Newbury Manor School

Inspection report for residential special school - Newbury Manor School 1 Newbury Manor School Newbury, Near Mells, Frome, Somerset BA11 3RG Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

Newbury Manor School is an independent co-educational, residential and day special school for children who have autism spectrum disorders and often have additional complex needs. The school is part of Aspris Children’s Services.

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Information about this residential special school

At the time of the inspection, there were 45 children on roll. The residential provision can accommodate up to a maximum of six children at one time. At the time of inspection, five children were using the residential provision.

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Information about this residential special school

The residential provision moved off the school site on 6 March 2023.

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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 last inspection: 2 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good Inspection report for residential special school - Newbury Manor School 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in residence are making good progress against their goals and in line with their individual needs. This includes progress in improved communication, independence skills and management of personal care, cooperative play and eating a wider range of foods. Staff celebrate children’s achievements, often rewarding them with ‘superstar awards’ and certificates. Parents told the inspector how pleased they are with the progress their child is making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of children’s plans has improved. They are reviewed and updated to ensure staff have current guidance on how to meet the child’s known and emerging needs. Children’s targets are detailed and broken down into achievable steps. This enables the staff to evidence the progress being made, identify what strategies are effective and what further help may be needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled at supporting children to manage change. This includes children moving on to the next phase of their lives, moving into the residential provision or moving to the new off-site residential house. These moves have been well planned and taken at a pace to suit the child, thereby ensuring success.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from being cared for by a consistent staff team who they have developed strong and effective relationships with. Staff demonstrate genuine care, affection for and pride in the children. Their ethos of ‘connect before correct’ is embedded into practice and builds on the strong relational foundations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled at communicating with children who have additional communication needs. They use their skills to meaningfully consult and involve children in decisions about their lives. Children’s views help to shape the residential provision. A good example of this is their input into the new off-site house. Children have been involved in choosing the decor of the house, in particular their bedrooms. For one child, this has meant he has looked after his room better than before, as he feels it is his and he is invested in it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The residential accommodation is of a good standard. The new house provides children with a comfortable, welcoming home with ample communal space. One parent said their child sees it as their second home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively with children who have self-restricting diets to get them to expand the range of foods they will eat. Children sit and eat together and meals are a social event. For some children, this has been a big development step, as in the previous residential accommodation on the school site they were unable to do this and would eat in a separate dining room. Inspection report for residential special school - Newbury Manor School 3 Children take part in a good range of activities. Staff acknowledge that the move to a local town increases children’s opportunities to take part in the local community activities.

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

Children are kept safe at the residential provision, as staff understand their responsibilities to protect children and carry out these duties effectively. The designated safeguarding team is appropriately trained, including having had specific training on safeguarding children with disabilities. Leaders and managers have implemented the learning from a recent national review into their practice.

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

Behaviour is well managed. There have been no restraints since the previous inspection. Staff understand that behaviour is a form of communication and look to see what is behind the behaviour and what the child is communicating. Children are developing an understanding of their behaviours and emotions.

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

An audio monitor is used for one child at specific times. The rationale for its use is not clear in the child’s plans.

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

Children live in a safe environment. However, the fire risk assessment for the new house has not been updated to reflect the needs of the children who are living there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The service benefits from having a strong leadership team which is ambitious for the future of the service, with a clear vision and plans for continuous development. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the service and use the learning from their monitoring and audits effectively in order to improve the provision and enhance children’s outcomes. The residential provision is valued as an important part of the school.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported in their roles and say that morale is good. Staff receive very good-quality supervision and training, which aids in the development of their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular monitoring visits are carried out by an independent person. Reports of these visits are good quality and provide effective challenge to the leaders and managers, which helps them to develop the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication between care and education staff is good. This supports consistency of practice, which is key for the development of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from parents is very positive. One parent said, ‘The team are professional, caring and consistent, providing an excellent level of care for our son that has seen him making consistent progress in his educational day as a result. We cannot rate the team and new boarding facilities highly enough.’ Inspection report for residential special school - Newbury Manor School 4

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Points for improvement

 School leaders should ensure the rationale for use of any surveillance equipment, including listening monitors, is clearly stated in the child’s plans. In addition, the use of such surveillance equipment must be kept under review.  School leaders should ensure that the fire risk assessment for the new residence is reviewed and updated to reflect the recent changes, including the needs of the children who live there.

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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 - Newbury Manor School 5

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC033016

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Rebecca McArthur

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

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Residential special school details

Email address: rebeccamcarthur@aspriscs.co.uk

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector (lead) Inspection report for residential special school - Newbury 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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