Ingfield Manor School

Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 1 Ingfield Manor School Ingfield Manor School, Ingfield Manor Drive, Five Oaks, Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 9AX Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

Ingfield Manor is a day and residential, non-maintained special school for children between the ages of three and 19 years. Ingfield Manor provides an educational service to children who have neurological motor impairments, such as cerebral palsy and associated impairments. Many of the children have additional complex medical conditions. Support is delivered through conductive education and the school has a long association with the Peto Institute. Most students board on a „flexi‟ basis and have short stays at the school. Others, who board on a weekly basis, return home at weekends.

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Information about this residential special school

A national private organisation has acquired the school since the last inspection.

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Information about this residential special school

Inspection dates: 11 to 13 December 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The residential special school provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the school contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.

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outstanding

Date of previous inspection: 27 November 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This residential special school is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The promotion of independence, which is central to the practice of all staff, is strong.  The amenities on the school campus, including a woodland area that is accessible to all students and that is used for making dens, birdwatching, barbecues and a miniature steam railway.  An exceptionally high level of support is provided for students, from pre-admission and throughout their stays.  Education, therapy and residential staff work across the school, ensuring continuity of care and the integration of the skills of each in the care of students.  Significant and lasting progress in students‟ ability to communicate. This improves their quality of life, reducing frustrations and leading to excellent behaviour in the setting.

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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

 Matters such as signing, dating and including timings on emergency evacuation records, and recording that door alarm checks are conducted, are missed.  Health and safety processes are not integrated across the different levels of responsibility in the organisation.  The recently reconstituted governing body and company directors have yet to develop a working relationship.  The organisation‟s complaints policy does not give sufficient guidance for staff to facilitate complaints from students who have limited ability to communicate any concern they might have about their care in an effective manner. Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that consents signed by parents and carers for staff to administer first aid and to agree to emergency treatment (in the absence of someone with parental responsibility) are clearly worded. NMS 3.6  Ensure that arrangements for health and safety, particularly audits for the premises, clearly identify individual responsibilities across the organisation and that audits are conducted regularly. NMS 6.2  Where students are known to be vulnerable, risk assessments are undertaken of their potential to be sexually or criminally exploited. NMS 6.3  The governing body needs to develop its role and responsibilities, particularly in relation to the board of directors, in order to provide the level of oversight and challenge to the school that is required. NMS 13.1  Develop a clearer recording system for the monitoring of areas highlighted in Appendix 3 of the national minimum standards. NMS 13.9  Develop a complaints policy and procedure that provides guidance about

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Recommendations

facilitating complaints from students who have limited ability to communicate their wishes and feelings in an effective manner, including how behaviour might indicate that they are concerned about an aspect of their care. NMS 17.1 Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 4

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outstanding

The school provides a highly individualised programme of care from the point of agreeing that a student will have a residential placement. Managers and staff tailor admissions so that even the most anxious children achieve a smooth transition to having overnight stays. Reluctant parents and carers are won over by opportunities afforded in the setting. One commented, „I initially said, “Why would I send my child to a residential school?” Then I came and saw it and thought, “Why would I not want my child to be a part of this?”‟

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outstanding

Students experience a very high standard of care to meet their health, cultural or ethnic needs. Staff take advice from parents, carers and other professionals to achieve this. Children and young people are given as wide a range of choices as possible, including meals, activities and who provides their personal care.

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outstanding

Staff have highly honed skills to promote students‟ independence. They consider a child‟s abilities, motivation and energy levels when judging the level of support to provide at any time. Staff members adeptly explained the reasons why they might help a student to load a spoon to feed herself but, another time, support her arm to help her get the spoon to her mouth – both are a preference to feeding her directly.

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outstanding

The school‟s kitchen has been awarded a 5-star food and hygiene rating. The menu provides a range of options, including vegetarian and „free-from‟ meals. Students say that the quality and variety of food have got much better since the last inspection.

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outstanding

The residential provision is well equipped to help students increase their independence or to experience time out of wheelchairs. However, the timing of a recent refurbishment of the accommodation did not give sufficient opportunity to canvas the opinions of staff. Listening to these views may, in a few instances, have led to more appropriate furnishings being purchased. These have been or are being remedied.

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outstanding

The new interior design has something of a „corporate feel‟ but it is a great improvement on the earlier decor and has received very positive feedback from students.

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outstanding

The policy of having staff work across education and residential provisions has significant benefits for students; it provides continuity of care, reduces potential difficulties in transferring from one setting to another and enables all staff to have a rounded understanding of the children that they care for. This is strengthened by members of the therapy team working on shifts and integrating their skills with those of colleagues. This means that staff have direct experience of strategies or techniques that the therapy team recommends and there is an immediate „feedback loop‟ on their effectiveness. Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 5 Staff set targets for students, based on education, health and care plans, consultation with families and children‟s own wishes. These are reviewed each term and comprehensive records demonstrate the progress made by children. Some

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outstanding

progress is very gradual, but still significant. Other achievements are remarkable, particularly the progress made in communication. For instance, one student has obtained a City and Guilds Level 1 certificate in Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Children and young people often readily transfer what they have learned to different settings. Parents say that their children do more for themselves at home since starting to have overnight stays; one said that her daughter „would not be able to do what she does now if not for the staff here.‟

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outstanding

Students show that they enjoy their stays in a variety of ways; smiles and eager participation in activities were evident during the inspection. One older young person missed friends who had already moved on to adult provision but had decided to stay at the school because he was doing so well. He thought that the facilities were „100% tickety-boo!‟

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outstanding

Registered nurses train other staff in the administration of medication and in nursing procedures so that students are medicated, fed and receive other health treatment from competent and well-supervised adults. Risk assessments for eating and drinking, and health plans, convey complex information in a clear way so that staff have unambiguous guidance to follow. This contributes significantly to students‟ safety.

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outstanding

Managers take care when deciding which students may share bedrooms, if students choose to do so. They consider friendships, compatibility and potential risks. This adds to children and young people‟s enjoyment of overnight stays.

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outstanding

Health and safety matters are considered at several levels in the organisation but are not fully joined up. Some staff and managers have differing expectations of processes and this has led to there being no documented audit of the health and safety of the premises since 2016. Other measures, however, are meticulous, such as the monitoring of conditions in the swimming pool and health and safety procedures in the woodland.

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outstanding

The commitment to safety is exemplified by the decision, when it became apparent that the policy of moving to a safe part of the building was compromised by the construction of the roof void, to increase staffing to ensure a prompt evacuation of the building in case of fire.

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outstanding

Staff are highly skilled at helping children to express their wishes and feelings using a variety of communication aids. Students have planned „chat times‟ with a member of staff of their choosing; many children have used this to raise issues that are Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 6 important to them such as worries, and ideas for their own care. Occasionally, students have been able to express concerns that would not otherwise have come to light, leading to a safeguarding referral. Significant conversations are recorded well.

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outstanding

Managers have identified students who have particular vulnerabilities and work well with staff to reduce these. However, a written assessment has not been carried out for young people who are at a greater risk of sexual or criminal exploitation. This means that staff do not have written guidance about signs for individual students or know what they can do to reduce the potential for exploitation in each case.

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outstanding

Students‟ increasing ability to communicate has led to a considerable reduction in frustrations for some, and a consequent improvement in behaviours. Some children and young people who displayed disruptive behaviour before admission now rarely do so in the school and there have been no incidents of physical intervention or sanctions since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The governing body has gone through a period of change and significant vacancies but an acting chair and new safeguarding lead are now in place. Nevertheless, the board has not been able to provide the level of oversight or challenge that is required. It only meets termly, and it will take time for it to be well-enough informed about the school to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The owners have yet to form working relationships with the new governing board, but they have drawn up a framework for their different responsibilities. The owners have promptly addressed a number of long-standing issues and have made a significant financial commitment to the school. Some of this, such as the refurbishment of the residential provision, is already having a beneficial impact.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A recently appointed independent person helps leaders, managers and governors to have an oversight of the residential provision. Her first report gives a helpful evaluation of her observations and suggestions for improvements. The report was compiled from an announced visit, as were those of at least the two previous ones by her predecessor. Managers are aware of the requirement for most visits to be unannounced and fully expect this to be the future pattern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In some areas, recording formats have not been configured to provide all the information that is required. Examples include ambiguous wording in consent for staff to give permission for emergency treatment. These records also do not specify consent to first aid. Fire alarm checks include the inspection of fire doors but do not record findings and documents that do not expressly require staff to sign or date entries.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Documentation relating to students is spread across a range of files. For example, risk assessments are held together, rather than each child having a file with all their information in one place. This has advantages but it also means that paperwork that Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 7 does not fit in any one of the current files, including children‟s looked after documents, is in a variety of places. The head of care is due to review the system soon.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The head of care has a wide-ranging development plan in place. This includes addressing a recommendation made following the last inspection to have a clearer recording system for monitoring areas given in Appendix 3 of the national minimum standards. This report therefore repeats it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A form is available for students to use for complaints, but this is not a means that many could use. The organisation‟s policy refers to people being able make complaints using their preferred form of communication, but this is not actively facilitated and there is no guidance for staff on how behaviour might indicate that children are protesting about an aspect of their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have taken the views of students into account in a variety of ways, such as a suggestion that the school should hold a „communication week‟ to promote everyone‟s understanding of the different methods used. It was a great success.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are highly complimentary about the work of the school. A social worker described staff as „fantastic‟ and „brilliant for the family‟. Managers and staff have been asked to share their practice relating to their preparation for annual reviews, and the promotion of conductive communication, at county or national levels.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have developed a culture in the residential provision that encourages students to do as much as possible for themselves, while also offering exemplary care. This atmosphere is evident to those from outside the school who have some involvement with it. One carer said, „I feel emotionally nourished whenever I visit, as they always go above and beyond in what they do.‟

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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 – Ingfield Manor School 8

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC014584

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Mrs Tracey White

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential Special School

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Residential special school details

Email address: Ingfield.manor@ambitoeducation.co.uk Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 9

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Inspector

Chris Peel, social care inspector Inspection report for residential special school – Ingfield Manor School 10 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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Inspector

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