‘Outstanding’ Judgement for Council Children’s Home

A CHILDREN’S home for youngsters with complex learning difficulties has been judged ‘Outstanding’ following a full Ofsted inspection.

Pinecroft residential home in Whitley retained its status after a two-day visit from inspectors in August 2018. The home was found to provide highly effective services that consistently exceed ‘good’ standards and contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children. Pinecroft is a council-run children’s home for youngsters with a wide range of learning disabilities, communication difficulties, complex medical needs and/or autism. The Ofsted report says children enjoy their experiences at the home immensely and have exceptional opportunities to make friends in a safe environment. This is particularly important as most of the children have communication difficulties and struggle with social interaction with their peers and adults. Children are said to have a trusting relationship with the staff and engagement between the two is described as excellent. The report says: “Staff are passionate about their care of children, they are very familiar with, and attuned to, children’s individual needs. Importantly, staff understand the impact of children’s disabilities, they are vigilant and keep children safe. As a result, children’s experiences are fun, exciting and creative.” Inspectors say the support for children’s education and general development is outstanding and the home shares the responsibility and care of children with their parents. All children’s achievements are very well celebrated with youngsters regularly receiving certificates and having photographs taken and displayed to remind them of their accomplishments. Children also enjoy a creative range of social, educational and leisure activities with an excellent range of play resources on-site and regular trips to local events and attractions. Home manager Helena Baptista and her team were also praised in the report. Inspectors said: “Managers and leaders have a clear vision for service development and they demonstrate a continued strong commitment to ensuring that outcomes for children are exceptional.”

Cllr Liz Terry, Lead Councillor for Children’s Services, said:

“Congratulations to the team at Pinecroft for achieving their ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted judgement. “The Inspector’s report highlights the excellent work the management team and staff do on a daily basis with children who have learning disabilities, profound and multiple physical disabilities and complex medical needs. “It is heartening to hear how much the children enjoy their time at Pinecroft and how much they achieve while they are there.”

Notes to Editors

Pinecroft Children’s Home was last visited by Ofsted inspectors in January 2018 when it achieved an ‘Outstanding’ judgement. The full Ofsted inspection report can be found at: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/2/SC037381