Children's home run by The Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 1 Registered provider: The Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children between five and 17 years. According to the home’s statement of purpose, specialist therapeutic care is provided to children who are deaf and have complex needs. Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. Both children spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 30 April 2025. The responsible individual intends to apply to Ofsted to be the registered manager. Another senior leader has been identified to fulfil the role of the responsible individual. At the time of this inspection, applications have not been submitted to Ofsted. However, leaders and managers were able to demonstrate that applications are in progress.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged to be requires improvement to be good at the full inspection in April 2025. In July 2025, serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children were identified at an assurance inspection. As a result, a compliance notice was issued to the provider under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. This monitoring visit was carried out to determine the progress that has been made towards addressing the actions set in the compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have taken action to meet the compliance notice. Some actions are ongoing or are in their infancy, so are yet to be robustly tested for efficacy. As a result, three of the four requirements that were raised at the last inspection have been restated. In addition, a recommendation has been added.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers are open to reflection, challenge and learning. Leaders explain that they are aiming for holistic and meaningful improvements to be made to the quality of care that is provided to children. As a result, external consultants have Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 2 been commissioned to support the home’s wider improvement journey. The management arrangements for the home have also been reviewed and adjusted. This has helped leaders and managers to increase their oversight and support children’s care needs.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home. The two children who have remained in the home say that they enjoy living there. They explain that they get on well with each other and the staff, although staff’s ability to use British Sign Language (BSL) varies.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders support staff to develop their communication skills. Staff are all working towards qualifications in BSL. Staff are also supported to consider the wider cultural issues that are experienced by the deaf community. As a result, staff are more able to appreciate some of the barriers that children may encounter in their lives and how these can be challenged and overcome.

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This monitoring visit

Staff say that they feel supported by leaders and managers and that there has been a positive shift in the morale of the team. Leaders and managers are in the process of concluding their investigation into a whistleblowing concern that was received before the assurance inspection. Further investigations into the conduct of staff and their suitability to work with children are ongoing. Suitable safety measures have been implemented, although final outcomes are yet to be agreed and shared.

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This monitoring visit

Supervision sessions provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on their role and the personal support that they require. Staff training and development needs are also considered so that staff are equipped to meet children’s needs effectively. Relevant staff training courses have been booked.

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This monitoring visit

As children approach adulthood, staff support them to navigate this transition and provide opportunities to help them to develop the skills that they will likely need in the future. This includes spending increased time with their friends and in the community. One child explained that they would like more independence, although they recognise some of the barriers to this. Leaders and managers explained that children are supported to become more independent, in line with their ability to demonstrate that they can make safe choices. One child’s friends visited the home during the inspection and staff spent time getting to know them, as a good parent would.

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This monitoring visit

Staff say that children’s plans help them to understand children’s needs. However, some important information about how staff support children is missing. Conversely, safety plans provide a clear overview of risk-taking behaviour and how staff respond to reduce the risk of harm to help children to stay safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff use de-escalation strategies to support children to express themselves in safer ways. After incidents occur staff help children to understand the risks that they have been exposed to and how they could respond differently in the future. However, some consequences that are issued to children are not restorative in nature. As a Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 3 result, children are not always supported to understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves or others. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 4

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/06/2024 Full Good 21/11/2023 Full Outstanding 06/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when concerns are raised about members of staff, conduct procedures should be completed and information shared with external organisations. 1 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff develop their knowledge of deaf awareness and have the skills and confidence to support the use of sign language in the home. 1 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 6 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 1 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. In particular, consequences used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 7 nature. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Deaf Academy, 1 Douglas Avenue, Exmouth, Devon EX8 2AU

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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2583028 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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