Breckenbrough School Limited

Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 1 of 10 Breckenbrough School Limited Breckenbrough School Ltd, Sandhutton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire YO7 4EN

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Inspection dates 06/03/2017 to 08/03/2017

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The overall experiences and progress of children and young people Outstanding

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The quality of care and support Outstanding How well children and young people are protected Outstanding The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers Outstanding

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The residential provision is outstanding because

 Students make exceptional progress socially and academically. They learn a range of skills that equip them well for later life.

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The residential provision is outstanding because

 Students thrive because of the very nurturing approach taken by staff.

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The residential provision is outstanding because

 Students enjoy exceptional relationships with staff. As a result, their confidence and self-esteem flourishes.

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The residential provision is outstanding because

 Individuality is celebrated and students’ identity and personality develops.

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The residential provision is outstanding because

 Students’ anxiety significantly reduces because of the positive structures and routines that are in place.

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The residential provision is outstanding because

 Students learn a range of coping skills which help them to manage their anxieties.

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The residential provision is outstanding because

 The senior management team is extremely committed to continual improvement of the service for students and their families. Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 2 of 10

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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?

 Develop additional ways to support parents and help them to feel included in the school community.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Where appropriate for individuals, develop alternative accreditation of vocational and personal skills. Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 3 of 10

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Information about this inspection

The deputy headmaster was given two hours’ notice of this inspection. The inspector worked closely with the headmaster, the deputy headmaster, the head of residential social education, the deputy head of social education and the school bursar. The inspector spoke to a wide selection of social educators and team leaders throughout the inspection. Some social educators were spoken to alone and others in a group. Some social educators also completed surveys. Time was spent talking to pupils in groups and alone. The inspector spent time observing students over two evenings. The inspector joined the breakfast, lunch and teatime routines. The inspector spoke to the head governor and the safeguarding governor. The inspector had further conversations with parents and social workers. Parental views were collated from the Ofsted Parent View website during the inspection. The inspector consulted a representative from the local

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Information about this inspection

authority safeguarding team and examined a range of policies and records in relation to the safeguarding and care of residential students.

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Inspection team

Jamie Richardson Lead social care inspector Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 4 of 10

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Information about this school

Breckenbrough School is a residential special school for boys aged from nine to 19 years old. The school caters for up to 60 students, with provision for 37 boarders. There are currently 15 boarders. Boarding accommodation is in the main school building and two annexes. There are a range of facilities, including a motocross track and a gym. The school is situated on the outskirts of Thirsk. Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 5 of 10

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young people

Students have an outstanding residential experience at this school. One student commented: `I wish I could stay here all the time.’ Another student said: `It’s like a little piece of Eden in a little part of North Yorkshire.’ For many students, their lives change as they start to develop their personality and their sense of identity for the first time. They begin to believe in themselves and make positive plans for their future. One parent commented: `It’s given him hope he never had before. I can see them turning him around. He has never talked about his future before, and now he does.’

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young people

Students enjoy excellent relationships with staff who know them extremely well. Staff are highly skilled in identifying students’ interests and personal skills. They use these effectively, to empower students to learn and develop socially. As a result, their self- confidence significantly improves. One student commented: `Staff are respectful and easy to approach. The best thing here is the respect and autonomy given to me.’

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young people

Staff successfully tailor the 24-hour curriculum to each individual’s very specific needs. The school has a range of on-site facilities, such as a workshop and motocross track, which enable students to gain an excellent range of skills. New accreditation for vocational and personal achievement is an area requiring further development. This is significantly boosting some students’ confidence and self-esteem. For some, this is the first time that they have experienced achievement. All students make excellent progress with their education. As a result, students successfully move on to university, apprenticeship and employment.

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young people

Students benefit from a residential provision that is focused on their needs. Consequently, they feel safe and happy. Safety is a high priority across the school. One social worker commented: `They are very quick at sharing information. They are very transparent and quick in terms of addressing any issues.’

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young people

The quality of care and support Outstanding

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young people

Students benefit from the continuous approach between the school and the residential provision. The consistent staff team works between settings. Consequently, staff know individual students extremely well. Students feel secure in this environment because they know that they can ask staff for emotional support day and night. In addition to this, specialist support from the school’s psychologist ensures that students’ complex emotional needs are met.

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young people

Staff educate students about the advantages of keeping healthy. Students’ understanding of these issues develops, and they start to make their own healthy choices. Students undertake a range of activities which improve their physical health, including using the on-site gym, joining the school running club, swimming, and climbing. One student commented: `Before I came here, I did not take pride in my appearance. I was unhealthy. I was scared of heights. Now I go climbing every week and I go to the gym six times a week.’ Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 6 of 10 Students’ individuality is celebrated. This helps to build relationships between staff and students based on respect and trust. As a result, students enjoy spending time with staff and sharing hobbies such as the school motocross track. As students’ self-belief improves, they gain the social skills and confidence to undertake activities such as skiing

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young people

holidays and meals out. One student commented: `I could not go out for meals with my family, and now I can.’

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young people

The student’s voice is at the heart of residential care. For example, students choose their own meals and activities. Students make requests to change the environment, which staff follow through. For example, they requested a bigger lounge, which has just been created. Students are now choosing the decoration for this. Recently at students’ request, several new carpets have been fitted.

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young people

Students enjoy an excellent range of home-cooked food. Input from the nutritionist ensures that students’ specialist dietary needs are well catered for. Staff help students to understand the need for a balanced diet. As a result, students start to make healthy choices. Some students who chose very limited food options are now eating new food and starting to vary their diet. Mealtimes provide an excellent social experience and social learning opportunity. Students successfully transfer these skills to other settings, such as restaurants.

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young people

How well children and young people are protected Outstanding

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young people

Students thrive from the nurturing approach taken by staff. There is a continual focus on the value of each individual. Staff provide students with the skills to regulate and manage their own behaviour. Consequently, incidents of challenging behaviour dramatically reduce as students develop self-belief and coping strategies. This empowers them to manage their own anxieties.

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young people

Staff understand the risks that students face in the community and online. Staff members’ in-depth knowledge of individual students allows them to manage risks yet still provide students with life opportunity. Risks significantly reduce because of the individualised work that staff do to educate students about keeping safe both in school and in the community.

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young people

All students feel safe here. The warm and caring approach from staff provides an excellent model for students. There is no bullying, as there is emphasis on regard and appreciation for others. Because of the strong relationships between students and staff, students feel confident to speak to staff if they are worried or upset.

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young people

Senior managers are quick to respond to any safeguarding issues or allegations. They have strong links with other professionals, such as social workers, local authority designated safeguarding officers, and the police. This ensures that there is effective sharing of information and immediate action to protect students from harm.

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young people

Students enjoy living in a safe environment which is well maintained. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that only adults who do not pose a risk to children are employed to care for them. Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 7 of 10

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managers

The school has an inclusive community approach, which incorporates boarding as an integral part of the school. Residential care is exceptionally well managed by a dedicated senior management team that leads by example. As a result, staff mirror its high expectations and enthusiasm.

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managers

Highly effective monitoring systems track the quality of student care, their progress and safety. The board of governors assists management monitoring arrangements extremely well. They provide support and challenge when necessary in order to keep standards of care high. Students work closely with managers to monitor their own quality of care and progress. This helps them to celebrate and recognise their achievements.

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managers

Staff receive on-going training that is tailored to students’ needs. This ensures that staff have the understanding and skills to meet students’ very complex needs. Staff benefit from regular and reflective supervision. Consequently, staff feel well supported and happy in their work. One staff member commented: `You get excellent support from the managers here. They are always there for you if you need them. Supervision is supportive too.’

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managers

The senior management team maintains close links with parents to ensure that they are up to date with student progress. Due to the long distances that some students travel, it is harder for some parents to receive direct support from the school and to link in with the school community. This is an area requiring development to ensure that all parents feel included and connected to the school.

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managers

This residential provision fully meets its statement of purpose. It provides individualised, outstanding care, which recognises the full potential of every student. Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 8 of 10

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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 Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 9 of 10

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number

DfE registration number 815/7002 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 60 Gender of boarders Boys Age range of boarders 9 to 19 Headteacher Geoff Brookes

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inspection

Telephone number 01845 587 238 Email address geoff.brookes@breckenbrough.org.uk Inspection Report Breckenbrough School Limited, 06/03/2017 Page 10 of 10 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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inspection

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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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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T: 0300 123 4234 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.co.uk/ofsted

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