Stone Bay School

Inspection report for residential special school - Stone Bay School 1 Stone Bay School Stone Bay Special School, 70 Stone Road, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 1EB Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this residential special school

This school is maintained by a local authority. The school offers day and residential provision for children aged between four and 19 years who have been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder and have severe and complex learning needs.

p.1

Information about this residential special school

There are currently 112 children on the school roll, of whom 11 access the weekly boarding residential provision.

p.1

Information about this residential special school

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The residential special school provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of previous inspection: 27 September 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding Inspection report for residential special school - Stone Bay School 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. They are cared for by staff who are very passionate about supporting children to be as independent as they can and who are very nurturing in their approach. One child has continued to develop more verbal communication, having previously had none. Other children are enjoying a wider range of activities than they have been able to in the past, including in the community.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have warm and trusting relationships with staff. These relationships are the foundation for the progress that children are making. Staff are skilled in understanding their individual, and sometimes nuanced, methods of communication. This enables children’s voices to be heard, and their views and needs to be known. As a result, children improve their ability to communicate.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are guided to deliver good-quality care by plans that are clear, up to date and shared across settings. Leaders have ensured that these processes are more streamlined and effective since the last inspection.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are managed sensitively by staff, who support children to successfully access the health services that they need. Some of the children who previously struggled with treatment have recently allowed their dentist to carry out important examinations. Staff are appropriately trained to support children with their medication; however, some medication was not appropriately labelled with the dates when it was opened.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals feel well informed and report good relationships with leaders. They have confidence in staff’s ability to care for children and keep them safe from harm. Parents speak passionately about the care and nurture that their children receive. They are clear about the progress that their children have made, with one parent stating that their son was ‘a different child’.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The accommodation for children has had some significant redecoration since the last inspection, and leaders have sought the views of children to support with this process. Children can personalise their own bedrooms, and there are plans to further enhance this by asking children to choose some of the colour schemes in their bedrooms. However, some areas are quite worn, and some furnishings need replacing. Managers have already developed plans for this work to be carried out.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children come to join the residential provision, this is carefully planned in partnership with families and social workers. Children are prepared appropriately, according to their individual needs. When children leave the provision, this is equally well managed, and staff work with children and their new setting to help make sure that the move is successful. Inspection report for residential special school - Stone Bay School 3

p.2

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

Staff have a good understanding of their duties to keep children safe, and of the safeguarding arrangements for the provision. However, policies do not currently identify the processes for safeguarding vulnerable adults. When concerns about children arise, they are reported promptly and leaders take effective action, working alongside families and children’s services to ensure that children get the support that they need to be safe.

p.3

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

Vulnerabilities for each child are well understood by staff, and these are reflected in up-to-date, well-written assessments and safety plans.

p.3

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

When children go missing from the provision, staff take appropriate action to ensure that children return safely. Leaders review these incidents to identify learning opportunities and develop practice to ensure that the risk of recurrence is reduced.

p.3

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

When children experience difficult emotions, staff use clear and nurturing language to help them to find ways to calm and understand these feelings. When incidents occur that require the use of physical restraint, this is used only for the shortest time needed to keep the child and others safe. Leaders have oversight of these incidents; however, they do not consistently record their review of them. In addition, records do not demonstrate that children are always offered the opportunity to discuss these incidents afterwards. There has been no clear, adverse impact on children and reports did not suggest that interventions had been inappropriate.

p.3

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

When children experience difficult feelings, staff are receptive to any changes in presentation and work with children, their families and other health professionals, such as mental health services, to ensure that children get support to maintain good emotional health.

p.3

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

There are no concerns regarding bullying in the provision, and staff support children to develop positive relationships and to share positive experiences with other children.

p.3

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

Recruitment processes are well managed and follow safer recruitment principles. This ensures that when staff come to work here, they are properly checked to ensure that they are suitable to work with children.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders are very passionate about children and their futures. They have worked to address the previous points for improvement, and embrace opportunities to improve through the effective use of monitoring from governors and external sources. They are ambitious in their approach and are focused on putting the needs of children at the centre of their future developments. Inspection report for residential special school - Stone Bay School 4 Staff feel supported by leaders and value the regular supervisions that they receive. They also benefit from regular appraisals that provide additional opportunities for them to reflect on their practice, discuss learning needs and access the support they need to be successful in their roles. The addition of regular training further helps them to feel confident in their practice.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders understand the progress that children make and speak proudly about their achievements. They also understand the impact of this progress and how this supports children to have potentially better prospects in the future.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have ensured that there is a culture of tolerance and respect in the provision. Children are supported to explore their identity in a sensitive and caring way. Inclusion is a primary focus for the provision, with all children and adults being supported to share positive experiences and to celebrate diversity.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are important to leaders. They ensure that they understand what matters to children and share this with the appropriate people, such as families, staff or the wider professional network, to ensure that children are heard. Staff’s insight into and understanding of children also enable them to be effective advocates for them, querying decisions or ensuring children’s medications are reviewed when necessary.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Governance arrangements are effective. While the governor with responsibility for the residential provision has recently left, a new lead has been identified. Governors understand their responsibilities and provide good scrutiny to leaders. They are curious and diligent in their roles, with a good understanding of the strengths and challenges for the school. Inspection report for residential special school - Stone Bay School 5

p.4

Points for improvement

 Leaders should ensure that records of physical intervention show how they have been assessed as being necessary and proportionate.  Leaders should ensure that children are always offered a chance to discuss incidents of restraint that they have been involved in.  Leaders should ensure medication is, where appropriate, clearly labelled with the date when it was opened.  Leaders should ensure that safeguarding policies identify arrangements for safeguarding vulnerable adults.

p.5

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 - Stone Bay School 6

p.5

Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC023693

p.6

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Jane Hatwell

Type of school: Residential special school

p.6

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Jane Hatwell

Email address: office@stone-bay.kent.sch.uk

p.6

Inspector

Jay Shekleton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential special school - Stone Bay 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 4234 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7