Haydon Bridge High School

Boarding progress monitoring inspection report Haydon Bridge High School – Ridley Hall Boarding Wing 17 January 2017 Haydon Bridge Hexham NE47 6LR

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Main inspection findings

The overall experiences and progress of children and young people  Children and young people receive good support from staff within the boarding provision. Increased staffing levels have resulted in a greater range of activities and experiences being available.  Staff are good at listening to, and acting upon, the views of children and young people. As a result, children and young people say that they feel more involved in decision-making.  Additional resources have been made available to improve the quality of life within boarding. For example, WiFi has been installed, enabling children and young people to use social media as well as accessing resources to help with their school work. The quality of care and support  The school has acted promptly to improve the quality and privacy of bathrooms. All showers now have lockable doors.  Records on children and young people are more detailed and better organised. A

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Main inspection findings

new system of allocating a designated member of staff to each boarder is about to be introduced. This will further improve the quality of care and support.  Relationships between staff and children and young people continue to be excellent. How well children and young people are protected  Arrangements for fire safety have been completely overhauled. Fire drills are taking place at the required intervals, and both children and young people and staff have undertaken additional training and awareness raising in this area. Fire escapes are fit for purpose.  Each boarder has an individual risk assessment, which takes account of any particular circumstances and vulnerabilities. This enables staff to adopt strategies in their day-to-day work which keep children and young people safe. The additional staffing means that staff can provide additional oversight to those boarders who require it.  Safeguarding policies and procedures have been reviewed and revised, and audited

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Main inspection findings

by managers and consultants outside of the school. E-safety is well managed.  Effective communication between boarding staff and the school enables any individual safeguarding issues to be addressed promptly. Inspection report: Haydon Bridge High School – Ridley Hall Boarding Wing, 17 January 2017 Page 2 of 7 The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers  The headteacher has provided a strong lead in developing, implementing and monitoring a detailed action plan. This plan is thorough and robust, and has fully addressed the shortfalls identified in the previous inspection.  Members of the interim executive board (IEB) and local authority officers have provided appropriate oversight of the plan, and given support to managers and staff in bringing about change.  The leadership team has been assertive in harnessing the resources necessary to bring about significant improvement, in particular, the appointment of an interim

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Main inspection findings

manager with substantial experience of children’s residential care. This, together with the additional staffing, has resulted in a direct positive impact upon the quality of children’s and young people’s experience of boarding.  The interim manager provides staff with high-quality supervision and support. The staff training programme has been reviewed, providing greater opportunity for professional development. As a result, staff are enabled to reflect on their practice and develop their knowledge and skills. Inspection report: Haydon Bridge High School – Ridley Hall Boarding Wing, 17 January 2017 Page 3 of 7

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schools

 A suitable statement of the school's boarding principles and practice is available to parents and staff, is made known to boarders and is seen to work in practice. (NMS 1.1)  Suitable toilet and washing facilities are provided for boarders, which are reasonably accessible from the sleeping accommodation. Separate toilet facilities are provided for boys and girls unless each toilet facility is provided in a separate room intended for use by one pupil at a time, the door to which is capable of being secured from inside. Toilet and washing facilities provide appropriate privacy for boarders. (NMS 5.3)  The school ensures that the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy and appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified. (NMS 6.3)  The school complies with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. (NMS 7.1)

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schools

 In addition, fire drills are regularly (at least once per term) carried out in 'boarding time'. (NMS 7.2)  There is an appropriate range and choice of activities for boarders outside teaching time, including sufficient and suitably timed free time each day. Suitable risk assessments are in place for any activities which may put boarders at risk of harm. (NMS 10.1)  The school ensures that arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school and such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. (NMS 11.1)  The school's governing body and/or proprietor monitors the effectiveness of the leadership, management and delivery of the boarding and welfare provision in the school, and takes appropriate action where necessary. (NMS 13.1)  There is clear leadership and management of the practice and development of boarding in the school, and effective links are made between academic and

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residential staff. (NMS 13.2)  The school's leadership and management consistently fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the standards are met. (NMS 13.4)  The staff supervising boarders outside teaching time are sufficient in number, training and experience for the age, number and needs of boarders, and the locations and activities involved. (NMS 15.3) Inspection report: Haydon Bridge High School – Ridley Hall Boarding Wing, 17 January 2017 Page 4 of 7

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School details

Unique reference number 122328 Social care unique reference number SC043077 DfE registration number 929/4130 Inspection number 10026540 The inspection of boarding provision was carried out under the Children Act 1989, as amended by the Care Standards Act 2000, having regard to the national minimum standards for boarding schools. Type of school Boarding school School status Maintained boarding school Age range of pupils 13–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 414 Number of boarders on roll 24 Headteacher Mrs Helen McCormick (acting) Head of boarding provision Mr Nick Moran (interim) Telephone number 01434 684422 Website www.haydonbridgehigh.co.uk Email address admin@haydonbridge.northumberland.gov. uk Date of previous boarding inspection 11 October 2016

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Information about this school

 Ridley Hall is the boarding house of Haydon Bridge Community School, a maintained school. Ridley Hall is situated in a rural location, four miles from the main school site. Boarding is available from Monday to Thursday nights for students that live in certain postcode areas, and have to travel for more than one and a quarter hours to get to school.  An education inspection in December 2014 judged the school’s overall effectiveness as inadequate and it was placed in special measures. Since then, four monitoring inspections have taken place, the most recent in June 2016. This concluded that leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of special measures. An interim executive board is currently in place, and is in negotiations to convert to an academy. Inspection report: Haydon Bridge High School – Ridley Hall Boarding Wing, 17 January 2017 Page 5 of 7  An inspection of the boarding provision in October 2016 judged it to be inadequate in

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Information about this school

all areas. Inspection report: Haydon Bridge High School – Ridley Hall Boarding Wing, 17 January 2017 Page 6 of 7

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out in accordance with Ofsted policy. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the national minimum standards that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  The inspection was unannounced. The inspector had discussions with the headteacher, senior boarding staff and boarders. He scrutinised plans, policies and records, and observed routines within the boarding provision.

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Inspection team

Nick Murphy, lead inspector Social care regulatory inspector Inspection report: Haydon Bridge High School – Ridley Hall Boarding Wing, 17 January 2017 Page 7 of 7 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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