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 71 pupils on roll. Of these, 26 are sixth-form students who spend part of the week boarding. The vast majority board Monday to Thursday. Some sixth-form students board less often. There is the option for younger pupils to board on a 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. There is a separate detached bungalow, converted into two single-bedroomed flats, for students to practise 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: 22 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good 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

 The residential provision is an integral and valued part of the school.  The students benefit from individualised learning programmes and they all make progress, some of which is exceptional.  The school is good at meeting its aims and objectives and preparing students well for their future lives.  The students enjoy their time at school and benefit from the positive relationships that they have with staff and each other.  There is regular consultation with the students, ensuring that they have a good say in the day-to-day running of the school.  The staff are helpful and sensitive to the students’ needs. Consequently, the students feel safe and secure.  The students’ behaviour is very good.  The school leaders are effective and they have a positive impact on making school improvements and maintaining high standards of care.  Any weaknesses in practice are thoroughly addressed.  There are good working relationships with other agencies, so that students benefit

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Key findings from this inspection

from all-round support. The residential special school’s areas for development are:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Complete a chronology of actions taken, their outcomes and records of a complainant’s satisfaction in response to complaints. Inspection report for residential special school – Welburn Hall School 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The residential provision is a valued part of the school, and is predominantly used by sixth-form students. The care and support are integrated with the students’ learning at college as they prepare for their adult lives. Students benefit from individualised learning programmes that improve their future life chances in adult care, supported living, further education and employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Over the three years of being in the sixth form, students achieve higher levels of independence. As they progress, they spend time in two independence flats with a minimum level of supervision. Residential care staff work closely with teachers to support students to achieve the outcomes agreed in their EHC plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Dedicated staff support the students to develop personally, participate in the local and wider community and improve their employability skills. The students become more sociable, increase their resilience, are less anxious and enjoy a good range of leisure activities. They all make progress, some of which is exceptional. This is acknowledged by the students, their parents and social care professionals. It is reflected in the success of students when they leave school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The students enjoy trusting and positive relationships with the staff. They consider the school a nice place to be and like coming. The staff are friendly, and the students have a good time together with them. The students like using the independence flats and recognise that this helps their independence. Parents feel well informed about their children’s experiences and progress, and they are reassured that their children are safe and happy. Parents receive additional support at times of crisis, and this helps them as families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The students have a good say in what happens in the school and are regularly consulted about aspects of school life, such as the quality of food, range of activities and their privacy. Each year the students vote for a head girl and head boy. These two representatives advocate for their peers’ wishes and feelings directly with the school governors.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

School leaders respond well to complaints and ensure that they are thoroughly investigated. Their commitment to learn from complaints is good. Records relating to how complaints are responded to are not all up to date, making it difficult to follow the process from beginning to end.

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

The students say that they feel safe and that the staff will listen to them and help them if they are worried or upset. There has been bullying in the past, but staff have addressed this with the students and continue to help them when they fall out with each other. Inspection report for residential special school – Welburn Hall School 4 The staff appropriately challenge the students when they do not behave as expected. The staff are consistent in giving students clear expectations about what is acceptable. This is particularly reinforced through the weekly student forum. Staff understand the individual triggers that may upset students and seek to avoid these, thereby reducing the levels of anxiety for students. There is a new reward scheme, based on the school’s values, that is having a positive impact and, overall, student behaviour is very good. There has been a decrease in challenging behaviour and in

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

incidents of self-harm and distress. Boarders who were at first anxious about the boarding experience now spend more time boarding and are enjoying their time.

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

The staff do not use physical restraint in the residential provision. This is good practice and reflects how well students behave. There is good management oversight of any such practice in school, ensuring that it is safe and appropriate. The whole- school approach of well-being and compassion is embedded and has a solution- focused and restorative nature that is tailored to the needs of students. This means that any consequences are understood by and meaningful to the students. Staff are good role models in promoting positive behaviour, respect and tolerance.

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

The staff know and understand the risks about vulnerability, including self-harm and exploitation. The quality of care practice keeps students safe. One external care professional commented, ‘I know he is safe when he is at school.’ The staff take appropriate action to keep students safe and reinforce their learning from school about personal safety and e-safety. Safe internet access is promoted through the new internet café, which is both liked and well used by the students.

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

The staffing levels and support for students keep them safe from engaging in any offending behaviour or misuse of drugs and alcohol. There were no incidents when students went missing from the school or left without permission. Staff know what action to take should this occur. An incident occurred since the last inspection when a student hid in the grounds late at night. This was thoroughly addressed by the school leaders, and action was taken to prevent it from happening again.

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

Home visits from the family support worker help to tackle issues of student absence, and is an additional safeguarding feature of the school.

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

There is generally a thorough and robust approach to sharing with the local authority the school’s safeguarding concerns about individual students. Any weaknesses in the school’s safeguarding procedures are promptly addressed with staff. There is good record keeping and an organised system for managing referrals. This includes appropriate follow-up action, and evidences that there is suitable decision-making to help to keep students safe. The head teacher ensures that any necessary challenge of the local authority takes place to keep the safety of students at the heart of practice.

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

The school environment is physically safe and secure. Appropriate alterations have been made to alert staff if students leave the residential accommodation during the night. Since the last inspection, the students have been consulted about bedroom Inspection report for residential special school – Welburn Hall School 5 privacy, and their individual requests for additional privacy have been actioned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is thorough and effective leadership and management. This is provided by a combination of the senior leadership team, the governing body and the team leader in the residential provision. These leaders continue to drive improvement, address areas of weakness and ensure that there is a positive response to any complaints. Consequently, the standards of care are maintained to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The school leaders ensure that recommendations made through external monitoring and scrutiny and through Ofsted inspections are implemented. They are open and transparent about practice and are committed to making the school better for the benefit of the students.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Improvements continue to be made, despite recent budget cuts and a staffing re- structure. This highlights the ability of school leaders to manage change through difficult times and reflects the school’s ethos of high expectations and aspirations for students.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are suitable staffing levels in place, supported by the use of agency staff. These staff are used on a regular basis, know the school and students well, and are appropriately vetted. Overall, the staff work as a cohesive team and provide good levels of support to the students.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a good range of training, and most staff have achieved the recommended qualification. Other staff, including some of the agency staff, are working towards this qualification. The staff feel well supported, and their practice develops through having individually delegated responsibilities. Their morale is high, and there is good integration across the whole school. This gives students comprehensive levels of support and promotes positive outcomes in their education, health and personal development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The good working arrangements with other agencies are enhanced by the much- needed addition of a school nurse. This strengthens links with health services such as speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Students and parents receive additional help and guidance from the family support worker. Their valued links with the local authority disabled children’s services and learning disability service ensure a timely response to requests for assistance. Consequently, the school is accomplished at securing for students the best all-round support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff demonstrate a good understanding of the students’ needs, and there are systems in place to track students’ progress. School leaders have developed these systems further since the last inspection. This contributes to supporting all students to make progress and allows for more targeted care for students who may struggle in a particular area. Inspection report for residential special school – Welburn Hall School 6

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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 difference 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 – 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: 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

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Inspector

Simon Morley, social care inspector Inspection report for residential special school – Welburn Hall School 8 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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