Queensmead House School

Queensmead House School Kings Road, Windsor SL4 2AX

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Inspection dates 11 and 12 December 2024

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Part 6. Provision of information Paragraphs 7, 7(a), 7(b) and 32(1)(c)  The school’s safeguarding policy takes account of the most recent government guidance and is available on the school’s website. The policy includes detailed information about how to raise concerns about pupils. Leaders have a strong understanding of all pupils’ vulnerabilities and follow up any concerns swiftly. This ensures that pupils are kept as safe as possible.  The safeguarding policy also details the whistle-blowing procedures and how staff can report concerns about adults. Staff are confident to raise any concerns and do so if needed. The school takes reports of concerns about staff, however small, seriously. The school seeks guidance from the local authority designated officer when needed. It also takes advice from the Witherslack Group’s human resources specialists to further

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Main inspection findings

enhance their response to any safeguarding concerns. This enables the school to respond swiftly and appropriately to the concerns to keep pupils safe in school.  The proprietor has completed the necessary checks to ensure that adults at the school are suitable to work with children. The school has a single central record. It records all of the required pre-employment checks accurately.  The school has recently appointed a high proportion of new staff. The school’s recruitment procedures are robust and follow the relevant safeguarding guidance.  These independent school standards (the standards) are met. Paragraph 9, 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c)  Overall, the school manages pupils’ behaviour well. A relatively high number of new staff joined the school in September 2024. All received suitable induction training and support to help them understand pupils’ needs and vulnerabilities and how to help them. Nevertheless, due to the complex needs of the pupils, it has taken time for new

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Main inspection findings

staff to build relationships with the pupils over the autumn term and to precisely understand how to best manage their behaviour. While this has led to some minor inconsistencies in how behaviour is managed, there are no concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare.  Specific positive handling training is provided for all staff. Staff use their restrictive physical intervention training effectively. This ensures that it is it carried out in line with school policy. Any restrictive physical intervention is recorded in detail, in accordance with the school’s policy. The school ensures that all incidents are followed up with staff and the pupils involved. This information is then used to inform pupils’ risk assessments, including triggers and further de-escalation strategies, to help mitigate any future behaviour incidents. The school works with the therapy teams and staff to ensure that they receive any additional help they need to improve pupils’

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Main inspection findings

behaviour and how it is managed. This is successfully helping to reduce the number of restrictive physical interventions.  Behaviour at lunchtimes is particularly calm. Pupils appreciate and thoroughly enjoy the time they have to socialise and eat together. Pupils understand and follow the expectations during lunchtimes. Interactions between staff and pupils are very positive.  These standards are met. Paragraph 10  The school has a detailed anti-bullying policy which is implemented effectively. Pupils report that they have no concerns about bullying or how it is managed. Records are maintained appropriately.  This standard is met. Paragraph 14  The school ensures that there is appropriate supervision in place throughout the day. The school has a clear oversight of the supervision needs of pupils. There were no concerns about supervision during the inspection and no concerns about pupils’ welfare and safety.

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Main inspection findings

 This standard is met. Paragraph 15  The school has an admissions register that is maintained accurately. The proprietor ensures that the admission and attendance register is maintained in accordance with the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024. The school ensures that any requests for places are reviewed in exceptional detail prior to places being agreed. The reviews include both the clinical and leadership teams from the school. This ensures that the school has the support for pupils in place prior to them starting. Regular reviews are carried out of all pupils. The school works intensively to provide additional support and intervention to help pupils who find it difficult to settle.  The school uses part-time timetables and alternative provision appropriately to support pupils who need high levels of support to access education. There is a strong oversight of the safety and well-being of pupils when these arrangements are in

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Main inspection findings

place.  The school manages attendance well with detailed follow-up of pupils not in school.  This standard is met. Paragraph 16, 16(a) and 16(b)  The school has ensured that risk assessments are completed and reviewed in line with the school’s policy. Pupils’ risk assessments are comprehensive and cover every aspect of their needs. Regular reviews ensure that the risk assessments reflect the pupils’ most up-to-date needs and support requirements. Staff use the risk assessments well to help them understand how to support pupils.  These standards are met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 7. Manner in which complaints are handled Paragraph 33, 33(a), 33(b), 33(c), 33(d), 33(e), 33(f), 33(g), 33(h), 33(i), 33(i)(i), 33(i)(ii), 33(j), 33(j)(i), 33(j)(ii) and 33(k)  The school has adopted the Witherslack Group complaints policy. This policy is in writing. Parents and carers can access it via the school’s website. The policy details how complaints can be made on a formal and informal basis, including the timescales for the management of these complaints. The school keeps a log of all complaints that have been made to the school.  However, at the time of this emergency inspection, the proprietor had failed to put in place a sufficient level of independence when complaints reach the final stage of investigation. The independent school standards require formal complaints at stage 3 to be considered by a panel, one member of which should be independent of the leadership and management of the school. Inspectors found that the Witherslack

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Main inspection findings

Group’s complaints policy did not include this requirement. This meant that if a complaints panel was ever convened at stage 3, the complaint may not have been considered by anyone impartial to the leadership of the school.  Prior to the publication of this report, the Witherslack Group updated its complaints policy. The school has adopted it. It now ensures that, where there is a panel hearing of a complaint, one panel member is independent of the management and running of the school.  The standards in this part are met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c)  As a result of this emergency inspection, the proprietor made adjustments to the school’s complaints policy as it was non-compliant with the standards. The complaints policy is now compliant with the standards. The school has ensured that complaints have been investigated appropriately and the previous issue with the policy did not prevent any complaints from being resolved satisfactorily.  There is a strong focus on pupils’ welfare and safety. The school has focused on ensuring that pupils receive high-quality support, care and education. They have taken action to address some staffing issues to improve the provision for the pupils.  The majority of staff are positive about the support they receive from leaders. They welcome leaders’ openness and the daily ‘drop-in’ sessions to enable them to share

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Main inspection findings

any concerns or to seek support. They speak particularly highly about the training they receive to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. However, a minority of staff do not feel well supported and are dissatisfied with the recent changes in the school. That said, there is a shared commitment from all staff to work together in the best interests of the pupils.  The majority of parents now speak positively about the school and the support their children receive. However, due to the recent changes, some parents are unclear about what their children are learning and are concerned about a lack of communication. The school is aware of this and is working to share more information with parents as the year progresses.  The standards in this part are met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection, as set out in the annex of this report. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Email address Queensmead-House@witherslackgroup.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous standard inspection 14 to 16 May 2024

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Information about this school

 Queensmead House School is part of Witherslack Group, which runs special schools and residential care across the UK.  The headteacher joined the school in April 2024.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan. The school admits pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, learning difficulties and/or autism. Many pupils have spent significant lengths of time out of education.  The school is currently using one unregistered alternative provision.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place in May 2024.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) as a result of a number of concerns raised about the school and the Witherslack Group in general. This was one of a number of inspections carried out at the same time.  The inspection was conducted without notice.  Inspectors focused on the school’s safeguarding procedures and how pupils are kept safe, the implementation and effectiveness of the school’s behaviour policies, how complaints are managed and leadership and management.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding leader.  Inspectors spoke to groups of staff both formally and informally.  Inspectors met with representatives of the Witherslack Group, including the chief operating officer, the regional director and the operations director.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for school staff.  Inspectors took account of the views shared by pupils during informal discussions.

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Inspection team

Ann Pritchard, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Noeman Anwar His Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Parent View You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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