Hampden House

Inspection report for residential special school - Hampden House 1 Hampden House

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Cats Lane, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2SF Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

Hampden House is a residential pupil referral unit for boys. It is maintained by the local authority. The school can accommodate 12 residential pupils aged between eight and 14, and 30 day pupils. Residential pupils reside at the school for up to four nights a week. The residential accommodation is part of the school. Situated in a residential area of Sudbury, the pupil referral unit caters for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The last residential inspection took place in November 2018.

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Information about this residential special school

Inspection dates: 30 April to 2 May 2019

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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: 9 October 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for residential special school - Hampden House 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress because of the positive experiences and extra support that the residential provision gives them. This progress is underpinned by consistent boundaries and routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff said that some children, prior to coming into the residential provision, found it difficult to build and maintain relationships. Some children could not sit at the table and eat a meal. Because staff have expectations of children and lead by example, children improve their behaviour and social interactions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children develop meaningful relationships with each other. When children experience difficulties with each other, the staff come up with ways for children to rebuild their relationships. Resilience is seen as an important part of the children’s development process. The staff help the children to build and maintain positive relationships and learn how to recover from difficult situations in order to move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build secure, positive relationships with staff, who know and understand their individual needs and want them to progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children gain confidence through learning life skills that increase their independence. Children keep their rooms tidy, help set the table and clear away at mealtimes, and develop budgeting skills before going with staff to buy ingredients to cook. Staff have taught the children road safety awareness. These skills will help children as they become more independent and move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are involved in a wide variety of activities in the residential provision and in the community. These activities give the children opportunities to develop relationships with their peers. Children said that they like staying in the residential provision because they get to do lots of fun activities with their friends and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek children’s views during the daily house meetings. Children are involved in choosing their activities and planning the tea menu. The staff listen to and act on children’s wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate children’s achievements through verbal praise and awarding certificates. Children said that when they receive four certificates, they can pick a prize from the reward box. Children were proud to show off their certificates. Children know that staff recognise and are proud of their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop empathy. The children have participated in fundraising events for cancer awareness and Red Nose Day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one of the bathrooms has been refurbished. The residential provision is personalised with photos of children and staff enjoying activities Inspection report for residential special school - Hampden House 3 together, children’s artwork and cartoon superheroes that the staff and children have painted. These touches give the residential provision a homelier feel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Medication is stored and recorded appropriately. However, two children who have presenting health needs that require monitoring do not have a healthcare plan in place to guide the staff who work with them.

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

The effective implementation of safeguarding policies means that children are safe. A member of the management committee has taken over the role of safeguarding governor and is working closely with the headteacher and designated safeguarding lead. Monitoring of safeguarding practice has improved. Robust systems have been put in place since the last inspection. These systems have improved information sharing.

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

All staff have undertaken safeguarding training and continue to receive ongoing training. Staff record concerns appropriately. The designated safeguarding lead works with other agencies to ensure that safeguarding actions and outcomes are effective. All the staff spoken with during the inspection have a good understanding of how to safeguard children and report any concerns.

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

Children said that they feel safe because staff are always around, and they can talk to them. Parents said that their children are safe in the residential provision.

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

Comprehensive risk assessments guide education and residential staff effectively. All the education and residential staff contribute to risk-management plans and strategies. All the staff take ownership of keeping themselves updated and implementing risk-management strategies. Children who are at risk of leaving the school without permission have specific risk assessments in place.

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

There have been some bullying behaviours since the last inspection. Staff record and act on bullying behaviours. They speak with the victim and the perpetrator and help children to look at how their behaviour can affect others.

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

Staff set consistent boundaries that support the children to understand what is expected of them. Staff monitor and challenge any unwanted behaviours. Children understand that there are consequences to their actions. Parents said that they have noticed a change in their children’s behaviour due to the consistent boundaries and consequences. Parents use the same approaches with their children when they are at home.

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

Staff have undertaken the school’s mandatory training. However, they have not received training in using a ligature cutter, which means that they may not be able to do so safely if the need arises. Inspection report for residential special school - Hampden House 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior managers provide effective and efficient leadership that results in children making good progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff communicate with parents regularly. Parents said that they can contact the staff at any time, and that staff offer advice and support. The headteacher provides a weekly update to parents. Parents said that these updates are informative and give them the opportunity to discuss their child’s week with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders meet the children from their taxis in the morning and spend time with them throughout the day. They are visible and accessible to children and able to speak with children if they are worried or upset.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff share information about the children in the morning with school staff and again in the afternoon. This means that all staff are aware of any potential issues during school or residential time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The headteacher and head of care work closely with other schools and agencies to continue to develop practice at this school and in the residential provision. Independent visits are undertaken by the head of care from another provision. The head of care and the headteacher make reciprocal visits. This arrangement provides opportunities to share best practice and offer constructive feedback on the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The school and residential provision are run by a management team that has a clear vision of how it wants to develop the school and residential provision to ensure that the children fulfil their potential.

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special schools

The school does not meet the following national minimum standard(s) for residential special schools:

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special schools

 Where necessary, a child has a clear individual health and welfare plan or similar record, containing relevant health and welfare information provided by parents/carers and recording significant health and welfare needs and issues. This record should be agreed by parents/carers and include: records of developmental checks; health monitoring required by staff; intimate care or bodily functions requiring staff help; and the involvement of a child’s parents/carers or significant others in health and welfare issues. (National minimum standards 3.12) Inspection report for residential special school - Hampden House 5

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Recommendations

 Provide all staff with training in the use of the ligature cutter.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people 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 - Hampden House 6

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC024594

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

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Residential special school details

Email address: grahamalcock@hampdenhouse.net

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Inspector

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report for residential special school - Hampden House 7 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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