WITHAM PROSPECT SCHOOL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE This statement of purpose is produced in line with the requirements in Schedule 1 Section 16 of Statutory Instrument No 541 – Social Care, England Children and Young persons, England The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 with amendments 11th December 2014, 15th December 2014, 5th January 2015. SCCIF Children’s Homes & Residential Special Schools Date of last review/update 22nd November 2018 Date of last review/update Date of last review/update Date of last review/update Date of last review/update Providers name and legal status Registered Company Longboat Special Education Ltd name of provider 10578636 DfE Reg. No. Ofsted No: Registered Address Hill Top Farm, Danethorpe Lane, Danethorpe Hill, Newark, NG24 2PD Location Details Location name Witham Prospect School Location Address Old Harbour Farm, Newark Road, Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, LN6 9JR Telephone 01522 789067 email [email protected] web address www.withamprospect.co.uk Regulated Activity Activity carried on at this Independent Residential Special School Activity carried on at this Children’s Home location Number of Beds 18 Number of day pupils 6 Registered Manager Details Managers full name Joanne Stevens Business Address Witham Prospect School Old Harbour Farm, Newark Road Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, LN6 9JR Managers email [email protected] Location Managed Witham Prospect School Telephone 01522 789067 MISSION STATEMENT To enable the children and young people entrusted to us to reach their full potential within a safe and nurturing environment. Whole school aims and objectives: • To enable our pupils to achieve their full potential in all areas of their social, emotional, physical and academic development. • To provide a meaningful and balanced curriculum which is tailored and personalised to the needs of the individual. • To focus on developing independence, the outcome of which will be to equip the pupils with personal care skills and to enhance their life, communication and choice making skills. • To facilitate self-worth, raise self-esteem and develop emotional resilience. • To give pupils the skills to manage their own behaviour and help them build positive relationships with their peers and other people around them. • To help our pupils to understand and be part of the local community. • To enable pupils to evaluate the everyday risks that they will encounter but to do so whilst they are in the confines of a safe and secure environment. • To help our pupils make sense of their immediate environment and the world around them. • To provide pupils with the opportunities to experience a range of leisure activities that they can continue with into adulthood and so promote a healthy and active lifestyle. • Provide a highly trained, motivated and dedicated school and care team and to continuously monitor the quality of the services that we provide. • To be rigorous in our staff recruitment procedures. To achieve our aims, we will abide by our Statement of Purpose and continuously strive to develop programmes and plan lessons that will contribute towards meeting our aims. This statement of purpose is available by email, from the school office or via our web site www.withamprospect.co.uk. Quality and Purpose of Care 1. A statement of the range of the needs of the children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. Residential pupils of Witham Prospect School will be offered a combined package of residential care and education. This is a co-educational school for pupils between the ages of 11 and 18 years. With special dispensation to be sought if a pupil needs to stay until 19 years of age due to transitional reasons. Pupils will have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities which fall within the severe category. They may also be on the Autism Spectrum and present complex behavioural concerns. The school offers residential term time only placements (38 week) or 52-week placements. This provision is offered for up to 18 pupils in the residential setting plus day pupils. 2. Details of the children’s homes ethos, the outcomes that the children’s home seeks to achieve and its approach to achieving them. The overriding philosophy and ethos of Witham Prospect School is to provide a safe environment where our pupils can be cared for and educated using a child centred approach. We aim to enrich our pupil’s lives in an environment which is conducive to learning both in an academic sense and by using a whole school model to equip them for adulthood by encouraging them to develop skills for later life. We believe that each pupil has a right to be treated and accepted as an individual. We aim to meet their physical, emotional and health needs in an appropriate way paying attention to their rights as a child or young person. We will achieve these positive outcomes by: • Developing robust care plans that reflect the holistic needs of the individual pupil • Working in partnership with the pupil’s families and representatives • Ensuring that staff working for the school are provided with high standards of training in order that their knowledge and skills are continuously developed 3. A description of the accommodation offered by the home, including: (a) How accommodation has been adapted to the needs of the children (b) The age range, number and gender of the children for whom it is intended that accommodation be provided for (c) The type of accommodation, including sleeping accommodation. The accommodation is within a two-storey building with 5 of the bedrooms on the ground floor. The building has been adapted with a view to the health and safety of the pupils alongside the necessary adaptations to meet their needs. A full and robust fire system is in place with thought given to the evacuation routes mapped out for the whole area. The necessary controls have been put in place regarding water temperatures and the covering of radiators where necessary for the pupil’s safety. Disabled access is good via ramps and wide exit and entry ways. Witham Prospect School offers placements to 18 residential pupils and is co-educational. Pupils are between the ages of 11-18 years and will have severe and profound learning disabilities, may be on the autism spectrum and have complex care needs which may include challenging behaviour. There are two main living rooms, one in the older part of the building and the other in the newer extension. Both living rooms have access to bathroom facilities and an area to make drinks and snacks. There are also two dining areas with ample space for the pupils and the staff who work alongside them. To the East elevation lies a soft play room which is designed to encourage play whilst having the bonus of burning off energy in a well-equipped and fun environment. For those requiring a more relaxed and nurturing space we also have a multi-sensory room which is designed to be a calming environment in which pupils can relax in a soothing and stimulating setting. The room is designed to deliver stimuli to the various senses using special lighting, music or sounds, scents and tactile equipment. The South and West elevations of the building provide communal living and dining spaces and 16 bedrooms, 2 of which are double rooms and 14 of which are single. All bedrooms are en-suite excepting two which share an adjoining bathroom and are ideal for pupils who find an en-suite a challenge. In the centre of the quadrangle is a well-equipped outdoor play area which is utilised by the pupils at break times, evening and weekends. This is themed to provide music, water, science and maths-based play. Our main outdoor area is towards the back of the West elevation and is well equipped with swings, activity trails and outdoor gym equipment. For reasons of safety and security some areas of the outdoor space are protected by fences and locking gates. This is not to restrict freedom of movement but to ensure that pupils can play or exercise in a safe environment. Likewise, the school has a procedure for locking certain external doors at night in order to ensure the safety of the children. The system that we have in place automatically opens the doors should the fire alarm be activated. We also have a ‘Lockdown’ Policy in place (in line with NaCTSO (National Counter Terrorism Security Office) Guidance which comes into operation in the event of a threat to the school or its pupils. The rest of the building houses the main kitchen, staff offices and staffroom. The school has three well equipped classrooms all located within the North elevation of the building on the ground floor. Classrooms are designed with the needs of the children in mind and are also equipped with a kitchenette where cookery lessons can take place. During the referral procedure and as part of the initial care plan a decision will be made by all concerned regarding the type of sleeping accommodation required and which area of the house the pupil will use as their living area. Partly this will be dependent on age, but other factors will be considered when this decision is made. Some pupils, especially those leaving home for the first time and who are used to sharing with siblings may be better accommodated in a shared room whilst others may always require a single room due to sleeping habits or their needs during the night which may disturb someone sharing with them. This allocation of accommodation will be addressed at every review and if it is no longer suitable changes will be made wherever possible.