Fairfield House School

Context of the inspection

 This inspection was undertaken at the request of the registration authority for independent schools in order to monitor the progress the school has made in implementing its action plan.  The inspection was conducted without notice to the school.  This was the first progress monitoring inspection following the school’s previous inspection which took place on 10–11 June 2015.  At the inspection in June 2015, the school was judged to be inadequate overall with a number of the independent school standards being unmet. Following this inspection, the school submitted an action plan to the registration authority for independent schools.  The action plan was evaluated on 8 October 2015 and was not accepted as it was judged to require improvement. The action plan has since been further reviewed by school leaders.  During the monitoring inspection, the inspector met with members of the school’s leadership

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Context of the inspection

team, held a telephone conversation with the proprietor and conducted a tour of the school. She scrutinised a range of documentation including the school’s updated action plan, revised policies and the single central record of employment checks carried out on staff.

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

At the time of the previous inspection in June 2015, the school’s safeguarding policy and practice were not in line with the latest guidance. The school had not carried out the necessary checks on staff for prohibition from teaching. It did not maintain a single central register of employment checks carried out on staff and did not have clear records of when all staff last completed safeguarding training. Some members of staff had not received first aid training and were involved in accompanying pupils off-site as a sole member of staff. The first aid policy did not give clear guidelines as to when an ambulance should be called or a pupil taken to hospital and there was no list of trained first aiders displayed in the school. The policy did not cover the disposal of body fluids. The school did not maintain an admission register of pupils to the school.

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 School leaders have successfully addressed the previous failings relating to the welfare, health and safety of pupils.  The school’s safeguarding policy has been updated and is now in line with the latest guidance. The policy is available on the school’s website.  A separate policy for preventing radicalisation and extremism has been produced and published on the school’s website. This policy makes reference to statutory duties including the ‘Prevent’ duty and gives clear guidance on recognising possible early indicators of extremism and radicalisation to help protect pupils.  Policies have been discussed with members of staff to ensure that all are clear about the procedures and that the well-being of pupils is actively promoted. Monitoring report: Fairfield House School, 24 February 2016 2 of 6

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 A single central record of employment checks carried out on staff is now in place. This includes the checks of prohibition from teaching which have now been completed for any member of staff involved in teaching the pupils.  Clear records are now in place which show the safeguarding training that has been completed by staff. All staff have now completed appropriate training in safeguarding children and adults.  The first aid policy has been reviewed and amended. It now contains appropriate guidance about the disposal of body fluids, when to call an ambulance and the information to be given in the call should this be necessary. A list of trained first aiders is displayed at prominent points around the school, including in the classroom and in the kitchen area.  All staff accompanying pupils on off-site visits have now completed first aid training to equip them with the necessary skills to safeguard pupils should an accident or incident occur.

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 A school admission register is now in place and contains all information required by the regulations.  As a result of implementing these actions, the school now meets all the requirements for welfare, health and safety.

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Suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors

The previous inspection identified that the school did not maintain a single central register of staff checks and had not carried out checks on prohibition from teaching.

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Suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors

 The school now maintains a single central record which records all of the required pre- employment checks on staff. This includes a check of prohibition from teaching for staff who are employed to teach the pupils.  Through their actions, school leaders have ensured that the requirements of this part of the independent school standards are met.

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Premises of and accommodation at schools

The inspection in June 2015 found that the maintenance of the accommodation and facilities did not ensure the health, safety and welfare of the pupils: the temperature of the hot water in the washroom posed a risk of scalding for pupils and a single fabric towel was provided in the washroom for the use of all staff and pupils.

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Premises of and accommodation at schools

 The water temperature in the washroom was tested by the inspector and found to be appropriate. The lead teacher carries out checks on the water temperature and maintains a written record of the checks.  A paper towel dispenser has been installed in the washroom and paper towels are provided for use. This facility is checked on a daily basis.  The school leaders have taken appropriate actions to address the previous areas of concern in this section.

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Provision of information

The previous inspection reported that the school had not complied with the requirement to make its safeguarding policy available on the website.

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Provision of information

 The safeguarding policy has now been updated and is in line with the latest guidance. It is now published on the school’s website and is accessible to parents. Monitoring report: Fairfield House School, 24 February 2016 3 of 6

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Manner in which complaints are handled

The school’s complaints policy previously did not contain all the necessary elements. The policy did not make provision for a panel hearing where a parent was not happy with the response to a formal complaint, did not provide for a written record to be kept of complaints and did not refer to confidentiality.

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Manner in which complaints are handled

 The revised complaints policy now makes provision for all of the required elements including the previously missing aspects. The updated policy is available on the school’s website and parents have been provided with a new copy.

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Quality of leadership in and management of schools

At the time of the previous inspection, many of the independent school standards had not been met. In addition, the inspection report identified the need to improve leadership and management, including governance, by ensuring that the lead teacher had time to carry out lesson observations and long-term planning; by implementing a centralised recording system to evidence and track small steps of progress in learning and behaviour; and by conducting an external review of governance.

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Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 School leaders have taken appropriate action to ensure that previously unmet independent school standards are now met.  The lead teacher maintains clear logs and records of the actions taken to address the standards.  The lead teacher has been allocated one day per week for long-term planning and leadership responsibilities and this time has been used productively to enable standards to be met.  A potential governor for the school has been identified and is in the process of being recruited to bring additional expertise to the governance of the school.  New systems for evidencing and tracking pupils’ progress have been put in place and these are being reviewed and refined as they are used.

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The school meets The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014

and associated requirements. Monitoring report: Fairfield House School, 24 February 2016 4 of 6

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Inspection team

Julie Yarwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Fairfield House is a small special school for pupils with autism, severe learning difficulties and complex health needs and challenging behaviours. It is located in the north-west of England.  The school is housed in purpose-built premises. The premises also include a children’s home which is owned and run by Fairfield Residential.  The school is registered for up to five pupils between the ages of eight and 19 years. There are currently three pupils on roll, one of whom is in the sixth form. All pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  The school was last inspected by Ofsted in June 2015.  The school uses no alternative educational provision. Monitoring report: Fairfield House School, 24 February 2016 5 of 6

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School details

Unique reference number 136239 Inspection number 10010378 DfE registration number 358/6019 This inspection was conducted at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. It was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008.

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School details

Type of school Special school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 8–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 3

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Number of part-time pupils 0 Proprietor Tzaraine Cope Chair Tzaraine Cope Headteacher Matthew Hudson Date of previous school inspection 10–11 June 2015 Annual fees (day pupils) £30,400 Email address management@fairfieldresidential.co.uk guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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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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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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