Fettes College School Care Accommodation Service Carrington Road Edinburgh EH4 1QX
Inspected by: Iain Lamb Sandra Wright Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 16 March 2012
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Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6
Page No 3 5 6 10 19 20 20
Summary About the service we inspected How we inspected this service The inspection Other information Summary of grades Inspection and grading history
Service provided by: Fettes College
Service provider number: SP2005007903
Care service number: CS2005111166
Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service: Iain Lamb Telephone 0131 653 4100 Email enquiries@scswis.com
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Summary This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes about the service.
We gave the service these grades Quality of Care and Support 6 Quality of Environment Quality of Staffing 6 Quality of Management and Leadership
Excellent N/A Excellent N/A
What the service does well The service has a good range of systems in place to encourage pupils to participate in assessing and improving their care. Communication between staff and pupils was clear and supportive.
What the service could do better The service should seek to maintain the high standards of care it provides across the campus. The development of on-line methods of communication was well advanced and their development as a means of seeking and encouraging feedback from parents and pupils should be continued.
What the service has done since the last inspection Since the last inspection, the service had updated its recruitment systems in line with the action plan it had provided for us.
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Inspection report continued Conclusion Fettes provided a positive caring environment for its boarding pupils. We saw excellent communication between staff and pupils which had supported the development of a feeling of mutual respect. Pupils worked hard to achieve success and the boarding house staff provided them with positive support and encouragement.
Who did this inspection Iain Lamb Sandra Wright
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1 About the service we inspected Situated in the north of Edinburgh, Fettes College is an independent school which provides boarding accommodation for pupils aged seven to eighteen in ten houses spread across extensive grounds. There are seven senior Boarding Houses, four for boys and three for girls, for pupils in Third to Lower Sixth Forms. Students in the Upper Sixth Form reside in Craigleith House. The Prep School has two Houses, Arran and Iona, for boys and girls aged from eight to thirteen. On their website, Fettes College states that: "We are a community which believes in mutual support and co-operation. It is this happy, purposeful environment that encourages boys and girls to flourish and develop fully the skills and interests that they possess. Being surrounded by supportive teachers and contemporaries gives our students the encouragement to try new skills and uncover talents they didn't know they possessed. Our mission at Fettes is to develop broadly educated, confident and thoughtful individuals who are prepared for life after Fettes and all the opportunities and challenges it will bring." Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following grades: Quality of Care and Support - Grade 6 - Excellent Quality of Environment - N/A Quality of Staffing - Grade 6 - Excellent Quality of Management and Leadership - N/A This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website www.scswis.com or by calling us on 0845 600 9527 or visiting one of our offices.
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2 How we inspected this service The level of inspection we carried out In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide consistently high standards of care.
What we did during the inspection We carried out an unannounced visit to the school on the 7th of March 2012. We returned for a second visit the next day. We looked at 2 themes - the Quality of Care and Support and the Quality of Staffing. We looked at evidence for 2 Quality statements in each of these themes. We met with the Deputy Head, Housemasters, Housemistresses, the Senior School's Child Protection Coordinator and the Deputy Child Protection Coordinator. We also consulted matrons in some of the boarding houses. We talked to two groups of senior pupils and two mixed age groups of pupils. We also consulted some individual pupils informally. We looked at a sample of records, associated with the Quality statements we looked at. These included: pupils' handbooks from boarding houses minutes of meetings, eg school council meetings, house meetings the review of Craigleith House
Grading the service against quality themes and statements We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example, one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality themes and statements. Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection
Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs) In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects
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Inspection report continued of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement.
Fire safety issues We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at www.firelawscotland.org
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Inspection report continued What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at our last inspection The requirement The service provider should put in place a system to provide evidence that staff appointed to posts within the service are physically and mentally fit to carry out their role. This is to comply with SSI 2002/114,Regulation 9 - Fitness of employees A provider shall not employ any person in the provision of a care service unless that person is fit to be so employed. Timescale for compliance: 3 months from the publication of this report. What the service did to meet the requirement The service has revised its recruitment procedures and put new recording systems in place to ensure that staff appointed within the service provide evidence or make a declaration of their fitness to carry out their role. The requirement is: Met
The annual return Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will inspect the service. Annual Return Received: Yes - Electronic
Comments on Self Assessment Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate. The self assessment was submitted as requested and fully described the service and how it met the needs of its service users. The self assessment document contained evidence of the involvement of pupils, parents and staff in its compilation and its grading of the quality of care provided.
Taking the views of people using the care service into account Pupils were consulted in groups and individually. They spoke very positively of the staff who cared for them and also talked about the benefits of group living and the Fettes College, page 8 of 21
Inspection report continued support and friendship this offered each other. Younger pupils said that they were offered advice and guidance by senior pupils about a range of issues, both personal and academic. Pupils said that they knew how to access health care and advice and were happy that they were able to contact family and friends by a range of different methods. The use of skype and access to social media sites was viewed as a positive change by those pupils who had been resident in boarding houses before they were available. The lack of a mobile phone signal in Craigleith House was mentioned and this was known to senior staff. Generally pupils were happy with their living environments although some minor issues were mentioned which were passed on to the Deputy Head at feedback. These included a request for more washing machines in Craigleith from one pupil and the need for the adjustment of shower lighting in one of the girls' boarding houses. Pupils confirmed that they were consulted about any changes to their houses and gave examples of situations where they had requested specific items for their house or changes to their house routines. These had included changes to furniture and decor and additional resources for common rooms and house gyms. In the past, the move from other houses to Craigleith for upper sixth pupils has attracted comments about a need for Craigleith to be proactive in welcoming prospective residents and providing opportunities to visit and become familiar with the house. This now seems to work well and the transition now seems to be smooth for most pupils. However, it was mentioned that sometimes pupils would like their old house to be more direct in inviting them back for events and special occasions.
Taking carers' views into account Parents were not directly consulted during this inspection.
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3 The inspection We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and statements. Here are the details of what we found.
Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support Grade awarded for this theme: 6 - Excellent Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided by the service. Service strengths The service had a wide range of opportunities for pupils to be involved in assessing and improving the quality of care they received at Fettes. There were systems in place to seek feedback from pupils about different aspects of care and how it affected their quality of life. House meetings took place in boarding houses on a regular basis and this allowed issues to be raised about daily routines and the general running of the houses. Daily briefings or 'areas' took place which informed pupils of planned events and gave opportunities for comments to be made or questions to be asked. Pupils gave examples of improvements to resources or equipment in houses which they had asked for and which had been provided. These included furniture, uses of individual rooms and the provision of specific items of sports equipment such as a rowing machine for a house gym. Boarding houses had suggestion boxes to allow comments to be made and feedback to be given. At the end of each term, pupils completed 'brag' sheets which encouraged comments and ideas about the school and how it worked for individual pupils. Pupils consulted during the inspection visit confirmed that they had weekly one to one sessions with their tutors where they could discuss issues including academic and personal concerns. It was a recurring theme throughout the inspection visit that pupils and staff had opportunities for frequent face to face discussions and that there was a very good level of communication. In individual and group consultations, pupils confirmed that they had access to staff they trusted to discuss issues around their care. They also said that senior pupils and Prefects were supportive if they sought advice or guidance. Different year groups had pupil representatives in the School Council which was run by Prefects. Issues raised at School Council meetings were taken to the Head and Fettes College, page 10 of 21
Inspection report continued Deputy Head and written responses to were given to these. We saw minutes of the most recent meetings of the School Council which provided evidence of a range of issues being raised and discussed. Senior managers had responded to these issues and the responses were reported back to pupils through the minutes of the meetings The school's Head Boy and Head Girl met with the Headmaster on a weekly basis and there were regular meetings of Prefects and Heads of Houses with the Deputy head. The school's catering committee, consisting of pupils from all boarding houses, met regularly with the service's catering manager to discuss any issues connected to meals and food provision in general. This forum had instigated changes to menus and meal selections. An example of this was the introduction of the baguette bar at lunchtime which had been requested by pupils. Questionnaires and on line 'survey monkeys' had been used with parents and pupils to gather comments and feedback for specific purposes such as the review of the service provided by Craigleith House. We saw samples of these which provided evidence that pupils and parents were consulted on a range of subjects including variations to school uniform, the arrangement of the school day and the format of prep time for pupils of different levels within the boarding houses. We saw feedback sheets which had been completed by pupils following a Personal and Social Education course which focused on pupils' self awareness, confidence and emotional wellbeing. The course, delivered by the school's Child Protection coordinator, had been positive in its effect and the pupils' comments demonstrated that they felt comfortable and confident in expressing opinions about these issues. Areas for improvement Further involvement of parents in providing comment about school developments was being considered. The use of a variety of on-line methods for gathering feedback should continue to be monitored and evaluated. Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Statement 4 We use a range of communication methods to ensure we meet the needs of service users.
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Inspection report continued Service strengths Staff and pupils consulted during the inspection commented positively on the use of face to face communication as a preferred method for communicating about issues ranging from routine academic matters to personal difficulties. In individual consultations with house staff and matrons, the use of daily discussions, conversations and informal chats was stressed as a core tool for meeting pupils' needs. Consultations with pupils confirmed that they had opportunities for private conversations with trusted adults about any concerns they had. In response to a question about what they would do if concerned about an issue, pupils' first response was that they would talk to their housemaster/housemistress/tutor or matron. As described in Quality Statement 1.1, the school had a range of formal meetings and systems to ensure that pupils are provided with information about the service and how it operated. We saw evidence that email was to used to communicate with parents pupils and staff about day to day issues and to provide information about events and developments within the service. In individual boarding houses we saw examples of emails sent between parents and staff on a variety of subjects concerning boarding pupils. These ranged from simple communication to arrange travel or leave through to sharing information about personal concerns and academic issues. Pupils confirmed that they had access to email and in discussion provided evidence that information about all aspects of school life was shared through this. Staff reminded pupils to check their emails on a daily basis to ensure that information was regularly picked up. Staff used an on-line system to share information about pupils and the day to day running of the service. The PASS system had been developed to keep staff up to date with all aspects of school life. All staff could access and share information about specific pupils including academic achievements and concerns as well as any care issues. Access to confidential or personal care matters was restricted. This system included communication with the school's own Medical Centre which allowed Housestaff to be informed about their responsibilities following a pupil's attendance at the Medical Centre or to pass information to the medical centre about a pupil. It was also used to share information about general medical concerns affecting pupils across the school. The whole school met every weekday at Chapel and this was used to provide a brief service of worship as well as an opportunity to provide information and news to the whole school community and to celebrate achievements and successes. Parents of pupils from the junior school had the opportunity to attend Chapel on Saturdays and staff that we spoke with said that many parents took the opportunity to attend. The senior school attended on Sundays.
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Inspection report continued The school had a website which was used to display information about the service it provided and the ways in which the service was delivered. The website also contained contact information for members of staff and different departments within the school. A secure area for parents to log into was included in the website which enabled parents to communicate formally with the school and access organisational information. The school also provided information and news about planned events or changes to intended events through twitter. A hotline for parents and pupils to check for changes to senior school sports fixtures had been put in place. Access to social media websites was available through the school server and pupils were given advice and guidance on their safe use. The Child Protection coordinator had attended training related to internet safety and cyber bullying. Staff regularly discussed internet safety with pupils and provided advice and guidance on the safe use of social media sites. Since the last inspection, the school had expanded the range of ways in which boarding pupils could maintain contact with friends and family. Skype calls had been made available following requests from pupils and parents and this facility was increasingly used by pupils whose families lived some distance from the school. Areas for improvement The service should continue to monitor pupils' use of social media websites and provide advice and guidance for their safe use. Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0
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Inspection report continued Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment - NOT ASSESSED
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Inspection report continued Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing Grade awarded for this theme: 6 - Excellent Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Service strengths The comments noted under Quality Statement 1.1 are also relevant to this Quality Statement. Pupils had opportunities to provide feedback on staffing issues through house meetings, discussions with house staff and by contributing to the School Council. Issues from these forums were discussed by senior managers and in consultations, senior pupils confirmed that responses to these were fed back to subsequent meetings involving pupils. We saw that the school's current Board of Governors included parents of current pupils. Housestaff told us they were appraised on a regular basis with pupils and parents being consulted as part of this process. Questionnaires had been introduced as part of the review system for tutors and we saw that pupils' views were sought through these. Pupils consulted during the inspection process confirmed that they were asked for their views on individual tutors and there was an element of choice for them in which tutor they would mainly meet with. Questionnaires had been used to seek the views of pupils, ex pupils and parents regarding specific issues. An example of this was the five year review of Craigleith House where feedback on all aspects of the service including the effectiveness of staff and staffing issues had been sought. This had resulted in a documented evaluation of the boarding house which had highlighted the strengths of the house, developed since its opening as well as areas for development which had been integrated into its development plan. Pupils involved in hosting applicants for posts within the service were asked for their comments about those they had met and a recent recruitment process for a new Chaplain had included seeking the views of pupils. Consultations with pupils, individually and in groups described a positive view of staff who cared for them. Areas for improvement The planned further involvement of pupils in tutors' annual appraisals should be evaluated with adjustments made depending on the outcome of this process. Fettes College, page 15 of 21
Inspection report continued Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 Statement 3 We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National Care Standards, legislation and best practice. Service strengths We spoke with a range of staff from boarding houses across the school as well as the Depute Head and staff responsible for Child Protection. We also took account of the school's Self Assessment form and the content of our discussions with pupils. Staff were able to clearly describe their roles and responsibilities and how these were linked to the school's ethos. They were familiar with the National Care Standards and confirmed that they had been consulted as part of the compilation of the school's self assessment. In individual interviews, staff impressed as being knowledgeable about the pupils in their care and how their needs should be met. They were able to give examples of how specific individuals had progressed as well as describing ways in which they had been able to use the services of the school's counsellor. We saw evidence in boarding houses of housestaff seeking the support of the medical Centre for pupils with mental health issues and There were a range of training opportunities available to staff, dependant on their role and professional background. Staff and managers were aware of the registration requirements for staff in mainstream school care accommodation services with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). Training links had been established with a local college for those who would require to achieve certain qualifications prior to full registration. Some staff had already completed required training and others already held necessary qualifications. A training plan was in place to ensure that all current staff would meet the training requirements for SSSC registration when this became compulsory. All staff had recently attended Child Protection refresher training provided by the Lead Child Protection Officer from City of Edinburgh Council. The Child Protection coordinator and his Deputy were known to staff who demonstrated an awareness of actions to take if they were concerned about the wellbeing of pupils. The school used the services of an independent counsellor who could be used by staff or individual pupils. Pupils could be referred through the Medical Centre or could selfrefer. Since the last inspection the school had also contracted the services of a behavioural psychologist who could be consulted by staff for advice and guidance in supporting individual pupils and by individual pupils referred by the Medical Centre.
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Inspection report continued A range of staff meetings took place to ensure that communication across the whole school community was effective. We saw minutes of meetings for housestaff where a range of issues were discussed including access to mental health support for pupils as well as routine day to day maintenance and budget issues for the boarding houses. Regular, monthly matrons' meetings were held to ensure that specific welfare issues could be discussed and information shared. Matrons consulted during the inspection valued these meetings as an opportunity to share practice and keep their knowledge up to date. Staff from the Medical Centre contributed to these meetings as well as taking an active role in PSE classes and providing information for groups of pupils in the boarding houses. Areas for improvement Training programs for staff should be progressed as planned. The school should continue to ensure that policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and staff are kept aware of any changes made to them. Grade awarded for this statement: 6 - Excellent Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0
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Inspection report continued Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership - NOT ASSESSED
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4 Other information Complaints No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld, since the last inspection.
Enforcements We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last inspection.
Additional Information In line with other inspections of mainstream school care accommodation services nationally, we asked housestaff about their contact with guardians. Staff told us that the school did not make arrangements with guardians and that this was a responsibility for parents or carers. The school could provide a list of agencies but would not recommend any of these. Individual housestaff told us that some pupils stayed with guardians over some periods or leave weekends and these arrangements would be known to them in order to arrange transport and such information as parents required them to have.
Action Plan Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made, will result in SCSWIS re-grading the Quality Statement within the Management and Leadership Theme as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme for Management and Leadership being re-graded as Unsatisfactory (1).
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5 Summary of grades Quality of Care and Support - 6 - Excellent Statement 1
6 - Excellent
Statement 4
6 - Excellent
Quality of Environment - Not Assessed Quality of Staffing - 6 - Excellent Statement 1
6 - Excellent
Statement 3
6 - Excellent
Quality of Management and Leadership - Not Assessed
6 Inspection and grading history Date
Type
Gradings
25 Jan 2011
Unannounced
Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership
6 - Excellent Not Assessed 4 - Good Not Assessed
25 Jun 2008
Announced
Care and support Environment Staffing Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good
All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former regulator of care services, the Care Commission.
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Inspection report continued To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning us on 0845 600 9527. This inspection report is published by SCSWIS. You can get more copies of this report and others by downloading it from our website: www.scswis.com or by telephoning 0845 600 9527.
Translations and alternative formats This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request.
Telephone: 0845 600 9527 Email: enquiries@scswis.com Web: www.scswis.com
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