An army of volunteers has helped bring to life a relaxing new space in our
grounds.
Our new Health & Wellbeing garden sits in the "quad" of our School building, adjacent
to our Health & Wellbeing Hub which opened earlier this year.
The area was previously made up of paths running between school buildings, but has
now been enhanced with plant beds and oak pergolas.
Corporate volunteer groups from Vodafone, Thames Water and McCarthy Stone
have all contributed to the transformative work, while Nicholsons Plants Forestry &
Landscapes sourced a range
of lovely plants to feature in
this high-traffi c area of our
site, and offered advice on
where and how best to use
them.
Our corporate volunteering
opportunities are great for
teambuilding and fi nding
out more about the work we
do. To fi nd out more, see our
website.
Volunteers' transformative garden work
Decade of "good" or "outstanding" ratings
from Ofsted for our care provision
The standard of care at Prior's Court
has been praised by Ofsted with the
awarding of a 'good' rating - meaning
for 10 years now our care provision has
been rated as "good" or "outstanding".
Inspectors paid us a three-day visit in July to observe
and document the standards of the 12 residential
homes for young people up to the age of 19.
Following this, a report has been published rating
the quality of social care provision as 'good',
retaining the rating last earned following an
inspection in 2019.
Extracts of the report read:
● "Children's needs are understood, and responded
to, by the dedicated, warm and compassionate
staff team. Observations of practice during the
inspection, and comments from professionals and
parents, demonstrate the high regard for the staff's
care of their children."
● "The staff diligently and patiently follow care plans
which refl ect children's needs. Children's views
are well captured in their regularly reviewed, wellwritten
care plans."
● "Education, care and health staff work well
together. This benefi ts children as the integrated
approach identifi es, reviews and plans for the
holistic and individual needs of children."
● "Professionals are unanimously positive about
the care that children receive and the working
relationships which they have with the staff."
● "The vast majority of parents feel well supported
by the staff."
● "Staff thoughtfully follow guidance on distraction
techniques to prevent the use of restraint. There is
excellent practice in supporting children when they
need help in managing their frustrations or worries."
● "Leaders and managers have a clear and
ambitious plan for the services that they want
to provide to children and their families. They
continually look for ways to improve children's
support."
Following on from the inspection, a nine-point
care development plan has been drawn up by the
Prior's Court senior leadership team to address areas
of improvement identifi ed by Ofsted in suitable
timeframes.
Sarah Butcher MBE, our Director of Young
People's Wellbeing, said: "This is a hugely positive
report, which is a notable achievement given the
challenges Covid-19 has posed for the whole sector.
"The outcome of this report is down to the efforts of
team across Prior's Court who are working tirelessly,
expertly and co-operatively towards a single
overarching set of goals - empowering our young
people to be happy, healthy, more independent and
able to access the world of work.
"As can be seen from the care development plan, we
will not be resting on our laurels. We are determined
to keep improving our provision, for the benefi t of
our young people."
Our 12 separate residential homes for children are
registered as one Children's Home with Ofsted. Our
four Young Adult Provision homes, registered with
the CQC, are all rated as "good".
Prior's Court's Ofsted Education rating
remains "outstanding".