Kings Bournemouth

Inspection report for boarding school: Kings Bournemouth 1 Kings Bournemouth Kings Bournemouth 58 Braidley Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH2 6LD

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this boarding school

Kings Bournemouth is a coeducational independent day and boarding college in Dorset for students aged 14 to 19 years. They provide A levels, GCSEs and foundation courses, in an international environment. The school providers 48 boarding places at either the boarding house or with homestay families. At the time of inspection, 71 children were on the school roll. Currently, there are 40 students in the boarding provision.

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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 boarding school provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Date of last inspection: 9 October 2018 Inspection report for boarding school: Kings Bournemouth 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The school operates a robust admissions process. Students said that the information they were provided prior to and on arrival at the school helped them to settle. They said that they received a warm welcome. The school’s website provides a virtual tour of the school, which those who were not able to visit said they liked.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Students are very positive about their boarding experiences. They enjoy being able to make new friends from different countries and cultures. Students feel safe and have a range of people to go to if they are worried. Homestay students enjoy living with their host families. They appreciate the opportunity to stay in a quieter space and a family environment where they can make use of the home. They feel safe where they live and, as with the other students, do not identify any bullying or issues at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The school build and maintain positive relationships with their host families. This helps them to understand their specific skills and determine which students to place in which accommodation. Host families receive good information that guides them through the process of supporting a student in their home. The process of recruiting and introducing students to host families is safe and aims to help students settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Students with additional needs receive good support from the school’s welfare team. Students are well supported by an accessible and knowledgeable team. Students are supported to develop their independence skills and learn about keeping themselves safe. This is achieved primarily through personal, social, health and economic education, and in collaboration with the welfare and boarding team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Students register with the local general practitioner, and staff support students in accessing health services. Improvements are required in medication records, and the systems for checking that medication has been handed in on arrival. Currently, there are three separate recording systems for the administration of medication. This does not enable effective identification of missed medication and monitoring. Currently, for students under the age of 15, staff administer their medication. From 15 years to 18 years, students are supported to administer their own medication if they are assessed as being competent to do so and with parental permission. One student under 15 years old was found to have medication on a shelf in their room during the tour of the boarding house. This should have been handed in. Leaders and managers were responsive when this was raised, and they took appropriate action.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The food provided is excellent. Students said that there is always a good range and choice of dishes, with ample amounts for second helpings. Catering staff know the students well, and adjust the menus to meet their dietary and cultural needs. Inspection report for boarding school: Kings Bournemouth 3 The school understand their responsibilities in relation to private fostering and ensure that they notify the local authority of any arrangements.

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

Safeguarding concerns are understood and well managed. Detailed records of incidents demonstrate that staff employ professional curiosity to support student’s welfare. Effective links with the police to address concerns around radicalisation are established. Staff understand and identify the risks posed to children in boarding and help them to understand ways to increase their safety. Staff keep students’ guardians and agents up to date with concerns, as relevant.

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

Staff follow guidance if children fail to return before their curfews, including reporting them to the police as missing. Staff use their strong relationships with children to encourage them to share their location and return home. Leaders ensure that there are clear curfews in place, and review processes to ensure that host families understand what precautions need to be in place before a student is allowed to stay out overnight.

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

Systems are in place to ensure that the responsible governor has oversight of safeguarding within the school. The governor has appropriate training for the role and keeps up to date with current knowledge. The governor runs supportive forums for designated safeguarding leads and their deputies to develop their professional knowledge.

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

Behaviour is managed well using a positive approach. The school is supportive and looks at the reasons behind the behaviour to help students to learn from events, develop their understanding of themselves, and learn strategies to manage their emotions.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed. Appropriate checks are completed for overseas candidates. Staff conduct concerns are clearly identified and addressed without delay, with timely investigations and clear actions taken.

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

Fire safety requires improvement. The fire risk assessment, dated 28 January 2022, raised four action points, but only two have been addressed. The other two had not been addressed and related to fire doors in the boarding house. This worrying shortfall was addressed during the inspection. However, leaders and managers must ensure that improvements to fire safety are undertaken as soon as possible. Fire drills are taking place, but records of drills do not contain the name of the students and adults taking part, so it is not possible to track if all have taken part in a drill. Students who need additional support when the fire alarm sounds have personal evacuation plans and, where needed, additional fire safety equipment, such as vibrating pillows for students with a hearing impairment. Inspection report for boarding school: Kings Bournemouth 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the previous inspection, there is a new leadership and management team at the school. They have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. This is reflected in the school development plan. Leaders and managers have a clear vision for the future of the school. They are ambitious for the students. It is a very inclusive environment, catering for over 35 nationalities., Staffing levels in boarding are sufficient. They do not use volunteers or agency staff. Through the appraisal process, staff are supported to reflect on their practice and set goals for the future. Supervision sessions are not yet consistently recorded in order to show the ongoing support and opportunities for reflection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from students on the boarding and homestay provisions is actively sought. There is an active and effective student council in place. Members of the council feel valued and listened to. They were able to provide a significant number of examples where they have had a positive impact on the boarding provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are very positive about the school. The private fostering team said that there is excellent communication with them, and flexibility from the school to ensure that children’s needs are met. They highlighted the staff’s good understanding of students’ mental health needs. Inspection report for boarding school: Kings Bournemouth 5

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Recommendations

 School leaders should ensure that actions raised in the fire risk assessment are addressed without delay and records of fire drill contain the names of students and staff involved.  School leaders should ensure that all medication is stored safely and securely, and accurate records are kept of its administration.

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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 boarding school: Kings Bournemouth 6

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Boarding school details

Social care unique reference number: 1233894

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Boarding school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Andrew Roper

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Boarding school details

Email address: andrew.roper@kingseducation.com

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector (lead) Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for boarding school: Kings Bournemouth 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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