January 2013
The children's home at RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning has retained its "outstanding" rating following an Ofsted inspection in November 2012 and had no recommendations identified by the inspector.
The outstanding judgment is the highest rating given and means 'a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements'.
Sally Harvey, Group Director said: "I am delighted with Ofsted's inspection report which makes very fine reading indeed. I am truly proud of Linda Cope, Registered Manager and the staff team who have delivered such outstanding outcomes for the young people in our care. The children in our care are some of the most vulnerable in society and the difference we have made is clearly set out in the report."
Report highlights
Overall effectiveness
Ofsted judged the overall effectiveness to be outstanding. The report states: "This home is exceptionally well managed in every outcome area by a highly committed manager. Young people make significant progress and some outcomes are exceptional when viewed from their starting point."
The inspection awarded "outstanding" in all four outcome areas assessed by the Ofsted team.
Outcomes for children and young people
"Young people in this home benefit from a highly individual and well-structured package of care which results in some exceptional outcomes… The education of young people is highly valued in this home and staff ensure that the education of young people is part of their whole life experience and not just related to classrooms."
"Social workers comment that young people reduce their level of self-harm, and comment upon marked improvements in emotional behaviour."
"Family contact is consistently maintained, young people are encouraged to have regular contact with their family and staff are innovative in ways of maintaining that contact in a meaningful way."
Quality of care
"The practice in the home is consistently child focussed. Dedicated and enthusiastic staff work effectively to promote an extremely high standard of care. Staff are enthusiastic, highly motivated and experienced and have a confidence which promotes an atmosphere of stable, consistent and effective care."
Safeguarding children and young people
"Young people are safe in this home. A well trained staff team, who know how to care for them safely, protects them from harm. There are robust procedures in place which ensure that safeguarding is at the forefront of practice. Positive and negative changes in young people's behaviour are identified and plans changed to meet their individual and changing needs."
Leadership and management
"Young people benefit from an extremely well managed home. The Registered Manager is inspirational to staff and to young people. She provides exceptional leadership and direction to a highly motivated, enthusiastic and committed staff team. The Registered Manager has an excellent understanding of the skills and experience of the staff and as a result has a management team which is able to provide consistent effective leadership. Staff say they feel supported by their managers and managers show a high level of professionalism in the running of the home."
Full report
Download a PDF version of the full inspection report from the Ofsted website or read our accessible Word version of the RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning Inspection Report for the Children's Home (Word, 195KB).
Read more about our Ofsted reports and testimonials.