation papers and ParentView. Stakeholders were also contacted by phone for their views. Records, polices and procedures were scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Elaine Clare Lead social care inspector Inspection Report Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 3 of 10

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Information about this school

This is a maintained residential special school for up to 72 boys and girls aged 11 - 16 years. All pupils have a statement of special educational needs due to social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this school

The school is located a few miles outside the centre of Durham. It is a converted country house in its own grounds and has a residential facility for up to 25 residential pupils split between two units. Accommodation is provided for boys only and is for up to four nights a week but is not provided at weekends or during school holidays.

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Information about this school

There is currently major building work in progress, due to be completed by February 2015. This will provide a sports hall and other improved facilities which will further enhance what the school offers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

● explore with the senior leadership team and the Local Authority the residential aspect of the school being available to both boys and girls. ● amend the school policy to allow care staff to offer non prescribed medication to residential pupils for the purpose of pain relief of mild aliments. Inspection Report Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 4 of 10

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Outcomes for residential pupils are outstanding. They make progress in all areas of their lives, particularly in respect of their behaviour which enables them to participate in activities within the community as individuals and as part of a group. A professional commented 'He is developing social and life skills that have a positive impact on family life, there is a phenomenal improvement.'

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Relationships between residential pupils and staff are excellent and are instrumental in the strong personal development, increasing confidence and skills enjoyed by the residential pupils. They are learning the social skills required to develop and sustain friendships with each other, developing tolerance and learning how to manage their own behaviour. They also encourage and support each other in the residential environment to feel safe and relaxed. A parent described it as 'definitely a home from home' for her son.

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Residential pupils are generally very well behaved and have a clear understanding of the behavioural expectations alongside the house rules. They enjoy celebrating their own achievements and those of others, using the reward system to good effect. Residential pupils are disappointed in themselves when they do not meet the high expectations of staff, show remorse when this happens and commit to changing unacceptable behaviour.

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Residential pupils enjoy the wide range of activities available and readily engage in new challenges, such as learning bush craft skills, as well as using additional educational support to boost achievement. Parents appreciate the development of independence skills, built into the routines and activities offered, and seeing their sons' learning demonstrated at home. Currently the overnight provision is only available for the boys of the school. Girls can extend their day into the early evening, but currently there is no accommodation for girls. When asked, girls said that they would like to stay over and this suggestion has been put to the head as an area of further improvement.

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Residential pupils are very positive about the residential provision in school. A parent said 'He loves it there'. They participate in residential meetings and can be selected for the junior leadership team. Changes made show them that their views make a difference. The emotional well-being of residential pupils improves as result of boarding, as some boys seek additional support at times of stress by requesting some time in the residential provision.

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Outcomes for residential pupils Outstanding

Residential pupils know how to achieve a healthy life style through a balanced diet and regular exercise. They also gain a sound understanding of their individual health needs and manage medical conditions exceptionally well. Adults comment on how improvements to personal hygiene and eating habits have 'really made a difference' to residential pupils.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

The quality of the school’s boarding provision for residential pupils is outstanding. Staff provide residential pupils with pastoral support that is extremely supportive and nurturing. The experienced and skilled residential team successfully engage with the residential pupils and their parents to deliver a sensitive induction process. The introduction of residential pupils to boarding is expertly managed; tailored to individual need so as to minimise stress; is continually reviewed and adapted when necessary. This flexible approach means that the changing needs of residential pupils are consistently met by a highly effective staff team. As a result boarding is seen as desirable by most of the school's pupils and by residential pupils as a place of refuge and safety as well as a great deal of fun. A parent said 'I know he feels safe there and he can have a Inspection Report Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 5 of 10

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

Placement plans are in place for all residential pupils and are of very high standard. Residential pupils know about their placement plans and staff are skilled at encouraging them to participate in reviews and updates. Staff use placement plans highly effectively to inform their work with residential pupils and key workers ensure that they are kept up to date.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

Residential pupils enjoy and benefit from a very wide range of activities both off and on site that they are involved in choosing. These include action events off site, for example swimming, indoor climbing, wacky Wednesdays and football which were scheduled the week of the inspection, and extra support after school through maths and literacy group. Residential pupils may also access the broad range of on-site school facilities such as computers and the art room with well matched supervision and support. A parent said 'He gets to do all sorts of different things, there are loads of opportunities.' The strong links between the residential and education staff positively support and promote residential pupils' progress, both personal and academic.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

Residential pupils' health is well promoted. The staff are vigilant in observing behaviour that could indicate a health issue, physical, mental or emotional, and take action appropriately. Residential pupils and their parents are complimentary about the ways in which health needs are met. For example by providing excellent support from staff and extremely effective liaison with parents. Currently the arrangements for dealing with a residential pupil who is unwell is to contact parents and ask them to collect the child from school and return him home as the policy is not to give non prescribed medication. As a result pupils sometimes miss out on valuable time in the boarding provision which could be rectified by the provision of homely remedies such as paracetamol. This has been suggested to the head as an area of could be reviewed and improved upon. There is a robust approach to the storage and administration of medication including

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

controlled drugs. Residential pupils are very well supported to learn the key health risks linked to smoking, alcohol and drugs.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

Residential pupils are complimentary about the food provided. They have positive relationships with the kitchen staff which encourages them to give direct feedback about the lunch-time and evening meals. They are involved in menu choices and food preparation in the boarding house at breakfast time. There is just one sitting for the evening meal, effectively meeting demands to accommodate varying schedules and activities. Meals are varied and healthy with any special dietary requirements catered for. A parent was very pleased with the way that changes have been made to meals so that her son feels included while ensuring that his specialist needs are met. Special occasions, such as birthdays, are celebrated.

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Quality of residential provision and care Outstanding

Residential pupils live in an environment that is well maintained. They enjoy personalising their rooms, which can be locked; and appreciate the comfortable communal areas which provide opportunities for individual and group activities. The senior management team have identified that bedrooms require some modernising and that some adaptions would need to be made if the school were to accommodate girls in the future.

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Residential pupils’ safety Outstanding

Safeguarding arrangements within the residential provision are outstanding. Residential pupils say they feel safe and are kept safe by staff who are knowledgeable about the safeguarding policies and procedures and how to implement them. The designated child protection liaison officer has well established links with the local authority designated officer and seeks advice appropriately.

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Residential pupils’ safety Outstanding

There is a highly effective and comprehensive on-going strategy for countering bullying which fully involves residential pupils. For example pupils were given responsibility for promoting the Inspection Report Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 6 of 10 anti-bullying campaign and a poster competition was well supported. The posters show boarders' excellent understanding of the impact of bullying including cyber bullying. Residential pupils do not identify bullying as an issue and are confident that any behaviour that may be interpreted as bullying is swiftly and fully addressed by staff.

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Residential pupils’ safety Outstanding

The documentation to support staff should a residential pupil go missing is comprehensive. Staff know what action to take, although there have been no such instances since the last inspection.

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Residential pupils’ safety Outstanding

Residential pupils make very significant improvements in their behaviour during their time in boarding. There is a robust whole school behaviour management policy. The policy is implemented effectively by staff and very well understood by residential pupils, underpinned by the excellent relationships that exist between them. Staff are trained in an approved behaviour management method that has a strong emphasis on de-escalation. They are highly skilled in adopting a low arousal behaviour management approach that successfully reduces episodes of challenging behaviour. There is careful and through analysis of these episodes which has resulted in changes to practice. There is also a structured points system in place, consistently applied, which residential pupils are very familiar with and work well within them to gain learning credits. Staff also make very good use of specialist input to change behaviour, for example the use of a

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Residential pupils’ safety Outstanding

programme to help staff to understand the structure and functioning of their minds and how to apply this to get the best out of residential pupils.

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Residential pupils’ safety Outstanding

Health and safety within the residential provision is very well managed. Routine servicing and checks take place as required. Maintenance is undertaken promptly and there is a clear programme of refurbishment and development. Individual and activity based risk assessments are thorough, with a clear emphasis on enabling appropriate risk.

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Residential pupils’ safety Outstanding

There is a robust approach to recruitment, ensuring that residential pupils are cared for by suitable staff.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

The leadership and management of the residential provision is outstanding. There is a highly effective senior management team in post with a very clear inclusive structure. This supports staff to express their opinions and contribute to the drive for improvement in the residential provision. Boarding aims are delivered in practice by an extremely competent and motivated staff team who provide residential pupils with an excellent boarding experience.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

Residential pupils are very familiar with the routines of the school and the residential provision, aided by the use of visual timetables where necessary. Transitions between the two are very well planned and ease residential pupils smoothly, both individually and in small groups, from one setting to another. These transitions are further supported by the daily sharing of information between the academic and residential staff.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

The quality of the staff team, with their diverse and wide ranging skills and experience, is a significant strength of the school. Staffing levels are such that residential pupils have ample opportunities for one-to-one time with staff as well as participating in regular off site activities. Staff are supported through formal and informal supervision, weekly staff meetings and training. The regular training ensures that staff are very well equipped for their respective roles in the residential provision and feel valued and appreciated. They demonstrate a wealth of knowledge about the residential pupils they are caring for and manage challenging and complex situations with a great deal of skill and sensitivity. Residential pupils benefit from highly individualised care, with needs arising from culture, race, religion and disability well identified and met.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

The school maintains very effective communication with parents. Parents really appreciate the Inspection Report Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 7 of 10 frequency of contact both written and by telephone. They say that this gives them a clear picture of life in school during the week and acts as a useful weekly bridge between home and school life.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

Residential pupils have a voice in the school through the junior leadership team, a weekly boarding house meeting, an independent visitor and easy access to the senior management team. Residential pupils' views are actively sought and well incorporated into development plans where feasible, for example, increasing the range of juices for breakfast. The independent visitor visits the residential provision once every half term and residential pupils hold her in high regard as someone who will listen and talk to them. Residential pupils report excellent relationships with their key workers. They say there are many adults in the school that they can talk to if they want to share any worries or concerns.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

The internal monitoring of the school and its residential provision is both systematic and thorough. Following quality assurance and evaluation, areas for improvement are identified and these cascade into the schools written development plans. The external, independent monitoring of the school takes place regularly and fully meets the areas laid out in the standards for residential special schools.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

All National Minimum Standards were met at the last inspection. Two areas for improvement identified in the last report have been considered by the school, and as a result, the school policy on physical intervention has been amended to make clear the different criteria which apply in the residential provision. The evaluation and planning of the staff training programme into one document has been collated.

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

All the required policies and procedures are in place and easily accessible. Senior staff are very involved in the residential provision and are knowledgeable about the quality of care. A parent said 'Any problems, you know you can speak to any team member, they're all on board.'

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Leadership and management of the residential provision Outstanding

Residential records are exceptionally orderly, easy to access, comprehensive and up to date. Inspection Report Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 8 of 10

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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 Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 114337 Social care unique reference number SC040508 DfE registration number 840/7006

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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 Mr Richard Royle Date of previous boarding inspection 18/03/2014 Telephone number 0191 3720275 Email address elemore@durhamlearning.net Inspection Report Elemore Hall School, 23/01/2015 Page 10 of 10 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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