High Close School

Inspection report for residential special school - High Close School 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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High Close School Barnardo’s, High Close School, Wiltshire Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 1TT

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Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

High Close School is a non-maintained residential special school operated by a national charity. It provides for both day and residential pupils, aged from seven to 18 years. The school will be closing its residential provision soon and there has been a planned reduction of children staying in residential due to this.

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Information about this residential special school

At the time of this inspection, 62 children were attending the school, and one child was staying in the residential provision overnight.

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Information about this residential special school

The child residing at the school has requested that their individual houses are referred to as units, which is reflected in this report.

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Information about this residential special school

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 residential special school provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the school contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 24 February 2025

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding Inspection report for residential special school - High Close School 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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outstanding

One child was seen and spoken to during this inspection. The child was preparing dinner together with staff and the wonderful smells of food filled the room. The child said how much they enjoyed staying in the unit. They said they really like their bedroom and had chosen the colour of paint for their room, along with pictures and lights for the walls. They said that they get on extremely well with the staff and feel safe there; they can speak to any of the staff if they are worried about something.

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outstanding

Children have continued to make exceptional progress since the last inspection. A stable team of consistent skilled and knowledgeable staff have continued to provide children with a highly effective level of support. This support means that children achieve their full potential. One parent said that their child had made such ‘amazing progress’ that they have now moved on to a mainstream college. They are travelling to and from college independently by train. Before they came to this school, their child was so anxious they were unable to leave the family home.

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outstanding

When children arrive at the school, they may have experienced a range of challenges which have prevented them from accessing education. Some children have not accessed education for several years. One child was struggling with managing their emotions. Over their time in the unit these events had significantly reduced, and they were able to make excellent progress with their learning. Other children have experienced elevated levels of anxiety or difficulties with their mental health that have severely affected their attendance in school. With dedicated support from staff in the unit, these children are now able to be in education full time. This strong and consistent support means that children feel safe to access education and they can make exceptional progress with their learning.

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outstanding

The staff have created a warm and homely environment for children to spend quality time in. There are comfortable sofas to sit on and a spacious dining area where the children enjoy meals with staff. The child enjoys doing activities with staff including preparing for Halloween, painting pumpkins and decorating the unit.

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outstanding

As children develop, they are encouraged to manage their own routines with support, so they can get themselves up for school and know how to care for themselves. This has included work around healthy eating, self-care, using public transport and healthy relationships. Strong links between residential and school provide a seamless approach for children. Children can access residential during the day to eat their lunch or spend time with the staff if they need to relax. One parent said that the staff are ‘totally amazing’ and the experience for their child has been ‘nothing short of transformational’. The staff have ‘transformed their child’s academic journey, and they now have much higher levels of confidence and self-esteem'. Inspection report for residential special school - High Close School 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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outstanding

Safeguarding has been managed very well. There are very few safeguarding incidents in the unit; this is indicative of the strong relationships that staff have with the children, and how children feel safe and supported. There are positive links between staff and other people who are important to children. This ensures that there is a team around each child who are all working together. When one child spoke to staff about drinking alcohol at a party, positive sessions were carried out with them to help them to learn about the impact of this. This led to further detailed work being done with the child around alcohol, substances and being safe.

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outstanding

The staff have a good understanding of children’s needs, and they show strong commitment to children. They are proactive in identifying potential risks and ensuring that robust plans are in place to keep children safe. When worries are identified for children, these are promptly followed up with families and social workers.

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outstanding

When children require additional support, this is provided through key-working sessions or therapeutic interventions. This means that children are constantly learning and developing a sense of how to keep themselves safe. When one child displayed inappropriate behaviour towards another child in school this was promptly followed up by staff in the unit. The social worker and families were informed, and a range of detailed sessions were held with the child. This enabled them to learn from their experiences. These sessions were later revisited with the child to ensure that this learning was fully embedded. Work was also completed with both children together so they could repair their friendship and move on from the events that had taken place.

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outstanding

Since the last inspection, restraint has not been used, no concerns about staff practice, no episodes of children going missing and no medication errors. Highly effective planning has minimised any risks that children experience. One complaint was made by a parent, linked to their concerns about the residential provision closing. This was discussed with the parent, and a letter was sent from senior leaders to explain the reasons for the decision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report for residential special school - High Close School 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The senior leadership team have a thorough understanding of the children who have stayed in the residential provision. They provide strong support and oversight so that children can make exceptional progress. Managers strongly advocate for the children, to make improvements to their care. This strong practice results in sustained improvement in the lives of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is strong support provided to children who need to move on. This has ensured their needs are fully understood and that they are well supported when thinking about their next steps. Support has continued to be provided for children and their families when children have moved on from the school, to ensure that any next steps are right for each child. The staff have ensured that children who have moved on enjoyed positive endings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are good relationships between managers and staff, which enables positive care to be provided to children. Staff said they enjoy working here and they have access to good levels of support, supervision and training. Further steps have been taken to embed high effective staff training and development since the last inspection so the staff can provide high quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Support that is provided to families goes above and beyond the remit of a residential unit. Parents said how amazing the staff have been at supporting not just their children but them as well, checking in with them during school holidays and ensuring they have the support they need with paperwork, or providing vouchers for their family. Many spoke about the positive effect that this has had on their family. Inspection report for residential special school - High Close School 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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 - High Close School 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC011327

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Wendy Gosling

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

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Residential special school details

Email address: enquiries@highclose.org.uk

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Inspector

Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential special school - High Close School 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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