North Hill House

Inspection report for residential special school - North Hill House 1 North Hill House North Hill House, Fromefield, Frome, Somerset BA11 2HB Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

North Hill House is an independent residential special school providing weekly boarding for boys and girls aged six to 19 years. The school provides education and care for children with autism spectrum disorders and associated learning difficulties. The residential provision can accommodate 20 children. At the time of the inspection, five children were accessing the provision.

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Information about this residential special school

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspection on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this residential special school

We last visited this setting on 24 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: 3 March 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good Inspection report for residential special school - North Hill House 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from good-quality, sensitive and personalised care in the residential provision. The care coordinator and her team place children’s needs at the centre of their practice. Social workers and parents speak highly of the team and the quality of care children receive. One parent said, ‘The residential team care for my child in a way that any parent would. My child is provided with a nurturing environment where he is understood, listened to and free from judgement. Importantly, my child is recognised as a child first, before his diagnosis.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s introduction to and departure from the residential provision is exceptionally well planned and carried out at a pace that meets their individual needs. When children leave, their time in the residential provision is celebrated. Children are gifted a memory book of their personal journey, detailing the activities they have enjoyed, the independent skills they have gained and the progress they have made. Families and children really like these memory books.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to recognise and celebrate their own and each other’s achievements. Photos of children engaging in activities and certificates of their achievements are proudly displayed throughout the residential accommodation. A parent who contributed to this inspection said, ‘My child has thrived because of his residential experience. We now think he has a much brighter future as a result. We will always be grateful to them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy and benefit from a wide range of activities that support their learning, development and social skills. Children’s personal interests and talents are prioritised and promoted well. For example, one child who has a special interest in taxidermy was supported by staff to write to Sir David Attenborough. The letter the child received back has been framed and is proudly displayed in his room. Similarly, staff have supported another child to maintain his special interest in car washing to raise money for Ukrainian refugees.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s residential environment is well maintained, clean and welcoming. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and decorated in their favourite colour. En suite facilities help maintain children’s privacy and dignity. The new kitchen and dining area have significantly improved children’s independence and social skills. Children enjoy eating together and help with the preparation and cooking of the evening meal. A member of staff recognises the benefit of this provision and said, ‘Now we have the kitchen, it’s so lovely for the children to join in with the preparation and cooking meals.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare needs are met well. The management of medication is safe. Care and behaviour management plans align well with children’s education, health and care plans and are regularly reviewed and updated. These plans provide staff with clear guidance on how to care for and meet children’s complex and changing Inspection report for residential special school - North Hill House 3 needs. Children are making progress because targets are realistic and individualised. Children’s progress is well documented.

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improvement to be good

Senior leaders and managers have introduced new safeguarding reporting and recording procedures. Staff have received training and are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. Social workers, parents and safeguarding agencies confirm that information relating to safeguarding concerns is shared as required. Despite this, the designated safeguarding lead has not ensured records relating to one safeguarding concern reflect the actions taken to safeguard the child. As a result, it is unclear how the investigating officer reached the decision of no further action. In response, senior leaders have confirmed that they will re-refer the concern and commission an independent investigation.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of supporting children’s behaviour because they attend regular training sessions and apply their learning. If a child is at risk of serious harm, then staff will hold them. These interventions are for a minimal amount of time and, in the main, managed well. Opportunities for staff and children to reflect and learn from these incidents do take place. However, records do not consistently reflect the discussion held or strategies agreed to prevent reoccurrence.

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improvement to be good

The quality and content of risk assessments vary. Generic lone-working risk assessments are in place and contain basic information. These assessments do not comprehensively consider the potential risks to staff who work on their own with one child at weekends. In comparison, risk assessments for staff who work at night are of a good quality and seek to safeguard the children and staff.

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improvement to be good

Children are looked after by adults who have been assessed as safe. Safer recruitment practices are robust.

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improvement to be good

The environment that residential children live in is kept safe. Environmental checks are completed regularly, including appliance safety checks. Children spoken to say they regularly take part in fire evacuations, which is confirmed in records.

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good

So far, weaknesses found at this inspection have not had a detrimental impact on the quality of care and experiences of children but have the potential to do so if prompt action is not taken to address them. In response, senior leaders and managers agreed to take immediate and robust action to improve the oversight and management of all safeguarding concerns, the quality and content of records, and the effectiveness of internal and external monitoring. Inspection report for residential special school - North Hill House 4 Internal and external monitoring takes place frequently. Despite this, weaknesses found at this inspection relating to records had not been identified previously. Independent monitoring lacks analysis and evaluation, and internal monitoring has not challenged the use of institutionalised language in children’s records. In addition, school improvement partner visits focus primarily on the education provision, and

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good

opportunities to drive improvement in the residential provision are missed.

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good

Staff confirm they receive regular supervision and attend team meetings, and say that the training opportunities are informative and insightful. Despite this, records relating to supervisions and team meetings do not reflect the discussions held or the actions taken to provide children with improved experiences.

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good

Since the last inspection, organisational changes have taken place. Leaders and managers have embraced these changes and are motivated and determined to improve weaknesses found at this inspection. Morning and after-school handovers have recently been introduced. These meetings keep all departments abreast of any issues or concerns a child may be experiencing and support improved cohesive working for the best outcomes for children. Inspection report for residential special school - North Hill House 5

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special schools

The school does not meet the following national minimum standards for residential special schools:

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special schools

 The school ensures that: arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children at the school; and such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. (NMS 11.1)  All children and staff are given an opportunity to discuss with a relevant adult (who was not directly involved), within 24 hours, incidents of restraint, including reasonable force, they have been involved in, witnessed, or been affected by. (NMS 12.5)  The records specified in Appendix 2 are maintained and monitored by the school and action taken as appropriate. (NMS 13.8)

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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 - North Hill House 6

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC033014

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: James Lynch

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

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Residential special school details

Email address: JamesLynch@AsprisCS.co.uk

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Inspectors

Sharron Escott, Social Care Inspector (lead) Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential special school - North Hill 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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