Parents say a special school in Cheshire has changed their children’s lives for the better and should serve as a benchmark for others across the country.
It is a safe environment for students to thrive and a place where their disabilities are not treated as a barrier to their day-to-day experiences or ability to make decisions.
The school in question is Hebden Green Community School in Winsford.
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It is aimed at children aged two to 19 with complex medical, learning and physical needs.
Once again this remarkable school – which also offers accommodation for 10th graders and above – has been rated as excellent.
The last time it received less from Ofsted was almost 10 years ago.
What makes Hebden Green so special?
According to inspectors who visited the school in December last year, staff provide “quality individual attention” which has resulted in the children making “significant progress”.
The facility offers children “a highly positive learning environment that encourages their growth and development,” the report said.
And who better to support this work and progress than the parents of the participating students.
One said: “My daughter has become more confident and is now doing so much for herself.”
Another parent added: “This is a bespoke service that should be offered to every child in England.”
The school, which is run by the local authority and has residential care provided by carers with the support of a team of qualified NHS nurses, does not see the children’s disabilities as a ‘barrier to their participation or experience’.
The Ofsted report states: “Children, including those who cannot communicate verbally, are actively encouraged to participate in their daily routines.
“Children use tools like image systems, Makaton and British Sign Language.
“They use them to talk about their school day, express their beliefs, desires and feelings, and decide what activity to do or what to eat.
“Parents are very positive about their children’s experiences. Her comments included, ‘He can now tell us whatever he wants’ and ‘The focus on getting my child to share his views is excellent.’
“As a result, communicating with all children, no matter what difficulties they face, is not an obstacle and does not affect their ability to make decisions about themselves.”
Empowering its students and developing their life skills is at the heart of everything Hebden Green does.
“Child records give a true sense of the child, their personality, achievements, beliefs, dreams and aspirations,” the report said.
“Developing children’s life skills is an integral part of the school’s overall curriculum, including the time they spend in the home environment.
“Caregivers support them to become confident young adults at a pace and at a level appropriate to their abilities and vulnerabilities.
“The residential accommodation is of a high standard. The children can share a bedroom or stay alone.
“Kids and parents talked about the experience of staying in a dorm as staying with friends.”
For one child in particular, this experience is particularly poignant, as they explained: “At home, my brother gets to be outside with his friends and I can’t.
“I love coming here and seeing everything he does, like going out for coffee and staying at my friends’ house.”
Achieving yet another standout report was not without its challenges.
The living environment had to be restructured due to a cut in funding at a time when the school was coping with the Covid pandemic.
The report states: “The care director and senior management team worked together to formulate a plan that would ensure the living community and staff team could continue to provide support.
“Overnight stays have been reduced to two days per week and care has been taken to group children based on friendship and/or ability criteria.
“Children and parents were consulted at this stage. Some children said they were sad and would like to stay more often.
“Parents expressed their concerns to inspectors as they felt this was a valuable service to them and their child, but they understood the constraints the school was facing.
The residential area was also overstaffed due to the restructuring. Staff were offered fair layoff packages or alternative hours in various roles within the school, or a mix of residential hours and a supportive role at the school.
“As a result, no employees left and they were seamlessly integrated into their respective roles.”
