St Rose’s School

Inspection report for residential special school – St Rose’s School 1 St Rose’s School St Rose’s Special School, Stratford Lawn, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4AP Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential special school

This is a co-educational, non-maintained, Roman Catholic day and residential school. It provides a service for students with physical disabilities and/or associated sensory, communication and learning disabilities. Some students have complex healthcare needs, and 24-hour nursing support is available. Students are aged between two and 19 years.

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Information about this residential special school

At the time of this inspection, there were 49 students on roll at the school, with four students staying in the residential provision. The school offers flexible boarding arrangements, with capacity for six students to stay from one to four nights, with weekend care available during term time. Three students were seen and spoken to as part of this inspection.

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Information about this residential special school

The head of care has been in post since May 2023 and is a registered nurse.

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Information about this residential special school

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of previous inspection: 4 March 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for residential special school – St Rose’s School 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Students make good progress and enjoy their time in the residential provision. There is a stable team of staff who support the students. The staff know the students very well and many have worked in the school for a long time. The staff are nurturing and caring towards the students. They ensure that students are cared for in a way that maintains their privacy and dignity. The staff can recognise when students might be unwell or unhappy, and they intervene appropriately. Staff know students’ communication methods, and they encourage them to develop their skills in this area. Key-work sessions are used to understand students’ wishes and views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have high aspirations for the students, and they ensure that students’ needs are met to a high standard. When students move into the home, there is a thorough transition plan in place for them. Staff ensure that they have a good understanding of students’ needs and how to support them. One parent commented that a lot of thought was put into understanding their child and anything that needs to be in place for them to be comfortable at night.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents are positive about the care and support their child receives. One parent said: ‘The staff are totally amazing. They always put my child’s care needs first and I cannot praise them enough. They want my child to be comfortable and to have the best level of care. All the staff are so kind and caring; they are really devoted to the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Students enjoy being able to spend time with others. Staff support them to play games and enjoy dancing to music. Students have access to a range of opportunities on site, including using the swimming pool, the sensory room and the immersive room. A range of themes have been developed for the immersive room so students can enjoy a range of experiences, such as a beach day or the autumn leaves on their faces.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The residential spaces are clean, tidy and well maintained. There are spacious areas for students to relax and play in. Students have their own bedrooms, and these can be personalised with things they like. There is an inclusive sensory garden that students enjoy during warmer days. Mealtimes do not enable students to have choices about the food they are eating, and they are not regularly involved in the preparation of food. Students do not eat at the same time as the staff, limiting the social aspect of the mealtimes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Students have clear, thorough care plans. There is a joined-up approach between therapy, education and care that ensures students receive high quality and consistent care from the staff. The therapy team works with students across care and education, and this ensures there is a holistic view of each student. For one student, who has had complex surgery, this enabled them to return to school earlier than otherwise might have been possible. Inspection report for residential special school – St Rose’s School 3 One student is now a young adult and there is not a clear transition plan in place for them. Independent advocacy has not been offered to the student so they can express their views about the future options that are available.

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

There have been no safeguarding concerns identified since the last inspection, which is indicative of how well students are being cared for. Professionals and family members said there is effective communication with the residential staff, and any meetings are always well attended by managers. Timely communication ensures that social workers are kept informed about how students are progressing. There are clear plans in place that give clear guidance to staff on how to support students effectively. However, one student’s risk assessment for feeding is out of date.

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

A consistent, stable staff team has continued to care for the students since the last inspection. The staff are skilled and knowledgeable, and they have a good understanding of the students’ needs and the potential risks. The staff show a strong level of commitment to the students. Since the last inspection, there have been no concerns about medication practice or restraints being used with students. Good multi-agency working is in place both across the school site and with external agencies.

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

Safeguarding scenarios are sometimes used in supervision, and this helps to develop staff practice. However, this is not done consistently, and staff responses are not always clearly recorded. Not all staff understand of the role that some external agencies have in keeping students safe.

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

Fire safety is well managed however one student does not have a personal emergency evacuation plan in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong leadership team in place. Leaders and managers continue to develop their practice across the whole school, and there are good levels of training in place for staff. Leaders and managers promote reflection and learning to ensure that the school continues to develop and improve. They understand what is working well, but they also know what needs to change to further improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the students very well. They talk about the students in detail and with confidence. They have a good understanding of students’ needs and how these should be met. Leaders and managers have high aspirations for the students, and they take action so that students can make progress from their starting points. The leadership team continues to work collaboratively with family members, social workers and other professionals and they attend meetings that relate to the students. Families and social workers receive regular updates about students’ Inspection report for residential special school – St Rose’s School 4 experiences, which includes photos of the students involved in activities. Students have access to blogs that are maintained for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the school and that they feel valued by their managers. They say they have access to high-quality training, and their managers are approachable. Managers identify actions during supervision to support staff and to further improve practice. There is a strong focus on staff well-being, and this is being developed with the introduction of a staff well-being day being available annually.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Student’s support plans are recorded in the first person when it is not always clear that this represents their views. Staff do not always fully understand children’s wishes and views about food, activities, or their experiences in the residential provision. Inspection report for residential special school – St Rose’s School 5

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Points for improvement

 School leaders should ensure that transition plans are in place for students moving to adult provision. Independent advocacy should be considered so they can express their views about their future.  School leaders should ensure they review how student’s plans are written so they are meaningful for children.  School leaders should ensure that they review approaches for student’s mealtimes so that students can be given more choice around their meals, and that consideration is given to making it a meaningful sociable experience for them.  School leaders should ensure that all staff are familiar with the role of the local authority designated officer. When safeguarding is discussed during supervision, they should ensure that it is clear what understanding staff have of the discussion.  School leaders should ensure that the risk assessment for one child is updated and that all children have a current personal emergency evacuation plan on file if

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Points for improvement

they are spending time in the residential provision.

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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 – St Rose’s School 6

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Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC034383

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Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Sheila Talwar

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Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

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Inspector

Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential special school – St Rose’s 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.

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Inspector

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