Residential provision at The Sheiling School in Ringwood rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted
RESIDENTIAL provision at a school for children with learning disabilities has retained its ‘outstanding’ status following an Ofsted inspection.
The Sheiling School in Horton Road, Ringwood, has a residential provision for up to nine children with a learning disability and/or physical disability.
The inspectors praised the “welcoming” home, which has a “strong track record of consistently providing children with excellent care”. The report noted staff knew the children well, understood their complex individual needs and met them effectively.
It added: “The foundations for this excellent level of care are the very strong relationships that staff have built with children and their families. Staff demonstrate their nurturing approach and their love for the children throughout their day-to-day interactions and in how they talk about the children.”
Staff are very skilled at communicating with children, and the holistic approach to each child’s care ensures their health and wellbeing needs are met, Ofsted said.
Throughout the provision there are photos of children and staff taking part in celebrations and enjoying fun activities, as would be seen in a family home, and each child’s bedroom is personalised to their taste.
Parents say that they feel “very involved” in their child’s care, with some saying that this is the first time they have experienced this.
The report noted all departments of the school work together on a child’s care plan, which ensures a “truly holistic, consistent approach”.
Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the care that their children receive and the progress they have made.
The report said children are kept safe at the residential provision, with “their safety and safeguarding practice managed like a golden thread that runs through all aspects of the children’s care”.
Behaviour management is excellent, said inspectors, and while restraint is used, it is done appropriately and only as a last resort.
The leadership team was said to be “very experienced and dedicated”, while staff were “overwhelming positive” about working at the school, telling inspectors they “love” their job and the children they care for.
The provision was last inspected in June 2023, when it was rated ‘outstanding’.
Head of residential services, Heidi Holm Rasmussen, said: “To be rated outstanding once is a great achievement and fills me with great pride, but maintaining ‘outstanding’ across all areas while developing new aspects of our provision is an even greater accomplishment.
“Reading the final report fills me with joy; it reflects all the things which make The Sheiling Ringwood both a wonderful place to work and for young people to learn and grow.”
She added: “The purpose of this inspection was to focus on the residential school students – however, this achievement is the result of everyone’s hard work, dedication and support of our students every day.”
As reported in the A&T, the main school, which teaches 330 pupils aged five to 19, was also visited by inspectors at the end of last year.
While the overall rating was ‘good’, inspectors said the pupils’ behaviour and attitudes along with their personal development were ‘outstanding’.