Woodeaton Manor School

Inspection report for residential special school – Woodeaton Manor School 1 Woodeaton Manor School Woodeaton, Oxfordshire OX3 9TS Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

Woodeaton Manor School is a special day and residential school for 86 day pupils. The majority of children have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. There are 10 residential placements, which are available for four days a week during term time. Seventeen different children attend the provision once a week, with seven regularly staying overnight. The residential experience aims to extend children’s social networks, develop their independence, and give them the opportunity to try new experiences.

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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: 12 October 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for residential special school – Woodeaton Manor School 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children staying in residence benefit from a variety of opportunities for social and emotional development. Carefully planned activities help them to get the most from their evening and to learn important life skills. A consistent staff team supports children. Staff know children well and understand their needs. Children enjoy a variety of activities, such as games nights, sports, meals out and trips to the cinema. Children learn how to make and keep friendships and how to manage social situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff link closely with education colleagues to understand how children are doing. This exchange of information helps staff to develop clear plans for children with purposeful targets set. Staff regularly review children’s progress, adjusting targets as needed. As a result, residence is a meaningful opportunity for children, helping them to grow and develop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children understand who they can talk to and seek help from. Children participate in developing activity plans at the start of each half term. This includes planning for larger activities which help children learn how to save money. However, activities are not reviewed with children to understand their views after they have done them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and professionals speak positively about the provision. They value the opportunities it provides for children to develop relationships and to achieve new skills.

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

Staff support children to be safe while in residence. Leaders and managers ensure that supervision levels allow staff to carefully manage relationships between children. This means they can address any issues that might arise. Because staff know children well, they are able to intervene and defuse potentially tricky situations. Residence arrangements can be flexible to children’s needs. For example, if a child is struggling, they might just attend for an evening rather than overnight.

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

Staff know and understand children’s needs and social history. This means that they understand the context of risk for individual children. Safeguarding leads at the school recognise the vulnerability of the children. As a result, children receive the help they need to understand how to be safe. For example, in residence, children talk about online safety.

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

Restraint has been used to prevent harm and to keep children safe. There have been no incidents of restraint in residence this academic year. The head of care ensures that clear behaviour plans are in place, which help staff to support children. Staff focus on their de-escalation strategies to provide support. Inspection report for residential special school – Woodeaton Manor School 3 Staff responsible for health and safety in the school have effective systems to ensure that routine checks are completed. Staff are recruited following safer recruitment guidelines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers promote a culture of learning and development. They are ambitious for the children and the school. Leaders and managers understand the areas for growth and development of the residential service. This results in the introduction of carefully considered changes in a planned way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new head of care has been in post since the last inspection. They have been instrumental in developing the residential experience for children. This includes identifying the need for a dedicated staff team. The residence team works closely as a group, and all are in the process of completing the qualification required for the role. Staff enjoy working in residence. They value the opportunity to be part of developing the service and making a difference to children. Effective use of team meetings and supervision ensures that a focus remains on what is needed to drive the service forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers seek input from outside of the school to identify further opportunities for learning. The governing body maintains robust oversight of the provision. Leaders have appointed a new independent visitor to undertake regular visits to the provision. The head of care takes on board feedback and uses this to make improvements. Inspection report for residential special school – Woodeaton Manor School 4

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Point for improvement

 School leaders should ensure that they continue to explore different ways of seeking feedback from children to understand their views of time in residence.

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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 – Woodeaton Manor School 5

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC013056

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Simon Bishop

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

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Residential special school details

Email address: head.7002@woodeaton.oxon.sch.uk

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Inspector

Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential special school – Woodeaton Manor School 6 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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