Children's Home run by Horizon Residential Children's Home in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children's home: SC007284 1 SC007284 Registered provider: Horizon Residential Children's Home

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This privately owned children's home provides care for up to 6 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2026 and is suitably qualified.

p.1

Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, there were 6 children living at the home. The inspectors spoke to 2 children during this inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC007284 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/03/2025 Full Outstanding 19/03/2024 Full Outstanding 14/03/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC007284 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children live in a clean, well ‑ maintained and nurturing home environment. Staff support children to personalise and redecorate their bedrooms with items and designs of their choice, promoting a sense of ownership and belonging.

p.3

Summary of findings

Children engage in education. They participate in a range of enjoyable and purposeful activities with staff, which help to develop their interests and social skills.

p.3

Summary of findings

The manager and staff have a strong commitment to safeguarding children. They work effectively with partner agencies to ensure that children who go missing from home are located and returned safely. However, a serious missing ‑ from ‑ home incident was not reported to Ofsted.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a clean and well-maintained environment. Leaders and managers consult with children about how they would like their home to develop. Some children decorate their bedrooms with their artwork and other items of their choice.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. They benefit from the support of a caring and motivated staff team. Children form trusting relationships with staff, who work closely with external professionals and families to promote children's safety. This coordinated approach enables children to feel secure, accept care and enjoy positive childhood experiences. One child said, 'Staff are like family and I give this home 11 out of 10.'

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are ambitious and are proud of their educational achievements. Staff support children effectively with their education. Those who move in without an educational placement are helped to enrol and engage in learning. When children struggle to attend or participate in education, staff and the manager work with professionals to identify suitable alternative learning arrangements. Children to complete examinations and progress to college.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the manager are attentive to children's needs. They use sensitive, non- shaming approaches to gather children's views and wishes. Daily informal conversations and key-work sessions encourage children to reflect and express themselves. These interactions help children to feel heard, valued and understood.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities, including visits to attractions, walks in the local park, boxing club, shopping trips and music lessons. These opportunities support children's emotional wellbeing and physical health. Inspection report for children's home: SC007284 4

p.3

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

Leaders and managers create a positive safeguarding culture in the home. Children develop their understanding of risks and how to keep themselves safe. The manager uses supervision sessions to engage staff in reflective discussions about risks for children and how these are managed. Leaders and managers ensure that good-quality risk assessments are available to guide staff practice and provide clear, consistent direction on how to keep children safe.

p.4

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

Children have previously gone missing from the home. However, incidents have reduced due to coordinated work between staff, managers and external agencies using effective safety plans. Leaders and managers review significant events to determine notifying the regulator. However, when one child was known to be in a high-risk area, appropriate action was taken but the regulator was not informed, limiting external oversight of safeguarding practice.

p.4

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

Children live in an environment that is generally safe and well maintained. Staff complete routine health and safety checks. However, they did not identify that a door lock could impede a safe exit in an emergency. Prompt action to replace this with a thumb-turn mechanism has been taken.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides strong leadership. They implement change with effect, improving the quality of care that children receive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, the manager and staff maintain a strong focus on promoting children's progress. Robust systems are in place to assess and monitor children's development. Monitoring tools and reward systems enable children to understand their own progress, celebrate achievements and identify areas for further development. As a result, children are motivated to work towards their goals and take pride in their successes.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides regular and effective supervision and guidance to staff. When practice concerns arise, a well-structured process to facilitate reflective discussions occurs. Staff report to have positive relationships with the manager and feel well supported in their roles.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers prioritise staff's professional development. Staff complete mandatory training and receive additional training that reflects the current needs of the children. The manager closely monitors staff learning needs; this approach ensures that children receive a consistently good standard of care by improving staff's skills and confidence.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers promote equality, diversity and inclusion effectively. Children benefit from a diverse staff team who help them to understand and appreciate each other's differences. Children confidently share aspects of their culture and heritage. They are supported to attend religious congregations, and their dietary needs are met in line Inspection report for children's home: SC007284 5 with their beliefs. Children's personal identities develop and they feel included and respected. Inspection report for children's home: SC007284 6

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should notify Ofsted if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 63, paragraph 14.10)

p.6

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: SC007284 7

p.6

Children's home details

Registered provider: Horizon Residential Children's Home

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 46 The Ridgeway, North Harrow, HARROW, Middlesex HA2 7QN

p.7

Children's home details

Responsible individual: Mehnaaz Chaudhary

p.7

Inspectors

Alphie Khumalo, Social Care Inspector Rumbi Kawadza-Munsaka, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC007284 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.

p.7

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.8

Inspectors

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

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8