Southview Educational Residential Provision ‘The View’

Statement of Purpose:

Contents:

• Introduction – Aims and Objectives
• Aims and Objectives
• Referral and Admission Preparation
• The ‘Flats’
• The Curriculum for the Residential Educational Programme
• Aim for our Students
• Child Protection
• Anti Bullying and Harassment
• Anti-Discriminatory Practice
• Privacy
• Pathway Journey
• The Team
• Staff Responsibilities
• Staff Development and Training
• Policies and Procedures
• Unforeseen Closure of the Residential
• Recording and Review

 

Introducing ‘The View’

Southview Educational Residential Provision (‘The View’) occupies the top floor of a purpose built building in Witham, adjacent to the main school in Conrad Road.  The building has been specifically designed to accommodate all of our student’s needs, making it the perfect place for our students to thrive and enjoy a wonderful residential experience.

Southview School provides an outstanding provision (Ofsted September 2022). All students have a physical and neurological impairment and the school places a great emphasis on individual learning, as well as taking a holistic approach to each student’s wellbeing and academic achievement.  The 24 hour curriculum we will be introducing at The View will enhance and develop each student’s transformational journey.

Aims and Objectives

The main aim of The View is to support individual students with a bespoke package which enables them to develop skills in preparation for their next steps and to become a confident and responsible member of our society.

The View has been designed as an education intervention, to support broad targets and to work with the specific needs and requirements of our unique students. A placement at The View will provide early intervention enabling students to develop individual skills, promote change, build confidence and open up more opportunities for their future. The focus will be around teaching and embedding living and self-care skills, promoting greater independence and self-belief skills as well as preparing students for life beyond Southview. This work will be characterised by a strong partnership, working with the child/student’s family and professionals, who will play a key role in shaping and planning strategies and outcomes.

The View will provide support for students to thrive in new places and settings, recognising their own value and finding ways of sharing this with the world beyond Southview. For older students it may provide a safe place to experience and experiment with skills to live successfully away from home. Depending on individual plans and goals, students may be supported to access the community, learning how to transfer their skills and widen their knowledge and understanding of expected behaviours, procedures and how to consider the needs of others within various environments. We will always endeavour to reflect any work at The View back into the curriculum, enabling students to practise and share new skills regularly and with different people. This also works towards enhancing the offer and extending possibilities in the long term.

Our model is deeply rooted in making progress that is meaningful for our students and their families, by supporting them to have greater autonomy and gain confidence to influence and shape the future with their children. Families will be supported to work with and understand future provisions and other providers, and to receive specialist advice. They will have the opportunity to ensure that all voices

around their child are listened to in order to maximise opportunities and open up their world. The View will be open in 2 phases for the 10 bedrooms. Phase 1 will see 5 bedrooms be accommodated for upon the planned opening (February 2024) and then the opening of the other 5 bedrooms in phase 2 after the first school year of September 2024.

Referral and Admission Preparation

We encourage parents/carers/guardians and Teachers of the school to take the time to think about why they feel that the Residential is a suitable environment for their Student. There must clearly be an identifiable need for a residential placement to be offered which will reflect in the application. Parents/carers/guardians need to be fully on board and available to always work in collaboration with the residential staff team.

Teachers refer into The View by completing our Residential Referral Form, this is then assessed for the Residential. The Residential considers every application for a place and the Headteacher and Residential Lead meet to review applications. Personal targets will be taken from EHCP (Education, Health, and Care Plan) or from other relevant documentation i.e., Sensory Report, Speech, and Language Report and Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy Report. The Residential Lead will meet termly with Teachers to discuss, identify and refer students prior to the next term at the start of every new term.

The Student “wants to stay” in the Residential with full support from parents/carers/guardians and the placement would be beneficial to their educational, personal, confidence and physical development and their mental wellbeing.

There will be a process to each student’s admission to The View, These stages are:

Student cycle of The View

Start of a new Term – Referral Process- Teachers and Residential Lead will meet at the start of every term to discuss possible students that may benefit from having the residential experience at The View. Teachers will discuss different areas students may need to improve on such as independent skills or social skills.

Identify process- Once students have been put forward, the Residential Lead and Headteacher will review the referrals and look into dynamics of a group of students identified. They will then decide which students could be picked to experience The View.

Parent involvement/ agreement- Once a student has been identified, the Headteacher or Residential Lead will approach the parent. Parents must be fully on-board with the residential and will be sent information about The View and what it can offer their child.

Parent and student visit – Parents and student are encouraged to visit The View before they stay as this could help reduce any worries they may have and give the opportunity for either to ask any questions to the Residential Lead.

Targets and Aims set- Residential Lead will come together with Teachers and set out aims and targets from the most recent EHCP plan to which would be relevant to the residential experience. This will then later on be presented to the keyworkers to help create a pathway plan.

Home Visit by the Residential Lead and Personal Assistance Manager - Home visit will take place where Parents will be given consent forms to sign, a copy of a Parent’s Guide, Statement of Purpose and Inventory List. This will also give an opportunity for the Residential Lead and Personal Assistance Manager to gather any more information the school may need about evening/night time support (medication, sleeping routines etc.)

Updating care plans and health plans- after receiving all the information from the home visit. The Residential Lead will update all care plans and health plans with the help of staff at The View. The care plans will have an added evening and night time section to the current school care plans.

Pathway Plan set up- Keyworkers will be allocated to the identified students. They will review the Referral Forms and EHCP plans and set out a pathway plan which will be unique to each student staying at The View. Students will also have an input to this planning if they believe they could add to any aims or targets set out in their new pathway plan.

Student visit for Tea- Before their stay in the new term, students will have the chance to stay for tea one evening. This will be a good time to get to see what an evening looks like at The View.

Start of a new term/Half term - Student stays at The View - Student finishes their school day at 3pm and is collected by one of The View’s staff. Evenings will consist of relaxing, doing some pathway work, eating dinner together and most importantly, having fun. Bedrooms will be able to be personalised by each student to make them feel more ‘homely’.

Student finishes with their stay at The View- Student will make sure all their belongings are taken home and the Residential Lead will feedback to parents about the experience.

Post visit is made to the family home and evaluation is made by parents, student and Residential Lead- A feedback form will also be given to the student and parent to fill out.

Eligibility Criteria:

Children/students will be considered for a placement for a pre-determined length of time on the following basis:

• Attendance at the school for at least one year prior to assessment for a residential intervention.
• Parents/Carers and families are committed to working in partnership and actively participate in an agreed plan to improve outcomes, which are continued and practised at home and supported into other environments wherever possible.
• The child will be over 12 years of age and is judged to be in a place where The View can benefit and make a difference to that student.
• The child/student will not present a risk to others that cannot be acceptably managed due to the social nature of the facility i.e. many spaces are shared with other students.
• The placement meets with the full support of the Education Department of the Local Authority. It is important to note that The View is an intervention that does not replace other systems and other agency work, but works to enhance the impact of any support/education in place.
• There are clearly defined educational outcomes for the student/child (which may include the development of independent or supported living skills for older students).
• Parents/carers would be encouraged to visit the facility prior to admittance and sign an agreement form before a Child/Student starts at the Residential.

The ‘Flats’

The View consists of two mirror image flats consisting of five bedrooms (two en-suite and eight with a ‘Jack and Jill’ bathroom arrangement between them), a communal lounge area, a kitchen/dining area and a ‘snug’. There is an overnight oxygen supply in one flat for appropriate children/students to access.

The flats occupy the top floor of Southview College and are accessed by their own separate entrance and lifts. Whilst there are facilities on the ground floor, including a hydrotherapy pool, access to these facilities will have to be separately risk assessed and will not form part of the provision ordinarily available in The View.

Each bedroom is completely self-contained and has an audible monitoring system in place. Personalisation of bedrooms to suit each child/student and mirror what is important to them at home is encouraged. Spaces throughout The View have been designed to reflect what is possible, or aspirational, at home or in supported/ independent living.

Children and students are encouraged to be involved in all aspects of life at The View including the preparation of meals, setting tables, washing up, tidying up and learning personal routines which will become part of their everyday life which they can transfer to different settings.  

The Residential Curriculum/Programme

The residential provision will be available for five days per week, Monday – Friday (four nights per week, Monday - Thursday) term time only. There will be a flexible approach to the length of any individual’s stay, but the minimum stay will be half a term to ensure the intervention has an impact. It is unlikely in the extreme that any one stay will be longer than one whole term time. This is to allow more students to be able to experience The View. It is feasible that children/students may spend more than one period of time at The View if deemed to be necessary. The mix of children and students in residence at any one time will be carefully managed and the age, gender and needs of children/students will be taken into account.

At The View, we work collaboratively to bring the curriculum aspirations together in a seamless way to ensure the aims of the school curriculum are fully realised and no learning opportunity is missed. Priorities are identified within areas such as independence and social skills, emotional wellbeing, interactive communication and future aspirations. It may be appropriate for there to be a focus on independent living for some of our older students, and there will be flexibility within the curriculum to reflect this aspiration. Wherever possible and practical, therapeutic and physical wellbeing will be practised and developed allowing our students to recognise the importance of keeping healthy and understanding what their bodies need in their everyday routine to maintain and extend their physical mobility. Each student staying at The View will have an individualised plan which will be shared and monitored by both the school and residential team. The plan will encompass visions and priorities and put into place targets and strategies equipping them with skills that will lead to a future where they can be happy, communicate as well as they can and be as independent as possible.

There will be a clear handover at the end of school day to the residential team, with any information and updates shared to ensure consistency and continuity and to guarantee that each student has the best possible experience across the two settings. Working in partnership with parents and carers is vital to ensure a shared vision - working on lifelong goals which can be replicated, established and developed further at home and beyond to ensure that the student has the best possible opportunities for future living.

Our Aim for Students

We believe that in order for our students to have a successful and fulfilling life they need to be equipped with the skills to access and become an inclusive part of the wider world. Communication is key to this belief and is an integral and core part of our 24 hour curriculum. We prioritise the development of children’s’/student’s skills to communicate feelings, preferences or concerns; also to be able to manage change or tolerate a situation which is different or difficult for them. We strive to make it easier for them to enjoy a fuller life in a world where they can play a full and vibrant role in. Learning and interacting with and alongside their peers, understanding something of what others need and enjoying their company is a big part of this.

Spending time in the community, observing and following behaviours and procedures will help them to be more proactive when making informed choices and deciding what pathway they would like to take. By providing each student with the means personalised to be the most purposeful will allow them to exercise as much control over their environment and experiences as they are able to.

Child Protection

It is our duty to protect the young people in our care. Staff are trained in Child Protection procedures and know that they have a statutory obligation to report any suspicions of abuse from any sector of the community (including colleagues).

All staff follow the policy and procedures put in place for child protection. The Manager is also trained to Level 3 and holds the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO).

Anti-Bullying and Harassment

At The View we have a zero tolerance on any forms of bullying or harassment, including verbal, physical, and emotional and use of Cyber Bullying. We address bullying and harassment through PSHE and Citizenship curriculum during the school days. Students are encouraged to report any incidents immediately to a member of staff. All incidents are logged and dealt with appropriately. Minor incidents are dealt with in the residential and monitored by staff. Bullying in any form is not tolerated and any student involved in bullying and unwilling to change their ways will be unable to participate in the residential provision. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions.

Anti-Discriminatory Practice

We celebrate diversity at The View and aim to model tolerance of others to the student group. We have a multi-cultural staff team and do not discriminate between staff, service users, and their families or interested others. We will challenge any racism or discrimination that we witness and continue to observe other religions and cultures. The View is committed to promoting equality in all aspects of the care and provision of services given to Students. This includes:

• Protection of young people from any form of discrimination in regards to Race, religion or belief, colour, sex, age, national origin, disability or sexual orientations.
• Education is delivered to a standard that ensures Students in our care are not disadvantaged educationally.
• Religious Observance- Every Student, where practicable, will attend services appropriate to their religion, or receive appropriate instruction. Practical facilities will be made available within the home where possible and staff will seek.

Privacy

The Students will be allowed to make their bedroom space their own and will be encouraged to appropriately decorate and personalise this space with help from staff. Other residents of either sex will not be allowed into the bedroom of another young person.

Staff will offer their assistance in cleaning the bedrooms, but only if the Student wishes to have help. Weekly bedroom checks in the interest of Health and Safety will hopefully inspire the Students to assume responsibility for their own tidiness and room hygiene.

Pathway Journey

The Pathway program is designed to help Students acquire life skills needed for later life. This involves learning how to cook healthy nutritious meals, budgeting, maintaining a home, and making sound social choices. Our approach is to give students the best possible chance of succeeding in life away from home by providing them with as many tools as possible.

Each Student will have their own Pathway plan journey and each key team will make sure that they are achievable and meet the needs of each student individually before work is commenced on the Pathway Journey. Staff will initially draft up a plan using the Pathway template and then go through ideas made with a student and their parents before they start at The View.

Different areas the Pathway Journey covers are:

• Health needs
• Self care and social skills
• Education, training and employment
• Emotional behavioural development 
• Identity

Each Student will have the opportunity to work towards awards with the Mencap awards scheme.

In the Gateway awards, there are three levels to the award; Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each level has five different sections to complete:

• Hobbies
• Fitness
• Volunteering
• Lifestyle
• The Gateway Challenge

Participants receive a certificate and a medal when they complete each level and this can also be added to each students CV. Having the evenings after school will give students the time to work on the awards each term they stay at The View. 

The Team

The team across The View will work with parents/carers to ensure there is a comprehensive exchange of information, and sharing of practice that evidently improves outcomes in all settings. Having a shared knowledge and understanding of what students enjoy and prefer and how they cope in a variety of situations will be crucial to make their plan work at the residential, school, home and out in the community.

There will be regular meetings between parents/ carers, teaching and residential teams and other professionals in order to set up the most appropriate holistic plan for every student and to monitor developments and make changes where necessary. These are a working document, which are continually updated, shared with parent/carers and will form a section of their annual EHCP review. This allows a comprehensive exchange of information and improves outcomes in all settings

The residential team will be trained and assessed as competent to support all students and children with specific health, medical, communication and mobility needs as required in order to keep a consistent approach between home, school and the residential. Students and children will be able to contact their parents/carers using a method of communication which is most suited to the needs of that individual. Staff will accommodate this and times will be discussed and allocated as part of the plan prior to their stay.

Headteacher – Julian Cochrane

Deputy Head – Carol Park

Residential Lead – George Walklett

Senior Residential Support Workers - Leannon Buy and Sara Jane White

Residential Support Workers – Ellie Beauchamp

Assistant Residential Support Workers –

Residential Admin Assistant – Andrea Kelsey

All senior staff report to the Residential Lead

All staff have regular supervision in accordance with national minimum standards as detailed by OFSTED.

Staff Responsibilities

The View will be led by a Residential Lead, with the Headteacher having overall oversite of the provision. It is the residential staff’s responsibility to ensure that all the needs of the students are met as detailed in their individual plans. Staff are specifically trained and equipped to fulfil this role and work as a team to make key decisions to ensure the safety of all our students are met at all times.

All staff will have an induction to the residential provision and the school environment as we recognise how important it is for them to have an in depth knowledge and understanding of not only the care needs of students but also the way they communicate and interact. This is crucial to our student’s wellbeing and we expect all staff to use whatever system and strategies needed to communicate and interact with that student effectively and consistently. Likewise, we expect our staff to be perceptive by spending time observing and tuning into each students character so that strong relationships are formed and students trust and feel safe to try new challenges and develop their confidence and personalities.

Staff will be able to recognise that the level of challenge to offer any student must be in line with what they can manage well and that a graduated approach over time is needed in order to benefit and embed new concepts. Staff will be expected to provide an environment where meaningful and proactive total communication is encouraged and rewarded wherever possible. Staff will meet regularly to reflect on what is working well and to implement any changes which may be needed to constantly ensure we are working towards widening each student’s world and opportunities.

The staffing ratio in The View is high. Each Student has a team of keyworkers operating on most shifts and all have a balance of male and female keyworkers where possible, depending on the sex of the Student. Communication levels between keyworkers and other colleagues is high to ensure safe, consistent quality of care for each young person. The key working team meet on a regular basis to discuss and update risk assessments, Care Plan, Health Plan, Education Plans and their own Pathway Journal. 

Staff Development and Training

An important part of the induction process at Southview is for all staff to take part in training which is essential to meet the needs of our students and which underpins the core values and ethos of the school.

All staff undertake mandatory training which includes:

• Safeguarding/Child protection
• Manual handling
• Positive handling
• Dysphasia awareness
• Epilepsy awareness
• Any other specialist training for specific medical needs – gastrostomy, suctioning, oxygen
• Total communication

All residential staff have enhanced DBS checks and will have or will be working towards completing the Diploma (level 3) in Residential childcare after completing a 3 month probation. Staff will all receive a welcome pack to which they would need to work on every shift and be supported by other staff to complete within the 3 month probation period. There will be a regular checks (4 weeks) with the new staff by a supervisor to set review their welcome pack.

Policies and Procedures

Each individual child/student will be risk assessed before admittance to The View; this is to ensure their safety and wellbeing, as well as that of the wider group. All policies for the residential provision will remain exactly the same as the main school in terms of safeguarding arrangements, medical provision, moving and handling and complaints. 

Specific policies relating to The View are:

• Health and Safety
• Bullying
• Safeguarding
• Staff Disciplinary
• Care of Children
• Whistleblowing

Safeguarding - The Designated Safeguarding Lead is – George Walklett Residential Lead

The emergency contact details for The View are:

George Walklett, Residential Lead – 07717 810617

Julian Cochrane, Headteacher – 07711 554817

How we prepare our students:

Personal items:

We encourage students to bring in personal belongings from home to help them with the transition of staying away from home.

Students are encouraged to personalise their bedroom with suitable posters (to be put in wall frames provided) and for example, photos, posters, teddy bears and sensory comforter. The View does not accept liability for loss of or damage to individual property and possessions brought onto the premises by a child/student or adult.

Care Plan and Risk Assessment:

Every pupil will have a Care Plan and Risk Assessment which is shared with parents at the earliest opportunity and is regularly reviewed and updated as and when required.

Visits:

Every Student will come in for a visit prior to their first overnight stay in the new term. This is to familiarise themselves with the residential staff and visit the residential flat that they will be staying in. They will also receive their Student Guide Booklet to follow with support from staff.

Independent Person:

The Residential has an Independent Person who visits once a month and provides a Report. The principle is to provide an independent “ear” to listen to any issues or concerns the students may have and engage socially with the students. It is important that the student can talk to someone other than residential staff if they so wish. The Independent Person will follow the school’s Code of Conduct and fully adhere to the school’s Child Protection Policy and procedures.

Independent Visitor:

The Residential has an Independent Visitor who visits unannounced once each half term to carry out monitoring and reporting on a standard 3 visit, they include:

•  Checks on the school’s records of attendance, complaints, sanctions, use of reasonable force, risk assessments, and where they exist, individual care plans for children;
•  Evaluation of the effectiveness of the care provided to children and whether they are safeguarded;
• Assessment of the physical condition of the building, furniture, and equipment of the school.
• Opportunities for any child or member of staff who wishes to meet the visitor (in private if they wish).

Activities

There is a wide range of in-house activities which are varied and relevant supporting students social, creative and independence skills. Students have access to some of the school facilities in the evening which include:

On-site Activities

• Art and Craft Tech Room
• Sensory Activities in the immersive room 
• Swimming
• Gardening
• Playing with toys and listening to music

Off-site Activities

(Pocket money for some off-site activities will be required to participate):

• Youth club
• Cinema
• Beach trips
• Social Interaction trips
• Community walks
• Bowling

 

Unforeseen Closure of the Residential

On the exceedingly rare occasion, the Head of Care / Headteacher may have to make the difficult decision to temporarily shut down The View due to unforeseen circumstances, such as: Fire, Flood, Heating, Health & Safety, Diarrhoea & Vomiting, and Health Risks.

Complaints

The school's policy is to follow the Local Authority (Essex County Council) guidelines when handling concerns and complaints. It would be unusual to deviate from these procedures, but the school always retains discretion in these matters.

The usual process is to speak to a Senior Member of staff. At all times the staff will help to resolve a problem.

Please see our linked policies on the school website

Recording and Review:

At The View we make sure that communication with the parents and school is constant and efficient. To communicate with the parents The View staff will continue to use the school handbooks which each student takes home with them. Class Dojo will also be used to send photos and messages to Parents as The View understands that parents may feel anxious about their child staying away from the family home for the first time and sending regular updates and photos will help reassure parents that their child is ok. Staff will each be allocated a student each evening and they will be responsible for writing a daily file note (which will include night checks) and any incident reports that need writing. 

Every two weeks, Families will be invited to spend time in the residential at separate times to spend the evening having dinner with their child. This gives the opportunity for families to see what their child is achieving in the residential and staff can work together with families to put into practice anything they may have learnt back to their home life.

Every shift, the Shift Leader/Senior Support Worker will complete a shift plan. This summarises the shift and makes sure that they have completed all tasks for each shift. A message book will be used at The View and staff will be encouraged to use this to communicate between the teams (as well as handovers). Staff will be encouraged to read the message book as soon as they arrive on shift and sign each message to say they have read the message in the message book.