Kings Mill School

Inspection report for residential special school – King’s Mill School 1 King’s Mill School

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Victoria Road, Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire YO25 6UG Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

King’s Mill School is a residential special school that is maintained by a local authority. The school provides education for up to 110 children aged from two to 19 years who have profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and/or autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). All pupils have education, health and care (EHC) plans. The school has a separate residential facility on site, called ‘The Residence’. Currently, 34 pupils use The Residence. Up to 14 pupils can stay each night, but this number is usually lower. Pupils stay at The Residence for one or two nights per week on a regular basis. Some pupils also stay for part of the school holidays.

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Information about this residential special school

The inspector was aware during this inspection that a serious allegation of a child protection nature was being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate an allegation of this kind, action taken by the setting in response to the allegation was considered alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection, to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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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: 17 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for residential special school – King’s Mill 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

 The Residence has a positive impact on pupils. Improvements in learning, social and emotional well-being, and the development of independence skills are good. Feedback from pupils’ parents is consistently very good.  Care is provided by an experienced and qualified staff team that understands the diverse needs of pupils. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive.  Staff ensure that pupils enjoy an atmosphere that is welcoming, caring and great fun.  Pupils feel safe at school and parents are confident that staff take good care of their children.  Risk management is good and promotes pupils to take age-appropriate risks so as to develop their skills and build their self-esteem.  Safeguarding practice is thorough and helps keep pupils free from harm.  Behaviour management is effective and having a consistent staff team is of benefit to pupils. Staff are responsive to pupils’ behaviour and moods. The use of physical

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Key findings from this inspection

intervention to manage behaviour is rare. There is thorough monitoring of incidents by school leaders.  Leadership and management arrangements ensure that pupils receive high standards of care. They demonstrate a good commitment to improving the service.

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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

 Produce written risk assessments to promote pupils’ safety when bedroom sharing. (NMS 5)  Review the use of the annex immediately after the end of the school day to ensure that pupils are not experiencing an environment that impacts negatively on them. (NMS 13)  Set social, emotional and personal targets for pupils that are clear for staff to follow. Provide staff with guidance on promoting these targets and link the targets to the pupils’ EHC plans. (NMS 21) Inspection report for residential special school – King’s Mill School 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The Residence is an integrated and valued part of the school. The care provided for pupils and the focus on their learning and development are consistently practised across the whole school. There is good sharing of information between care and education staff to promote the pupils’ well-being. The aims of care plans are linked to the individual education plans of pupils, to promote consistent care. Consequently, pupils make good progress in developing their abilities to communicate, make more choices and become more independent and confident. Those pupils using the residential provision are more self-assured on school trips and when accessing the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Pupils’ interpersonal skills improve as a result of them being given opportunities to spend additional time with their peers. They engage in group and individual activities and enjoy accessing the local community. They regularly go to the local shops, leisure centre and cinema and were successful both in a national table-top cricket tournament and Europe’s largest disability rugby festival. There are frequent social events, such as film nights and discos. Pupils celebrate cultural events such as Halloween and Christmas. Sixth-form students have helped design and decorate their own lounge, and help run the film night.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The development of pupils’ practical skills is encouraged, and all pupils have independence targets linked to their ability. Staff carefully plan these in very small stages if necessary, to reflect pupils’ needs. For example, pupils develop communication through non-verbal expression. Parents are pleased with the progress their children make and recognise the difference this makes, such as pupils now being able to go to the hairdressers or enjoy a drink in a local café. One parent commented: ‘She is more confident in social situations, now feeds herself and will go out during the school holidays.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between pupils and care staff are especially good, and are based on mutual respect and genuine affection. Staff generally create an atmosphere that is both calm and fun for pupils to spend time in. This has a positive impact on pupils’ emotional well-being. The only exception was immediately after school, when one part of The Residence was particularly noisy and crowded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views and wishes of pupils are valued. Staff encourage the pupils to make choices and to contribute to the running of the school. Parents feel that their views are listened to, and that staff are a good source of support. One commented: ‘The school is amazing with its support. Staff are friendly and reassuring, they are always kind on the telephone.’ Feedback from other agencies was equally positive; a representative of the local authority said: ‘I am happy that staff follow pupils’ support plans. As well as providing good respite for parents, staff also promote life skills, opportunities for accessing the community, peer relationships and social skills. There Inspection report for residential special school – King’s Mill School 4 are high staffing levels and the resources in school to do this.’

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

Parents feel that their children are safe in the school. Pupils are happy and feel comfortable being cared for by the staff.

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

Staffing levels are sufficient on each shift and during the night to meet the needs of pupils and keep them safe. Staff understand the individual risks to pupils and their vulnerabilities, which are linked to their health conditions, anxieties and behaviour. Staff tailor care practice to the individual needs of pupils. For example, staff split pupils into separate groups for meals and activities. Support is organised effectively to meet pupils’ diverse needs when using the hydro-pool, the rebound room, going out and providing support at mealtimes and with personal care. Consequently, pupils feel safe and secure, knowing their needs will be met.

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

Staff are trained to recognise and respond appropriately to any concerns that they may have about a child’s welfare or safety. Relevant safeguarding policies are in place, and are regularly reviewed. Staff are equally confident about using the school’s whistleblowing procedures to keep pupils free from harm. There have been one complaint and one allegation about care practices since the last inspection. The headteacher was prompt and thorough in addressing these issues. The headteacher has made good links with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB). She puts the advice and support from the LSCB to good use in order to keep pupils safe.

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

Pupils do not go missing from The Residence and they are not involved in harmful activities such as smoking or alcohol consumption. Staff are aware of these potential issues and the risks associated with internet use. The staff are quick to respond to any concerns, and raise these with the appropriate school leaders. Staff and managers make efficient use of a tracking system to systematically and purposefully address all concerns.

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

The good behaviour of pupils is promoted through encouragement, praise and rewards. Staff use their knowledge and understanding of pupils to promptly identify any signs of pupils being anxious or risks of behaving inappropriately. This avoids potential escalation and maintains a calm and settled atmosphere. Staff communicate clearly the expectations regarding acceptable behaviour and they model kindness and consideration. It has not been necessary to use physical intervention in the residential provision as a way of managing behaviour. It is rarely used in school, and is only used as a last resort. There are good records of each incident and management oversight is comprehensive. Detailed reports are provided for governors. This level of monitoring helps to ensure that pupils receive good standards of care, and enables school leaders to respond to any patterns or trends.

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

Written risk assessments have improved since the last inspection and the records for the use of physical intervention now detail all the correct information. This assists school leaders in assessing practice, and helps to ensure that the staff follow Inspection report for residential special school – King’s Mill School 5 appropriate strategies and positive behaviour plans to keep pupils safe. School leaders make decisions about which pupils share bedrooms based on compatibility and risk. This decision-making is not yet formalised as part of pupils’ individual written risk assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers of The Residence are competent. There is a dedicated head of care who is overseen by the headteacher and governors. Together, they are committed to the vision of the school, and make certain that pupils receive high standards of care. Leaders are continually improving practice and have a distinct aim to provide outstanding care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders have taken steps to meet all the recommendations from the last inspection. Furthermore, the governing body is now stronger and provides a good level of challenge and oversight of the care of pupils. A new system of independent monitoring, which provides regular external scrutiny, has improved the governance arrangements. Along with detailed self-assessment reports from the head of care, there is a good overview of the strengths and weaknesses. This contributes to the review and implementation of the whole-school improvement plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The headteacher is reviewing how the progress of pupils is tracked, so that systems are sensitive to the needs of pupils who have profound and multiple learning disabilities. Parents report that their children make good progress and really enjoy their short breaks. In the residential setting, it is not always clear how care plans and the social, emotional and personal goals of pupils link to their EHC plans. The impact of this shortfall is minimised by how well staff know pupils and are able to promote their diverse needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The aims, values and ethos of the school are described in the statement of purpose, which is readily available. The school is developing a new website containing useful information for parents and stakeholders. Policy documents are easy to access and the site includes newsletters and photographs of the work and activities undertaken by boarders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable; there is low staff turnover and high morale. The head of care has reorganised staff shift patterns to provide pupils with better levels of consistency and continuity. The same staff work the same day each week. This provides pupils with familiar faces each time they stay in the residential provision. This is important for pupils who have autistic spectrum disorders and benefit from predictable routines. Staffing levels are sufficient to give pupils the support and guidance they need, and to encourage them to try out new activities and learn additional skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The training and support for staff ensure that they can meet the complex needs of pupils, such as those who have epilepsy, or autistic spectrum disorders, or require Inspection report for residential special school – King’s Mill School 6 PEG feeding. Staff receive formal supervision on a regular basis and all staff members have annual appraisals of their work and opportunities for further development. These processes help staff to provide pupils with a good quality of care. Staff handover meetings between shifts and regular team meetings ensure that the staff are kept up to date with any changes to care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents consistently provide feedback which shows that they feel supported by the staff, and are confident that the staff know how to look after their children well. For example, one parent commented: ‘Staff are fantastic, I would ring constantly at first, but now I don’t need to.’ Relationships between the school and parents are good and there is good support from the home-school liaison officer. The school works closely with the local authority’s social work team and local health services to provide pupils with good all-round 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 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 – King’s Mill School 7

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC055984

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Mrs Gail Lawton

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

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Residential special school details

Email address: kingsmill.specialschool@eastriding.gov.uk Inspection report for residential special school – King’s Mill School 8

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Inspector

Simon Morley, social care inspector Inspection report for residential special school – King’s Mill 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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