Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kedleston (High Peak School) Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 1 SC484134 Registered provider: Kedleston (High Peak School) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation. It is registered to care for up to four children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. All four children were seen and spoken to by the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 29 November 2022

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2022 Full Good 03/02/2022 Full Good 03/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 04/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 3

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outstanding

Children living in this home make excellent progress due to the consistently high standards of care provided by a highly skilled team.

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outstanding

Children are making remarkable progress in their education from their starting points. Children who have routinely not attended school or were disengaged from education before moving into the home now attend full time and are achieving their targets. This means children’s educational and career prospects for the future have significantly improved.

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outstanding

The staff ensure that there is a wide range of informal learning opportunities provided to the children. As a result, the children have learned about religion, faith, beliefs, pride, LGBTQ+ and anti-bullying. They have actively supported their local community by litter-picking, which gave them a huge sense of pride and investment in the area where they live.

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outstanding

Children’s complex and challenging needs are understood and managed well by the managers and staff. Children receive exceptional, individualised care that gives them high levels of emotional support and a sense of belonging. The relationships that managers and staff develop with the children enable them to make significant and sustained progress. This alters children’s life chances and outcomes for the better.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged to pursue their hobbies and interests, and they attend a variety of different activities in the local community, including swimming, Army Cadets and parkour. Staff are not risk-adverse, and following risk assessments, they allow the children to have time away from the home. This further enhances children’s experiences and develops their independence skills.

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outstanding

Children’s health needs are a priority in this home. As a result, staff proactively encourage and support the children to attend all routine health appointments. Staff worked closely alongside one child’s mental health practitioner when they identified a concern with the child’s prescribed medication. This ensured that the child received a different medication to better support their emotional regulation. This change in medication has had a significant and positive impact on the child’s life.

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outstanding

The managers and staff encourage the children to spend time with people who are important to them. The manager and staff have excellent relationships with family members and past foster carers. This supports children to maintain their sense of identity. A staff member helped a parent to decorate their child’s bedroom at home in time for Christmas, so they could have their first sleepover in a number of years. As a result, the parent’s and child’s relationship has significantly flourished. Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 4 The manager and staff have high aspirations for the children. They actively model positive behaviours and attitudes and challenge negative behaviours effectively, using a therapeutic approach. Positive feedback was received from a social worker who said, ‘[Name of child]’s intensive level of care needs are met. They love it at [name of the home]; they are really happy and settled there.’

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outstanding

Managers and staff have a comprehensive understanding of the children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Robust risk assessments, behaviour management plans and strategies are in place to guide staff to manage behaviours effectively and support the children. Children are protected from harm due to the positive and exceptional changes they achieve with input from the staff team. This means that children’s risk- taking behaviours are reduced.

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outstanding

The children’s individual needs are identified early, before moving into the home. This supports the manager to assess risk effectively and make plans to meet the child’s needs successfully, alongside the needs of the children already living in the home. The needs of the children are kept under regular review, and plans are revised as and when necessary to ensure that they are up to date and remain relevant.

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outstanding

Relationships between staff and children are strong and are based on mutual respect. They provide a solid foundation for the children to thrive. Due to the nature of the relationships, staff are able to manage children’s feelings effectively, including those that may result in conflict. This means children learn to identify and manage their feelings in a more acceptable way.

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outstanding

Staff implement clear boundaries, routine and structure that create a space for the children to feel emotionally safe. One parent said, ‘[Name of child] can have angry moments and they can be intense, but they are nowhere near what they were. They are obviously learning how to regulate themselves, and a lot is to do with the way staff manage them.’

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outstanding

Children do not go missing from home. Children are happy and safe in the home and enjoy spending time with the manager and staff. On a few occasions, staff have had to hold a child to keep them safe. When this has occurred, staff have acted swiftly and in line with policy and procedures to ensure the child’s safety. The manager deemed the holds to be necessary and proportionate to ensure everyone’s safety. As a consequence, the emergency services have not been required to support the staff in managing the children’s behaviour. Physical intervention has significantly reduced for all the children since moving to the home.

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outstanding

The recruitment of staff is thorough and ensures that all necessary background checks have been conducted. This means that the adults caring for the children are safe to do so. Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 5 The home offers lots of space inside and out. It is clean, tidy, and homely. The home is free from hazards and benefits from strong health and safety procedures to protect children from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is inspirational, confident, ambitious and strongly advocates for the children in her care. She leads an enthusiastic, highly motivated and committed staff team. Children are extremely fond of her, and this is reciprocated. The manager is suitably qualified and demonstrates excellent leadership of the home and commitment to meeting the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team and staff are collectively committed to achieving the best outcomes for the children and ensuring that they receive a model of care that meets their individual needs. The manager recognises the importance of the staff’s need to feel valued, trusted and listened to. She ensures that their good practice is recognised. This means that staff are happy in their roles, which helps them to provide exceptional care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Relationships with partner agencies are used effectively, promoting a team-around- the-child approach. Two professionals working alongside the staff team said, ‘We are very lucky to be able to come in and make a relationship with these fantastic children. The children are a real credit to the staff; boundaries are in place, and they are able to express themselves. It’s one of the highlights of my job coming to [name of the home].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff benefit from high-quality supervision and training, which promotes staff development and improves the care provided to the children. Staff receive an annual review of their performance. This incorporates self-reflection of their practice, which helps staff to develop resilience and work positively with children, regardless of how challenging the situation or circumstances are.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a strong managerial presence in the home. Children and staff benefit from this supportive oversight on a day-to-day basis. The management team has an in- depth understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the home. They make effective use of internal and external monitoring to make sure that high standards of care practice are maintained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The deputy manager analyses data received from the users of the service, alongside data received from the strong monitoring and review processes that take place in the home. This further enhances the development of the service and allows the management team to address any shortfalls in a timely manner and to further embed exceptional practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from the children, professionals, parents and carers indicates that the manager consistently has the children’s needs and safety at the forefront of her Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 6 decision-making and practice. The management team, staff and children can clearly demonstrate the positive impact that living in the home has had on enhancing the children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The four recommendations raised at the last inspection have been met. No recommendations or requirements were raised at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 7

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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 Care Standards Act 2000 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 Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kedleston (High Peak School) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 7 Brook Business Centre, Cowley Mill Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 2FX

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Inspector

Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC484134 9 regulates and inspects 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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