Westlands Academy

Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 2 of 11 Westlands Academy

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Eltham Crescent, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland TS17 9RA

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Inspection dates 01/03/2016 to 03/03/2016

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Outstanding 1

The quality of care and support Outstanding 1 How well children and young people are protected Outstanding 1

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Outstanding 1

The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers Good 2

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The residential provision is outstanding because

  Children and young people love the residential experience. They have excellent relationships with staff, who they trust to help and support them. Care plans are detailed and linked to targets for personal development that are shared with, and understood by, children and young people. As a result of the work carried out by residential staff, children and young people make exceptional progress in all areas of their lives.   The behaviour of children and young people is outstanding. They develop an understanding of how other people feel and as a result act with consideration and respect. The school has developed a new approach to behaviour management, which is rooted in research. This is helping children and young people to understand their own feelings and how to manage them more positively.   The nurture and support provided by staff makes children and young people feel very safe. They trust any adult in the residential setting to listen to their worries or

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The residential provision is outstanding because

concerns. Arrangements for safeguarding within the residence and across the trust are exceptionally effective.   Staff are highly skilled and experienced. This leads to children and young people making excellent progress. Staff commitment and enthusiasm are supported by strong supervision and appraisal. A wide-ranging training programme adds to their knowledge and skills, which increases their effectiveness.   Care staff work closely with a range of staff in the trust’s three schools. This enables children and young people to receive consistency of care across the school and residential day and to derive maximum benefit from their stay. The quality of partnership working between staff and parents is exceptional. Parents are full of Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 3 of 11 praise about how the residential experience has helped their child to make excellent progress in the school and at home.

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The residential provision is outstanding because

  Leadership and management are sound. The head of care is dedicated and inspires the staff to deliver an excellent quality of care. The residential function is seen as an integral part of the trust’s activities and benefits from the support of professionals, such as the educational psychologist. The school meets all national minimum standards, and three points for improvement have been made.

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Compliance with the national minimum standards for boarding schools

The school meets the national minimum standards for residential special schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the induction programme for new staff requires them to complete a piece of work that helps them to reflect on and understand their practice and its impact upon children and young people.  Ensure that individual risk assessments on children and young people are consistent in identifying all potential risks and measures to control them.  Draw up a development plan that focuses solely on the residential provision. Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 4 of 11

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Information about this inspection

This standalone inspection took place with approximately three hours’ notice. The inspector met with the chief executive, the head of care, other senior trust staff, residential and support staff and a group of parents. Discussions took place with children and young people, both individually and in groups, and they all completed survey forms during the course of the inspection. The inspector also scrutinised policies and records and observed routines in the residential provision at various times of the day.

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Inspection team

Nick Murphy lead social care inspector Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 5 of 11

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Information about this school

The residential provision of Horizons Specialist Academy Trust was last inspected in January 2015. It is located on the Westlands Academy site in Thornaby and caters for children who attend the three schools in the trust. It provides care and accommodation for up to 15 boys and girls aged from seven to 16 years with social, emotional and mental health difficulties and associated learning disabilities. Ten children and young people were staying in the residential unit at the time of the inspection. Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 6 of 11

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Outstanding

Children and young people thrive in the residence. The exceptionally positive impact of the experience on their school attendance and attainment is clearly evidenced. The most significant area of progress for children and young people is in their social development. They become more confident in their own abilities and better prepared for making the transition to adulthood. They gain greater self-awareness. They become better at understanding their feelings and how these affect their behaviour. As a result, they are able to exert greater self-control, which improves their relationships at school and at home. One child said, ‘Staff help me to understand how I am feeling and how to control myself when I am becoming anxious.’ A parent said, ‘My child has become much better at regulating their own behaviour.’ Another parent said, ‘I can’t believe the change in my child, if it wasn’t for the staff I don’t know where they’d be. They are just a different kid,

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Outstanding

the turnaround at home is amazing.’ The inclusion of the head of care in the trust’s safeguarding board demonstrates the commitment of the organisation to prioritising the safety of children and young people in residence. Policies for protecting children and young people are robust and are implemented rigorously. Recent work with children and young people on e-safety gives them awareness of how to avoid risks on the internet and social media. The behaviour of children and young people is outstanding. They act with consideration and respect for others, and accept the differences between themselves and their peers. They have developed warm and trusting relationships with staff, and know that staff have their interests at heart. A child said, ‘I like the staff, they respect us. They’re fair and not strict. They help us.’ Staff encourage children and young people to form their own opinions and to voice them. They listen to what children and young people have to say and value their

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Outstanding

contributions. More formal forums for discussion, such as weekly group meetings, are chaired by one child or young person. This helps children and young people to feel empowered, to learn how to listen to others and to respect others’ views. One child said, ‘We have meetings every Thursday. We all get the chance to speak. We talk about what’s happened during the week and things we would like to do.’ Children and young people relish their stays in residence. They enjoy the varied activities, many of which take place within the community. Staff think carefully about the kind of activity which would provide most benefit to each individual. For example, one young person who is approaching the end of their school career has been encouraged to join the Sea Cadets. This is effective in helping them to develop their self-confidence and readiness for greater independence. The young person said, ‘I love going there now, but

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Outstanding

I wouldn’t have tried it if the staff hadn’t persuaded me.’

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The quality of care and support Outstanding

Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 7 of 11 Staff are extremely thorough in planning each child and young person’s stay. They undertake home visits prior to a child or young person being considered for admission, gathering information from parents to enable a detailed placement plan to be drawn up. These plans link to needs identified in the comprehensive education, health and care plan. Transition out of residence when young people have reached school-leaving age is planned with equal attention to detail. The number of nights that a young person stays is gradually reduced, in consultation with parents, to ensure that the young person is ready to return home. One young person said, ‘At first I was scared at the thought of leaving, but the staff have helped me to get over that.’ Staff involve the children and young people fully in their plans. Each plan sets out targets for the child or young person to aim for, which are reviewed and discussed with

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The quality of care and support Outstanding

the key worker in individual sessions. Additional support plans, one for education and one for home, contain similar targets. This enables work identified in residence to be carried on by teachers and parents. The consistency of this wraparound approach is important to the rapid progress made by children and young people. One child said, ‘My key worker goes through my support plans with me, and talks to my mum about them. They help me achieve my targets.’ In addition to individual time with children and young people, staff also work with them in groups to help their social development. The inspector witnessed a member of staff leading a session on empathy. This was skilfully managed and delivered, maintaining the engagement of the children and young people throughout. By the end, the participants were able to demonstrate an awareness of how they should relate to others and to understand others’ needs.

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The quality of care and support Outstanding

Staff develop outstandingly fruitful relationships with parents. They maintain close contact with families, and make themselves available if advice is required out of hours and at weekends. They even make home visits during the school holidays, supporting parents and helping them to overcome any difficulties with their child. This work is extremely beneficial to the development of children and young people, providing a consistency of approach both in the residence and at home. One parent said, ‘When my child is at home, staff often ring to check things are OK. We can ring them anytime, night and day. This is so helpful to me and my child.’

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How well children and young people are protected Outstanding

The close support that staff provide makes children and young people feel extremely safe. There is very little bullying. One child said, ‘We get on well with each other. We sometimes have arguments but I’ve never seen bullying. Staff wouldn’t accept it and we all know that.’ An external organisation has carried out work with the children, young people and staff on bullying, e-safety and safe relationships. Staff work with parents on wider safeguarding issues. For example, the head of care researched information on the effects on children of inappropriate viewing of various media. She has shared this directly with parents and placed it on the trust’s website. This contributes to the protection of children even when they are at home. Children and young people are totally confident in taking any concerns or worries to any member of staff. In addition, an independent person visits the residential provision at

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How well children and young people are protected Outstanding

regular intervals. She checks on records and speaks to children, young people and staff. This provides valuable additional assurance that children and young people are safe. One child said, ‘I know the independent visitor. I’ve spoken to her. She is nice. She Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 8 of 11 comes to make sure everything is OK and I know I can talk to her about anything if I need to.’ Staff draw up assessments of risk, which are tailored to the needs and circumstances of each individual child or young person. These lack consistency in describing the measures in place to control each particular risk, and do not include all potential sources of harm. Staff are exceptionally skilled in managing behaviour. Their approach is positive, and is consistent with the overall ethos of nurturing children and young people and keeping them safe. The consistency of staff oversight, and the quality of relationships within the

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How well children and young people are protected Outstanding

residence, means that children and young people generally adhere to boundaries. When staff observe a child straying into inappropriate behaviour, a quiet word is sufficient to correct them while maintaining their dignity. This makes for an orderly, relaxed environment where everyone is respected and valued. A recent innovation in practice (‘The Five Point Scale’) is based on proven research. It teaches children and young people to be aware of their emotions and how to deal with stress and anxiety before they go into crisis. Children and young people were able to explain to the inspector how it worked. One said, ‘It’s about emotions, knowing how you are feeling, and when you need extra help from staff. We have wallcharts in the classroom and in resi to remind us. It’s really good.’ Because of this proactive, systematic and caring approach to supporting children and young people to manage distress, staff rarely need to use physical restraint. When they

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How well children and young people are protected Outstanding

do, it is set within the context of helping the child or young person and not controlling them. Children and young people understand this. Staff discuss the circumstances of every incident with them afterwards, and ensure that their views are recorded. One child said, ‘Yes, I have been held. Staff talked to me about it afterwards and I know it was done to keep me safe.’ Senior staff monitor these records, meaning that they evaluate the effectiveness of each intervention and identify any patterns or trends.

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The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

The head of care and her deputy are highly experienced, and provide effective and consistent management of the staff team. Staff share a passion for their work, placing the welfare of children and young people at the top of their priorities. They act as advocates for children and young people in meetings with other agencies. The relationships between staff and parents are exceptionally productive. Staff have close ties with teachers and other professionals within the trust. An educational psychologist provides specialist training in areas such as childhood attachment and autism. Other training has been delivered by the speech and language therapist, giving staff an insight into how to communicate more effectively with children and young people. Communication between residential staff and other professionals within the trust has been improved significantly by the introduction of a new information sharing system. This

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The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

enables everyone involved with a child or young person to be aware of significant information such as incidents almost as soon as they happen. This enhances consistency of approach and the quality of safeguarding. Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 9 of 11 Staff receive regular formal supervision and an annual appraisal of their performance. This is of good quality, ensuring that staff have the support they need to promote the welfare of children and young people to a high standard. New members of staff receive more regular supervision from the head of care, and undergo a detailed induction programme. This would be more effective if it included a formal structure for the member of staff to reflect on their practice as they gain experience. Monitoring activity is good. The head of care is able to show the benefit that the residence has on children and young people. Annual reports to senior managers provide a detailed

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The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

overview of how well the residential provision is meeting the needs of the children and young people and keeping them safe. The trust has an improvement plan for the coming year, which contains reference to the residential provision. A separate development plan for residence would enable more detailed objectives and timescales for improvement to be identified. Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 10 of 11

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What inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspections of boarding and residential provision in schools: the inspection framework’.

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A school where the experiences and progress of children and young people consistently exceed the standard of good and result in sustained progress and achievement. The outcomes achieved by children and young people are outstanding and the impact the boarding/residential provision has had in supporting this progress and achieving these outcomes is clearly evidenced. Good A school providing effective services, which exceed minimum requirements. Children and young people are protected and cared for and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. Requires improvement A school where there are no serious or widespread failures that result in children and young people's welfare not being safeguarded or promoted. However, the overall outcomes, experiences and progress of children and young people are not yet good. Inadequate A school where there are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected, or their welfare

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Judgement Description

is not promoted or safeguarded or if their care and experiences are poor and they are not making progress. Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 11 of 11

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number

DfE registration number 141385 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. Type of school Residential special school Number of boarders on roll 11 Gender of boarders Mixed Age range of boarders seven to 16 Headteacher Ms Elizabeth Horne (Chief Executive)

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Email address westlands@horizonsacademy.org.uk Inspection Report Westlands Academy, 01/03/2016 Page 12 of 11 guidance 'raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/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/ofsted

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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, please

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