The Marchant-Holliday School

Inspection report for residential special school - The Marchant-Holliday School 1 The Marchant-Holliday School The Marchant-Holliday School, North Cheriton, Templecombe, Somerset BA8 0AH Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

The school is an independent residential special school located in rural Somerset. The school is a registered charity that provides education and residential provision for boys aged between five and 13 years who experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this residential special school

At the time of this inspection, the number of pupils on roll at the school was 49, and nine boys were resident. The school provides a weekly residential provision for up to 20 boys during term time. The residential provision forms part of the main school building.

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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: 28 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for residential special school - The Marchant-Holliday School 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality and consistent care from a team of staff who know them very well. Staff have built good relationships with children, which were observed throughout the inspection. Warm and nurturing interactions show how much the staff care for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. For example, they have grown in self-confidence, improved their communication skills, formed and maintained friendships, and are developing their independence skills. Children are supported effectively to be able to identify and manage their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy at the residential provision, which has a great atmosphere. They excitedly spoke about the wide range of activities they get to do, such as going to the cinema, lots of different sports and learning to swim. Staff provide good opportunities for children to take part in expressive and imaginative play, creating their own stories and acting these out. At the time of the inspection, children were looking forward to a pantomime group coming to the school to perform just for them. Children really like the staff who look after them. They said they are great fun. Children also spoke warmly about the friends they have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans provide guidance for staff on how to care for the child, but these would be enhanced with further detail, such as how the child likes to be settled at night. Also records and plans are currently written in the first-person narrative without it being evident evidence that the child has participated in writing them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Meals provided for the children are of a good quality and range. The time of the evening meal has changed and now allows these meals to be a very relaxed and sociable occasion. Children are involved in cooking the evening meal twice a week. This enhances their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consultation with the children is a strength of the school. Children are asked for their views and ideas on all aspects of residential life and there is clear evidence of these being listened to and actioned by staff. Staff understand the importance of consulting with children to support their development, especially around self-expression.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare needs are well met. Medication is appropriately stored and managed. Children benefit from having specialist therapists on site, who work collaboratively with staff to achieve the best outcomes for the children. The creation of a new family support worker post means the family support provision can be extended.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a welcoming, comfortable, well-furnished and personalised environment. Inspection report for residential special school - The Marchant-Holliday School 3

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

Safeguarding arrangements are robust. Staff are not risk averse and assess and manage risk effectively. Safeguarding incidents are appropriately managed and supported by clear comprehensive records. Leaders and managers monitor safeguarding incidents effectively, including low-level concerns, to identify patterns and trends and take early intervention.

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

Staff have received appropriate training in safeguarding. They demonstrate a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in this area. Children said they feel safe at the school and listed lots of staff across the school site who they would go and talk to if they feel worried or upset.

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

Behaviour is well managed. Due to staff’s knowledge of the children they care for, they manage children’s behaviour effectively. Restraint is used rarely and only as a last resort to keep children or others safe. Records of behavioural incidents are comprehensive and provide a clear picture of the event and the support provided to the child. These incidents are also monitored for patterns and trends by leaders and managers.

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

Positive behaviour is encouraged. Children really like the reward token system and that they can choose how to spend their tokens, or they can save these for bigger items in the token shop. Children said they are asked for ideas of what they would like in the token shop.

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

Recruitment systems can be improved. Currently, when employment references are verified, the referee is not asked follow-up questions about the applicant’s suitability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes in the leadership and management at the school. This has been well managed to ensure a smooth transition. Staff are very positive about the new senior leadership team. Leaders and managers have a clear and realistic view of the school, including its strengths and areas for development. Leaders, managers and staff are ambitious for the children and for themselves as a staff team. Staff have confidence in leaders and managers and share their vision for the further development of the service. Staff are very positive about the training and support they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Visits by the independent visitor regularly take place and their reports aid the development of the residential provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The chair of governors and safeguarding governor took part in this inspection. They have an accurate and realistic view of the provision. Inspection report for residential special school - The Marchant-Holliday School 4 A social worker met during this inspection was positive about the quality of care and the progress their child has made since accessing the residential provision. Inspection report for residential special school - The Marchant-Holliday School 5

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Points for improvement

 School leaders should ensure that telephone verification of references for new staff include confirmation of the applicant’s suitability.  School leaders should ensure that the guidance provided for staff in children’s plans is increased and that children’s plans are not written in the first-person narrative unless they are written by the child.

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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 - The Marchant-Holliday School 6

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC033089

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Sarah Sellick

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

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Residential special school details

Email address: office@marchant-holliday.co.uk

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential special school - The Marchant-Holliday School 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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Inspector

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