Marland School

Inspection report for residential special school - Marland School 1 Thi Marland School Marland School, Peters Marland, Torrington, Devon EX38 8QQ Residential provision inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this residential special school

This is a local authority-maintained school. It is a member of a foundation trust with other special schools in the local authority. The school provides education and care for boys with social, emotional and/or mental health needs. It provides weekly residential care, over 4 nights, for up to 40 boys between the ages of 8 and 16. At the time of this inspection, 35 children were on roll to stay overnight.

p.1

Information about this residential special school

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding Inspection report for residential special school - Marland School 2

p.1

outstanding

Children thrive in this residential provision and make excellent progress. One child said, ‘This place is the best,’ and ‘Everyone is so lucky to come here.’ Children’s families, professionals and former pupils emphasise the life-changing impact of the school. They highlight how children’s self-confidence, self-belief, tolerance and empathy for and of others have increased. Former pupils proudly update staff about their achievements and successes, which they say happen because of the support and dedication of staff.

p.2

outstanding

Children benefit from being cared for by a staff team who are highly skilled and experienced. The stability of the team ensures strong consistency and continuity of care, which is of excellent quality. Staff embody the ethos and approach of the school, with an absolute focus on relationship-based practice. Staff treat children with respect and dignity and talk about them with empathy and understanding. They understand the children incredibly well. Due to this knowledge and the in-depth relationships they have built with children, staff know how to engage and support each child and provide them with the best experiences.

p.2

outstanding

Staff provide children with an extensive range of activities to enjoy, promote their development and provide them with skills for life. Staff are creative and responsive to children’s needs, adapting expectations or activities dependent on children’s needs. They understand the importance of individualised care and above and beyond their roles to ensure that children get the support they need.

p.2

outstanding

Children use a variety of effective methods to provide their views. Staff use creative ways to increase opportunities for children to share their thoughts. They provide feedback to children when they make requests, either confirming that they are being met or explaining why this might not be possible. Responses to children are caring and thoughtful and identify opportunities for further learning and development. Children raise complaints when they feel unhappy or unsafe. There are clear and timely responses, and staff check that children know what the outcome is.

p.2

outstanding

Support for children’s personal, social and emotional development is well coordinated with education, providing children with seamless and holistic support. Residential staff hold meaningful one-to-one conversations with children about each termly topic, supplemented by themed displays in the communal areas.

p.2

outstanding

Children benefit from a well-embedded, evidence-based approach to support their emotional development. Staff offer some children specific sessions but also consider group development. This framework helps staff to consider children’s experiences and stages of development to promote reflective practice and trauma-informed care. Inspection report for residential special school - Marland School 3 The process for each child moving into or on from the residential provision is individualised, to support an effective and smooth move. Leaders and managers have a robust assessment system which identifies the child’s needs and how the school can meet these. Staff work sensitively with the child and their family to support the child’s move. Staff support children to achieve their next steps and have had a great deal of success in this area. Most children go on to college, while some obtain apprenticeships.

p.2

outstanding

There are robust safeguarding policies in place. Staff understand the actions they need to take to keep children safe. Safeguarding arrangements have been strengthened by adding an additional deputy designated safeguarding lead to the residential team. This means staff work alongside someone who can provide them with immediate advice, support or guidance should concerns arise.

p.3

outstanding

Staff get to know children and their families well, which means they understand the potential contextual and family-based risks. Responses from staff to concerns are supportive and consider the overall wellbeing of the child. Staff identify possible opportunities to understand more about children’s lives, for example, through taking them home. Staff build strong, supportive relationships with parents and carers, offering them support and advice when needed. Because of these strong relationships, parents and carers reach out when they need more support. When safeguarding concerns are more significant, leaders ensure appropriate referrals are made to the relevant agencies. They work closely with external professionals to ensure children receive the help and support they need.

p.3

outstanding

Behaviour management is a strength of the school. Staff support the children to develop an understanding of how their behaviour can affect others and themselves and how to develop self-management strategies. Due to the in-depth understanding staff have of each child, they are able to be proactive rather than reactive in their approaches. Staff also use this reflective approach in the development of their own practice.

p.3

outstanding

There has been an increase in the number of uses of physical restraint since the last inspection. This is linked to a small number of new children who have joined the school. When restraint is used, it is proportionate, at the lowest level necessary and for the least time. Incidents are robustly reviewed by managers for patterns and trends, and the information is then used to further develop practice.

p.3

outstanding

Risk is well managed. Staff are not risk averse. When appropriate, they involve children in the development of risk assessments, which helps children to develop the useful life skill of identifying, understanding and managing risk. Inspection report for residential special school - Marland School 4 Safer recruitment guidance is adhered to in practice, which helps to protect children. Recruitment and personal records are well organised, enabling those managing the recruitment process to monitor recruitment processes.

p.3

outstanding

Leaders take concerns about staff practice seriously and carry out thorough investigations to identify any learning which is then used to inform practice within the provision

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are experienced and skilled and have a clear vision for the residential provision, which is shared by the staff team. They are aspirational for children, staff and the development of the provision. Staff are excellent role models for the children and each other. The team are excellent advocates for children, as well as for the provision. Leaders and managers have a comprehensive overview and understanding of the residential provision. This knowledge is used to further develop the service.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers, as well as the staff team, have a robust understanding of their duty of care beyond the school. They disseminate their high-quality practice to other provisions. This supports the development of these services so more children can benefit from the effective approaches they have developed. Leaders and managers use research effectively to develop practice within the provision.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff enjoy working at the provision and find it incredibly rewarding. They clearly care for the children and speak proudly of the progress they make. Staff work seamlessly as a team. They make effective use of handover meetings to support continuity of care. At the end of each day, time is set aside to support the staff team to reflect on the day and their practice. Staff feel well supported by their managers and trust that when children need additional support, leaders will advocate for them with external professionals to obtain what the child needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers understand that investment in and development of the staff team has a positive impact on the care the children receive. Staff receive high-quality supervision, using it as a forum to share ideas and identify support needs. Staff receive training relevant to children’s needs. There is specific time identified for staff development, which helps to promote and embed research-based practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Governors have good oversight and understanding of the provision. They spend time there and so know children and staff, seeing practice at first hand. They are committed to supporting leaders to promote staff development for the benefit of children’s progress and outcomes. Inspection report for residential special school - Marland School 5

p.4

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 - Marland School 6

p.5

Residential special school details

Social care unique reference number: SC022231

p.6

Residential special school details

Headteacher/teacher in charge: Keith Bennett

p.6

Residential special school details

Type of school: Residential special school

p.6

Residential special school details

Email address: admin@marland.devon.sch.uk

p.6

Inspectors

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential special school - Marland 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.

p.6

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 4234 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7