Bure Park Specialist Academy

Inspection report for residential special school - Bure Park Specialist Academy 1 Bure Park Specialist Academy Beresford Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 4AB Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this residential special school

Bure Park Specialist Academy caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school is a day and residential special school located in a residential area of Great Yarmouth.

p.1

Information about this residential special school

There are 45 pupils on roll, 15 of whom board for up to four nights a week. The residential provision comprises three purpose-built houses situated in the school grounds.

p.1

Information about this residential special school

The head of care has been in post since April 2021 and has a relevant qualification.

p.1

Information about this residential special school

This is the first inspection of the residential provision. The inspector only inspected the social care provision at this school.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The residential special school provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of previous inspection: Not applicable

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report for residential special school - Bure Park Specialist Academy 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The residential provision opened in September 2021. Children greatly enjoy and benefit from boarding at the school. They are supported by enthusiastic and highly motivated residential staff who understand their individual needs. The care and support that children receive results in them making progress with their social skills and behaviour and adds significant value to the children’s experience at school.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The skilled staff team forges strong relationships with the children. Staff apply consistent boundaries which are understood by the children. Interactions between children and staff are filled with high positive regard and warmth and based on mutual respect. Consequently, the children develop the sense of security and stability that they need to thrive.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities that enhance their experiences and meet their interests. These include swimming, trips to the cinema, attending football matches and taking part in exciting residential camps. The staff provide stimulating and interesting evening activities that encourage children’s learning and development and improve their well-being.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-planned therapeutic interventions help children to overcome previous barriers to educational and social achievement, and help them understand their past experiences. There is a range of bespoke resources in designated areas that the children can use. Staff recognise and praise children for their achievements. An innovative reward scheme celebrates children’s accomplishments, inspires children and increases their self-esteem and emotional resilience.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The accommodation is spacious, modern and well appointed. Children speak positively about their individual spaces and some children bring their pets and personalise their rooms. This promotes family values and supports children’s comfort and sense of responsibility.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from families is unanimously positive. Parents report good communication with the residential staff. They value the provision and feel that the staff know their children well.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are effective communication links between the residential staff and the day school staff. Consequently, children’s residential targets are seamlessly mapped to their education, health and care plans. There are notable improvements from children’s starting points in relation to their school attendance and academic engagement.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A wider development of programmes that support children’s life skills and independence is not yet clearly defined or monitored. Leaders and managers have plans in place to address this. Inspection report for residential special school - Bure Park Specialist Academy 3

p.2

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

Children’s welfare is given a high priority and safeguarding systems are implemented effectively. Concerns are shared appropriately with external agencies and parents. The designated safeguarding leads, residential staff and the senior leadership team meet regularly to discuss and monitor concerns.

p.3

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

Staff have a good understanding of risks to children and their individual needs. Staff are clear about the process of raising safeguarding concerns and know when to do so. The staff work with children to help them understand different risks and support them to understand how to stay safe.

p.3

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

Children feel secure and relaxed in the residential areas. The dynamics between children are largely positive. On occasions, when there are disagreements or relatively low-level conflict between children, these are well managed. The staff support children to overcome conflicts in ways that help them to consider each other’s feelings.

p.3

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

Leaders and managers ensure that recruitment and selection procedures for staff are strong. Managers keep good, clear records to demonstrate this. Appropriate checks are in place that link with considered interview processes that adopt value-based principles. This reduces the potential for unsuitable people to gain employment at the school. It also ensures that only the most suitable candidates who match children’s spirits and personalities are appointed.

p.3

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

The behaviour of children in the residential provision is good. Staff respond to children in calm and nurturing ways in line with their individual needs. Clear risk management plans are followed consistently by staff, which helps to minimise risk. Activity risk assessments are detailed and consider children’s ages, understanding and abilities. This ensures that all children can have new experiences which are safe and positive.

p.3

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

Leaders and managers monitor the use of physical intervention closely. They review, with the children, the records of incidents. The use of physical intervention is infrequent, proportionate and always as a last resort. Managers identify patterns and trends, which are regularly reviewed to identify specific triggers. However, records of staff debriefs do not give an accurate detail of the depth of discussions held. Lack of clear records hinders effective monitoring.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The headteacher and the experienced and qualified head of care are inspirational and determined in promoting positive experiences for children, both in school and in the residential provision. Professionals, parents and staff all speak highly of them. Inspection report for residential special school - Bure Park Specialist Academy 4 The wider collective of senior leadership team members has a comprehensive understanding of the children. This creates a constructive child-focused culture that promotes children’s best interests and achievements.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team has a strong emphasis on the well-being of staff. Staff feel well supported by managers. Staff benefit from regular and effective supervisions. Records of these demonstrate good discussion and reflection.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The head of care organises staff training and induction well to ensure that staff are fully equipped for their roles. An ongoing programme of professional development is in place for staff. This includes good-quality training which enhances staff’s skills to meet the individual needs of children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have high expectations for staff and children. Managers continue to reflect on and evaluate the residential model and are increasingly ambitious about what it can achieve. A clear development plan is in place to continue measured growth in the provision based on strengths and clear objectives.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring arrangements have not been effective. Some monitoring visits have not provided appropriate levels of scrutiny, and children’s and families’ views have not been gained or considered. Overall, this aspect of monitoring does not make a sufficient contribution to practice developments. Inspection report for residential special school - Bure Park Specialist Academy 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the development and monitoring of children’s life skills, independence and progress continue at an appropriate pace.  The registered person should consider improving the systems and recording of staff debriefs following physical interventions.  The registered person should ensure that external monitoring visits are effective, meet all aspects of national minimum standard 20.2 and contribute to improvements.

p.5

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 - Bure Park Specialist Academy 6

p.5

Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: 2644536

p.6

Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

p.6

Residential special school details

Email address: office@bureparkacademy.co.uk

p.6

Inspector

Mark Anderton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential special school - Bure Park Specialist Academy 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7