Children's home run by Oakley House Children’s Home Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2610935 1 Registered provider: Oakley House Childrens Home Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2025.

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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 children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2610935 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2025 Full Good 30/10/2023 Full Good 04/10/2022 Full Good 15/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2610935 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved on from the home. One child returned to the care of a family member after the placement, as it was only required in an emergency for a short time. Another child moved on in a planned way to supported accommodation in line with their pathway plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child spoke with the inspector and gave positive feedback about the home and the relationships they have with the adults involved in their care. One child chose not to speak to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has been living in the home for nearly 2 years and has made good progress. The child was fully consulted with as part of assessing new children’s suitability and the child’s wishes and feelings were acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are strong advocates regarding children’s education. Both children were struggling with school attendance for several reasons. For one child, strong working relationships with the local school had been developed to enable a bespoke timetable to be created. Vocational learning is delivered to enable children to learn new skills at the home and to develop their experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has recently moved into the home. They have settled well and have developed relationships with staff and the manager. Staff are sensitive and mindful that the child’s care plan is currently undecided due to ongoing care proceedings. Staff have developed positive working relationships with the child’s family and have supported supervised family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children spend time with their families. This is thoughtfully planned to help ensure that this time spent together is positive. Staff strive to make families feel welcome at the home. One parent said, ‘They are like extended family and really supportive to me and my child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the home’s small, nurturing environment. The use of a conservatory and upstairs lounge means children have space to spend time together and separately. The garden is well used in the summer months.

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

Staff understand children’s risks and manage these well. For those children new to the home, leaders and managers seek to understand what is happening and why, applying sensitivity alongside calm risk management.

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

Staff praise children when they have made positive choices. Staff use a range of rewards that help children to build self-esteem and confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2610935 4 There has been a very low number of missing-from-home episodes since the last inspection. These were managed well, with appropriate and timely responses. Staff recognise children’s wish to have free time, and this is planned appropriately in partnership with the local authority. Children’s friends are welcomed to the home so that they have somewhere warm and safe to spend time together.

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

Managers and staff have a comprehensive understanding of each child’s needs, behaviours, risks and vulnerabilities. Regular review and revision of children’s plans ensures that they are up to date and remain relevant. Good-quality care plans reflect the information obtained from placing authorities, alongside pathway plans for those eligible children.

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

Staff know children well and use de-escalation strategies effectively. There have been a small number of physical interventions with one child since the last inspection. These are well recorded and staff and the child have had debriefs within an appropriate timeframe.

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

Staff recognise when children have made positive choices. Staff use a variety of rewards, which help children to build self-esteem and confidence. On the rare occasions when consequences are used, these are well considered. This means that children are encouraged to learn from mistakes and make better choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The dedicated manager is experienced and qualified to work with children. They demonstrate a genuine commitment to meeting children’s needs and improving lives. An experienced deputy manager supports the manager very well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is dedicated and offers consistent care to the children. A wide range of life experiences and skills ensure that children are cared for by a competent staff team. There is no use of agency staff. The director is readily available to assist, and the responsible individual spends time at the home with staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is consistently good. One social worker said, ‘I can’t fault the home, they have been fantastic, I wish all my looked after children could live there.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of documentation is good. A good amount of detail ensures that no questions are unanswered. Records make clear the rationale for decisions taken. Some documents are written to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Frequent supervision sessions enable the staff to review and develop their childcare practice. The staff said that they value supervision sessions and find these supportive and reflective. Appraisals are undertaken yearly and feedback is sought to ensure that a holistic assessment is made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2610935 5 Training is in place for all staff. All staff have completed a thorough induction alongside mandatory training modules. Specific training is provided on a variety of topics, such as autism, ADHD and therapeutic techniques. Some exciting training is planned for 2026, including new developments in alcohol and substance misuse. Several staff hold a level 3 qualification, and new staff are enrolled once their probation is successful.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met the two requirements and three recommendations from the last inspection. One recommendation has been reinstated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Visits to the home by the independent visitor take place within the required timeframe. However, some visits are short in length and do not capture all the necessary detail from the reporting period. This undermines Ofsted’s ability to have effective oversight of the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2610935 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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 Care Standards Act 2000 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 Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2610935 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oakley House Childrens Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 413 High Street, Stratford, London E15 4QZ

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Inspector

Emily Stevens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2610935 8 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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