St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College

Inspection report for residential special school - St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College 1 St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College St Helens Drive, Welton, Brough HU15 1NR Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

This residential special school is maintained by a local authority. The school has 155 pupils on roll, who have a range of severe and complex needs. The school has an attached residential facility, The Residence, which has separate access from the school. Currently, 54 pupils use The Residence, with up to 18 pupils, aged between eight and 19 years old, staying each night. In rare circumstances, pupils as young as five may use The Residence. Pupils stay at The Residence for short breaks of one or two nights each week, on a regular basis. There is flexibility for extra nights and longer stays, both on a planned and emergency basis. Pupils also stay at weekends and during some of the school holidays. The school is in the village of Welton, near the town of Brough.

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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 outstanding

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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: 9 October 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding Inspection report for residential special school - St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College 2

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outstanding

The pupils experience warm, caring and nurturing staff. The pupils are happy and comfortable around the staff. The staff make their short breaks fun and enjoyable.

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outstanding

The staff respond sensitively to the individual needs of the pupils. The pupils’ personal care is supported with dignity and respect. The pupils benefit from completing physio-exercises with staff and from the provision of sensory diets. There is a new outdoor sensory garden and the sensory room indoors has been revamped.

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outstanding

The pupils’ voice is promoted through the use of augmentative and alternative communication systems, signing, intensive interaction and by developing pupils’ emotional literacy. The staff use these well-established research-based approaches to support the pupils to express their preferences, communicate their needs, and make choices. The positive impact of this is huge. This is especially important given the pupils’ vulnerability and difficulty in communicating.

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outstanding

The pupils’ emotional well-being improves, they learn to talk about their feelings and develop resilience. They are calmer and there are fewer incidents of challenging behaviour. They enjoy excellent relationships with the staff, they engage with what is going on around them and like to help with housekeeping tasks. The pupils interact with each other as well as the staff and have plenty of opportunity to socialise with their peers that they would not otherwise get. This improves their communication, social skills and life skills.

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outstanding

The staff prepare the pupils for adult life by maximising their levels of autonomy and improving their future life chances. Progress for some pupils may be in small steps, such as eating at the dining table, getting used to being around other people, taking turns and waiting. However, for those pupils with complex needs, these are big steps and there is significant evidence of change and improvement because of the high standards of care. More able pupils achieve accredited awards for their independence skills such as food storage, food preparation and cooking.

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outstanding

The pupils increase their awareness and understanding of their environment and of the world. This is achieved through their participation in events like Rock Challenge, mental health awareness activities and e-safety learning. They participate in the local community, delivering the parish magazine and going to youth clubs.

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outstanding

This is all achieved within consistent boundaries and routines and the stability that the staff give to the pupils. The pupils’ day-to-day care is exceptional. They benefit from new experiences, feel safe to ask questions, receive plenty of guidance and reassurance and develop their own identities and personalities. Inspection report for residential special school - St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College 3

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outstanding

The pupils’ well-being and safety are given the utmost priority. The staff understand the wide range of risks and vulnerabilities that are linked to the different disabilities and health conditions that the pupils have.

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outstanding

The risks to the pupils’ welfare are clearly documented. The high staffing levels, attention to detail and multi-agency work ensure that the pupils’ health, safety and welfare are extensively protected.

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outstanding

The childcare manager ensures that the pupils’ short breaks are planned thoroughly so that the mix of pupils is safe. The staffing levels, pre-planned activities and allocation of pupils to the different flats in The Residence are well thought out. This contributes to the smooth running of The Residence and promotes the pupils’ welfare.

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outstanding

The emotional well-being project continues to help pupils feel safe and they develop positive attachments to the staff. Their behaviour is of a high standard and there is limited use of physical intervention by the staff. The childcare manager has a good oversight of any incidents and there is a thorough monitoring system in place.

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outstanding

There have been no incidents of pupils missing from home since the last inspection. The staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding issues and can recognise the signs of abuse and exploitation. They know what to do in the event that a pupil is missing or that a pupil is being harmed.

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outstanding

There are close links with the local authority’s safeguarding children partnership. This helps to keep the safeguarding of pupils at the heart of practice.

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outstanding

Pupils are visited regularly by an advocate. This is part of the promotion of the pupils’ voice and provides additional consultation. Suggestions by the pupils are actioned by the childcare manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The school leaders and senior care staff are skilled and experienced. They are accomplished in providing the residential pupils with high standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The successful and well-established links with other agencies and professionals contribute to the best all-round support that the pupils receive. There is excellent partnership work with a mental health charity, social workers and the local authority’s safeguarding children partnership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The pupils benefit from specialist input from on-site occupational, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists. The care staff are thoroughly trained in these areas to meet the individual needs of the pupils. The staff do not see disability Inspection report for residential special school - St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College 4 as a barrier to the pupils’ inclusion, communication, enjoyment and achievement. The school is part of a national forum about improving the emotional well-being of pupils and has directly influenced the quality of staff training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The childcare manager ensures that The Residence is well staffed and resourced. The staff team is cohesive, committed and motivated to supporting the pupils to achieve their best. The staff enjoy their work and there is very low staff turnover.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The pupils’ parents are fully informed about the experiences and progress of their children. This is especially important for those pupils who use non-verbal communication. The parents are full of praise for The Residence and the way that their children are looked after. Parents also receive high levels of support through the school’s helpline, parent partnership project and support groups. They attend joint training with staff, work closely in partnership and experience a flexible and can-do attitude from the staff. The well-being project, which has a significant impact on the emotional health of pupils, is about to be extended to provide further support to parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The childcare manager meticulously monitors the quality of care and the pupils’ experiences and progress. She is constantly seeking to improve the service with the full support of the head teacher, governors and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The governance arrangements are comprehensive. Independent half-termly monitoring and frequent visits by the governors contribute to the extensive oversight of The Residence. The governors are well respected by the local authority and are proactive in maintaining the valuable partnership work. They confidently challenge the school leaders and the local authority for the benefit of the pupils. There has been appropriate escalation of concerns with the local authority about the timeliness and quality of the pupils’ annual education, health and care plan reviews.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team is consistently reflective, especially with regard to the safety and welfare of the pupils. The management team knows its strengths and weaknesses and extensively reviews any complaints and practice concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is an inspiring culture of exceeding when it comes to providing pupils with the best possible experiences. There are high, and shared, expectations within the staff team that everyone will support the pupil to achieve their potential. The school’s values of individuality, dignity and respect, pupils first, and safety all live out in day- to-day practice. Inspection report for residential special school - St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College 5

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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 - St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College 6

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC056736

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Lesley Davis

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential Special School

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Residential special school details

Email address: lesley.davis@stannes.eriding.net

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Inspector

Simon Morley, social care inspector Inspection report for residential special school - St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College 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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