Cloughwood Academy

Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 Page 1 of 10 Cloughwood Academy Cloughwood Academy, Stones Manor Lane, Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 1NU

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Inspection dates 28/03/2017 to 30/03/2017

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The overall experiences and progress of children and young people Good

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

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The residential provision is good because

 Children and young people enjoy their stays.

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The residential provision is good because

 Children and young people learn a range of skills, which prepares them well for independence in later life.

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The residential provision is good because

 Children and young people participate in a wide range of activities.

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The residential provision is good because

 Good safeguarding procedures are in place.

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The residential provision is good because

 Staff turnover is very low and staff feel well supported in their work.

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The residential provision is good because

 Managers are committed to improving the service for children and young people. Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 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?

 Ensure that medication procedures take into account recommended best practice.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop monitoring systems which regularly evaluate the suitability of the environment inside and out. Consider providing more child-centred surroundings that reflect children and young people’s ages and views.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Consider making links with other residential providers in order to further develop and improve practice.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Promote children and young people’s voices. Provide opportunities for individuals to share their views of everyday care. Include children’s, young people’s, carers’, parents’ and other professionals’ opinions to inform practice. Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 Page 3 of 10

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Information about this inspection

The vice principal received around two hours’ notice of this inspection. The inspectors worked closely with the principal, vice principals and head of care. The inspectors spoke to a selection of staff throughout the inspection. Some staff were spoken to alone and others in a group. Time was spent talking to and observing children and young people. The inspectors spent time observing children and young people’s evening and morning routines. The inspectors spoke to the head governor and safeguarding governor. The inspectors had further conversations with parents and social workers. Parental views were collated from the Ofsted Parent View website during the inspection. The inspectors consulted a representative from the local authority safeguarding team and examined a range of policies and records in relation to the safeguarding and care of residential children and young people.

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Inspection team

Jamie Richardson Lead social care inspector Mark Kersh Social care inspector Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 Page 4 of 10

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Information about this school

Cloughwood Academy is a purpose-built day and residential special academy. It is located within extensive grounds on the Mid Cheshire Campus in Hartford. The academy caters for male pupils between the ages of 8 and 18 years. There are currently 64 pupils on roll. The academy provides extended day and residential places. Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 Page 5 of 10

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young people

Children and young people enjoy their stays at the residential provision. One young person commented, ‘Everything is good here.’ They enjoy a range of activities that improve their life experience and enhance their social skills, for example swimming, group games and use of trampoline parks.

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young people

Children and young people enjoy good relationships with staff. Staff know children and young people well. They have a good understanding of children and young people’s likes and dislikes, and plan evening events that they know children and young people enjoy.

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young people

Children and young people gain a wide range of skills that will support them in later life, such as cooking, dressing and tidying their rooms. They make good progress in all areas, socially and academically. One parent commented, ‘He has made very good progress, he is more sociable, more independent in every way.’

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young people

Safeguarding incidents are rare. Good safeguarding procedures and policies are in place should any incident arise.

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young people

Managers focus on service improvement. For example, recent improvements to the accommodation enhance children and young people’s experiences during their stays. Managers are committed to further development to offer their service to a wider range of children and young people. All recommendations have been met since the last inspection.

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young people

Good communication between school and the residential provision ensures the effective sharing of information between settings. As a result, any issues that children and young people face are quickly identified. Appropriate guidance is put in place to support children and young people emotionally and physically. Because of the shared approach, children and young people feel secure and make progress socially and academically.

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young people

Developments to aspects of the residential environment, such as new carpets and kitchens, improve the look of the home. However, some areas remain sparse, and decor does not reflect children and young people’s ages.

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young people

Staff promote healthy eating and physical exercise to ensure that children and young people maintain good health. When necessary, they undertake additional training to ensure that they understand how to meet individuals’ specific health needs. Medication practice requires modification to keep it compliant with current guidance and best recommended practice.

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young people

Consultation with children and young people, families and professionals, about the care that children and young people receive, is limited. This is a missed opportunity to seek others’ views and develop practice further. Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 Page 6 of 10 Improvements in children and young people’s care plans ensure that staff have a good understanding of how to care for each individual. The plans provide focus for the support that children and young people need, both at home and in residential care. This provides children and young people with a consistent approach that helps them to settle well.

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young people

How well children and young people are protected Good

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young people

Up-to-date risk assessments provide staff with clear guidance on how to positively manage children and young people’s risks. Staff have a good understanding of each individual. As a result, they successfully recognise any signs that children and young people are becoming anxious and quickly redirect them. Consequently, incidents of physical intervention are low.

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young people

Children and young people feel safe during their stay. Consequently, they look forward to their visit. One young person said, `I would stay every day if I could.’ Children and young people benefit from close staff attention. This ensures that staff are able to manage any risks in line with children and young people’s plans. Staff manage interactions between children and young people well, and there is no bullying.

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young people

Children and young people rarely go missing from residential care. When they do go missing, staff actively search for them. They quickly inform appropriate services, such as the police, to make sure that they return safety.

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young people

There are no safeguarding concerns in residential care. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures. They benefit from a range of training, which helps them to understand wider risks that children and young people may face, for example internet safety, radicalisation, and child sexual exploitation. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that all staff are suitable and safe to work and care for children and young people.

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young people

The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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young people

Boarding is an integral part of the school. There is a seamless transition across settings, which provides children and young people with the structured approach that they need. Managers run the service effectively. They match children and young people’s needs well to make sure that they get the most out of their visits.

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young people

Staff all feel well supported by managers. As a result, the staff team is stable and few changes occur. This provides consistency for children and young people. Staff benefit from regular supervision. They reported that the introduction of group supervision is giving them added support and space to reflect on and improve their professional practice. Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 Page 7 of 10 Staff receive a range of training, which supports them to understand children and young people’s specialist needs, for example in managing harmful behaviours and the management of diabetes. Managers use their learning to keep staff up to date with current issues in practice, including internet safety and other potential risks to children and young people, such as child sexual exploitation.

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young people

Oversight from the governing body supports managers to improve the quality of care for children and young people. Management monitoring is not consistently strong in all areas. For example, internal monitoring of progress and gathering others’ views, including those of children, young people and their carers, is lacking. This is a missed opportunity to improve progress and care.

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young people

Managers promote close working relationships with a range professionals such as advocates, doctors, paediatricians and nurses. This multi-agency approach ensures that they are meeting all children and young people’s needs. Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 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 that 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 Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 Page 9 of 10

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number

DfE registration number 896/7105 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 17 Gender of boarders Boys Age range of boarders 8 to 18 Headteacher Adrian Larkin

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inspection

Telephone number 01606 288 090 Email address head@cloughwood.cheshire.sch.uk Inspection Report Cloughwood Academy, 28/03/2017 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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inspection

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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inspection

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

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