Boarding School Cobham Hall Cobham Gravesend Kent DA12 3BL 4th October 2004 Commission for Social Care Inspection Launched in April 2004, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is the single inspectorate for social care in England. The Commission combines the work formerly done by the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI), the SSI/Audit Commission Joint Review Team and the National Care Standards Commission. The role of CSCI is to: • Promote improvement in social care • Inspect all social care - for adults and children - in the public, private and voluntary sectors • Publish annual reports to Parliament on the performance of social care and on the state of the social care market • Inspect and assess ‘Value for Money’ of council social services • Hold performance statistics on social care • Publish the ‘star ratings’ for council social services • Register and inspect services against national standards • Host the Children’s Rights Director role. Inspection Methods & Findings SECTION B of this report summarises key findings and evidence from this inspection. The following 4-point scale is used to indicate the extent to which standards have been met or not met by placing the assessed level alongside the phrase "Standard met?" The 4-point scale ranges from: 4 - Standard Exceeded (Commendable) 3 - Standard Met (No Shortfalls) 2 - Standard Almost Met (Minor Shortfalls) 1 - Standard Not Met (Major Shortfalls) 'O' or blank in the 'Standard met?' box denotes standard not assessed on this occasion. '9' in the 'Standard met?' box denotes standard not applicable. 'X' is used where a percentage value or numerical value is not applicable. Cobham Hall Page 1 SCHOOL INFORMATION Name of School Tel No: Cobham Hall 01474 823371 Address Fax No: Cobham Hall, Cobham, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 3BL Email Address [email protected] Name of Governing body, Person or Authority responsible for the school Cobham Hall Name of Head Cobham Hall CSCI Classification Boarding School Type of school Date of last boarding welfare inspection Date of Inspection Visit 4th October 2004 ID Code Time of Inspection Visit 09:30 am Name of CSCI Inspector 1 John Walker 126635 Name of CSCI Inspector 2 Sophie Wood Name of CSCI Inspector 3 Justine Williams Name of CSCI Inspector 4 Christine Hastie Name of Boarding Sector Specialist Inspector (if applicable): Alison Scott Name of Lay Assessor (if applicable) Lay assessors are members of the public independent of the CSCI. They accompany inspectors on some inspections and bring a different perspective to the inspection process. Was this inspection conducted alongside an ISI or OfSTED inspection as part of a Joint Whole School Inspection? NO Name of Establishment Representative at the time of inspection Cobham Hall Page 2 CONTENTS Introduction to Report and Inspection Inspection visits Brief Description of the school and Boarding Provision Part A: Summary of Inspection Findings What the school does well in Boarding Welfare What the school should do better in Boarding Welfare Conclusions and overview of findings on Boarding Welfare Notifications to Local Education Authority or Secretary of State Implementation of Recommended Actions from last inspection Recommended Actions from this inspection Advisory Recommendations from this inspection Part B: Inspection Methods Used & Findings Inspection Methods Used 1. Welfare Policies and Procedures 2. Organisation and Management 3. Welfare Support to Boarders 4. Staffing 5. Premises Part C: Lay Assessor’s Summary (where applicable) Part D: Head’s Response D.1. Comments D.2. Action Plan Status D.3. Agreement Cobham Hall Page 3 INTRODUCTION TO REPORT AND INSPECTION Boarding schools are subject to inspection by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) to determine whether the welfare of children (ie those aged under 18) is adequately safeguarded and promoted while they are accommodated by the school. Inspections assess the extent to which the school is meeting the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, published by the Secretary of State under Section 87C of the Children Act 1989, and other relevant requirements of the Children Act 1989 as amended. Inspections are carried out by the CSCI, and in most cases the inspection team includes a specialist in boarding provision working, or with experience of working, in the boarding sector. Boarding welfare inspections by CSCI may also be carried out in conjunction with a full inspection of the school by the Independent Schools Inspectorate or OfSTED, so that the two inspections together constitute a Joint Whole School Inspection of the school. In such cases, a joint summary of main findings and recommendations from both inspections will also be available. This document summarises the inspection findings of the CSCI in respect of Cobham Hall. The report follows the format of the National Minimum Standards and the numbering shown in the report corresponds to that of the standards. The report will show the following: • Inspection methods used • Key findings and evidence • Overall ratings in relation to the standards • Recommended Action by the school • Advisory recommendations on boarding welfare • Summary of the findings • Report of the lay assessor (where relevant) • The Head’s response and proposed action plan to address findings INSPECTION VISITS Inspections are undertaken in line with the agreed regulatory framework under the Care Standards Act 2000 and the Children Act 1989 as amended, with additional visits as required. The report represents the inspector's findings from the evidence found at the specified inspection dates. Cobham Hall Page 4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SERVICES PROVIDED. Cobham Hall, a non-maintained school for girls, was founded in September 1962. The school is based in a former large Tudor mansion set within its own extensive grounds. The building is of significant historic and cultural interest. The school is a member of the Round Square worldwide affiliation of schools whose aims are based on the ideals of the educationalist Kurt Hahn. Consequently the school teaches individuals to be aware of the past and its importance, alert to the present and their role in the modern community, and to look to the future, aware of the responsibilities that brings. Over half of the school’s students are British and the rest represent over 30 different nationalities. Cobham accepts students with a broad range of ability. In addition, there is specialist unit – the Susan Hampshire Centre – to support those with dyslexia and dyspraxia. Help is also provided for those who need to improve their English Language skills. Boarding accommodation is arranged in three Halls of Residence, supervised by a team of Housemistresses and ancillary boarding staff. Girls in Groups 1 to 5 live in Main Hall and the Sixth Form girls live in two custom built boarding houses. Girls in Group 6 live in Bligh House and girls in Group 7 live in Brooke House. PART A SUMMARY OF INSPECTION FINDINGS WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL IN BOARDING WELFARE Cobham Hall Page 5 Throughout the course of the inspection the school presented as warm and friendly. The children were at ease with themselves and enjoyed positive relationships with the staff. Throughout the course of the inspection the girls were very open in making their views known to the inspectors. They clearly appreciated what the school was trying to achieve for them. The headteacher had only been in post for a relatively short time and was to be commended for all that she had achieved in taking the work of the school forwards. The headteacher was promoting the principles of democracy throughout the school and the recent development of pupil tutor groups, promoting the work of the school council and giving high status to the school guardians and house captains evidenced her commitment to promoting the concept of democracy to the children. The guardian/house captain system was regarded as being commendable practice by the inspectors. Given that the school accepts pupils from all parts of the world the school’s practice in promoting cultural awareness and sensitivity was regarded as commendable by the inspectors. The inspection evidenced there was no inappropriate discrimination on grounds of race, religion, cultural or linguistic backgrounds and boarding staff were sensitive to different needs. WHAT THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO BETTER IN BOARDING WELFARE Cobham Hall Page 6 This was the first inspection of the school under the terms of the Care Standards Act 2000. The inspection evidenced the school had a number of issues to address in order to meet the national minimum standards all of which are noted within the body of the report. The most important areas for development identified through the inspection process are as follows: Some middle management issues were identified during the inspection which were being addressed by the headteacher and chair of governors. Shortfalls in some of the school’s documentation provided to parents, governors and staff were noted which did not include references to the school’s policies on child protection, the use of physical restraint, and detailed descriptions of the school’s complaints procedures and welfare arrangements offered to boarders. With regard to the school’s child protection policy and procedures in particular, the inspection evidenced the school needed to revise and update its policy and procedures to ensure they met the national minimum standards. That is not to say that the shortfalls identified compromised the safety and welfare of the children - they did not - but the school clearly needs to address the issues raised. The school had limited systems in place for the reporting and recording of a range of important areas with the consequence it was not possible for the senior staff and governors to monitor effectively important areas of the school’s boarding practice such as children’s complaints, the use of sanctions and punishments by staff and levels and incidents of bullying. That is not to say that the school did not address such issues effectively when they arose but the inspection indicated that the school needed to evidence that it had done so by introducing appropriate recording/monitoring systems.