Welburn Hall School

Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 1 Welburn Hall School Welburn, Kirkbymoorside, York YO62 7HQ Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

Welburn Hall School is a local authority maintained residential special school for boys and girls aged eight to 19 years who have special educational needs. All students have an individual education, health and care (EHC) plan.

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Information about this residential special school

At the time of inspection, there were 76 students on roll and 34 spent some time boarding. The vast majority of sixth form students board Monday to Thursday. A small group of younger pupils board on a more flexible basis. There are 44 boarding places in total.

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Information about this residential special school

Pupils may have learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, sensory impairment and/or medical conditions. Most of the residential accommodation is in the main house and is split between sixth form students and a ‘family group’ for the younger pupils. There is a separate detached bungalow, converted into two single-bedroomed flats, for students to practice their independent living. The school is situated in grounds of 20 acres near the village of Welburn in North Yorkshire.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The residential special school provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of previous inspection: 30 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This residential special school is good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Outcomes for students when they leave school are good, and they are able to continue with their education, training and move into independent living.  Staff are motivated, well trained and enjoy supporting students to be happy and achieve well.  Students behave well, and their attendance at school is good.  Staff understand students’ diverse needs and vulnerabilities. Care plans are tailored so that students receive the support they need to develop their potential.  Thorough safeguarding procedures help keep students free from harm.  Strong leadership is delivering continuous improvements and provides students with good standards of care.  School leaders are conscientious in their approach to monitoring the quality of care and experiences of students and ensuring high standards.

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Key findings from this inspection

The residential special school’s areas for development are:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Review the arrangements for bedroom sharing so that students’ privacy is promoted. (NMS 5)  Continue with the plans to improve the quality of meals provided to students. (NMS 8)  Help students to understand the school’s response to their views and opinions about, for example, privacy, quality of the food, behaviour, and use of the school pony. (NMS 17)  Provide parents with meaningful feedback about their children’s experiences and progress at school. (NMS 20) Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide students with the opportunities they need to develop their potential, become more independent and achieve well academically. The staff team members are dedicated to the well-being of students, spend time engaging with them and provide high levels of support and guidance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Students have good relationships with the staff, feel happy and enjoy themselves. Staff treat students respectfully, promoting their decision-making as young adults. This gives students the freedom to make choices and accept responsibility for their actions. Students participate in organising the day-to-day running of the residential provision, such as activities in the gym, shopping trips and contributing to the student forum. Combined with use of the independence flats, this helps students develop their maturity and ability to look after themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Students’ attendance at school is good, they make progress with their learning and benefit from a variety of work experience. Learning is focused on students developing the skills and ability to progress towards independent living, further education and employment. Students have individual targets and support is tailored to help them achieve these. For example, students progress in being ready on time, making sure they have their bags packed ready for the day and cooking their own meals. Students make good improvements with their social skills, independence, confidence and, consequently, have better life chances when they leave school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The day-to-day care of students is of a high standard. Students benefit from good levels of emotional and practical support. Students enjoy a good variety of activities that bring additional learning opportunities. This includes a local theatre group, youth club, outdoor pursuits, gardening and trips out. School leaders are planning to develop a new farm on-site to provide further experiences for students, some of whom already enjoy animal care at college and work experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote students’ health needs. Specific needs such as diabetes and epilepsy are supported, and students access specialist help from local child and adolescent mental health services and speech and language therapy. The administration of medication is well managed and staff are trained to support students with specific needs. School leaders are in the process of improving the quality of meals for students.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff work hard to help students feel safe and secure. Generally, students are well behaved, have good relationships with, and help, each other. Staff are proactive in promoting good behaviour. They talk to students about any misbehaviour and guide students appropriately with regards to respect for each other and appropriate Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 4 social expectations. Students participate in a weekly student forum, reinforcing with each other about the importance of being kind and helpful.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Senior leaders have developed a good system for tracking positive and negative incidents. They use this information to look for trends and patterns in student behaviour and plan accordingly by reviewing care strategies and risk assessments. There is a strong approach of compassionate understanding and positive reinforcement that takes account of students’ diverse needs and family backgrounds. The use of physical intervention and sanctions is low. Senior leaders have improved the level of oversight of this practice since the last inspection. Consequently, there is a better whole-school approach to supporting students’ emotional well-being and improving behaviour.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Students do not go missing from school and are helped to keep safe from the risks of exploitation, alcohol and substance misuse. They complete work about safe relationships and e-safety, promoting their understanding about personal safety. Senior leaders plan to open an internet cafe to further students’ understanding.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff spend one-to-one time listening to students and giving them emotional support about difficulties in and outside of school. Safeguarding leaders appropriately communicate concerns with families and social workers in order to promote student welfare. Since the last inspection, senior leaders have strengthened safeguarding systems and links with the local authority. There is better management oversight of risks and concerns about student safety.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

A new risk assessment policy has been implemented, and decisions about bedroom sharing are formally assessed and reviewed. There are new risk assessments for the school premises, accommodation and security of the school grounds. School leaders are using this process to reduce risks for all students by making the school site safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Strong leadership of the school helps fulfil the vision and ethos of the school and promotes its aims and values. The headteacher’s aspirations and determination contribute to school improvements. Her leadership commitment ensures the implementation of the school’s development plan. She is supported by members of the senior leadership team. This team is more cohesive than at the last inspection and is supporting students to benefit from improved standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The headteacher has taken steps to meet all the recommendations from the last inspection. Furthermore, the governing body is stronger and provides a good level of challenge and oversight regarding the care, experiences and progress of students. Staff have received training to support the school’s values, and there are better management systems to monitor staff practice and students’ progress. Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 5 The headteacher knows the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Her management oversight is supported by half-termly independent monitoring visits. These visits contribute to the overall level of governance and the school’s commitment to good standards of care. Sixth form students have recently taken part in an online survey, arranged by the school. Feedback about their comments and their views and opinions from student forum meetings and daily discussion is not very visible. This

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

makes it hard for students to remember how the school is responding to what they have said.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Promoting the school’s values of ‘respect, perseverance and excellence’ prioritises the needs of students. This starts with the admissions process and continues through ongoing assessment and review of students’ needs. The sensitive and professional care, combined with additional support from other agencies, provides students with individualised learning programmes and good all-round support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders are developing thorough and comprehensive systems for tracking student progress. Student targets are linked to agreed outcomes in students’ EHC plans. Not all parents are aware of the experiences of students at school, and this is difficult for parents when students’ verbal communication skills are limited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring systems are sensitive to students’ diverse needs and demonstrate that they make good progress. Leaders use this information to take action when there are concerns about progress, so as to reduce or remove any barriers to students’ learning. Staff are equally able to describe the positive impact that the school has on students. Staff understand the aims of the school and they are a well organised team, positive and supportive of each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and training. They have all achieved, or are making good progress towards, the recommended level 3 qualification. Staff team members have a range of skills and experiences, so, on each shift, students receive good levels of support.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the school knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Children Act 1989 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 6 the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the national minimum standards. Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 7

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC007943

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Mrs Marianne Best

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential Special School

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Residential special school details

Email address: admin@welburn-hall.n-yorks.sch.uk Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 8

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Inspector

Simon Morley, social care inspector Inspection report for residential special school - Welburn Hall School 9 to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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