Residential unit at Chiltern Gate Special School is 'inadequate', says Ofsted

Chiltern Gate School, in Verney Avenue, was visited by Ofsted inspectors in January and the report was published this month.

Inspectors found that residential pupils’ safety and the leadership and management of the residential provision were both “inadequate” – the lowest of the four ratings a school can receive.

Both the quality of residential provision and care and the outcomes for residential pupils were classed as “good”.

Chiltern Gate is a special school for children with moderate learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorders and communication difficulties.

Six of the school’s 114 children, aged between four and 11 years old, reside at the school during some of the week.

The report states that the school is “inadequate” because: “Serious failings in the implementation of the school's child protection policy has led to residential pupils being left at potential risk of harm.

“Safeguarding arrangements within the school are inadequate.”

Inspectors found that managers “failed” to monitor and implement documents relating to child protection procedures and vetting checks.

It was also noted that: “There have been significant shortfalls identified in the protection of children who board.”

Ofsted visits the school once a year.

Bradley Taylor, headteacher, said he does not challenge the inspectors’ findings and has implemented changes at the school.

Mr Taylor said: “We have been graded inadequate and I accept the findings of the report.

“There has been a full action plan put in place and many of the things found to be lacking have been put right. I’m not in any dispute with the findings.”

Mr Taylor said this year’s inspection was a different “style” to that of previous years and that inspectors took a very “stringent” view.

However, he does not contest the report and admits the management made an “error” when it came to passing on paperwork to a social worker.

He added: “We accept that was our fault and we have had the local authority safeguarding team in to do a health check on our policies and they have been more than satisfied.”

For the school to improve further, inspectors said that the role of an “independent person” should be created for children to go to for personal problems or concerns.

The school was also told it needed to meet a number of national minimum standards for residential special schools.

The school was praised for the positive relationships pupils have built up with each other. Pupils were said to “display spontaneous thoughtfulness towards each other”, which reflects in the school’s ethos of respect.