GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTY IN YOUR INBOX SIGN UP Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A children's home in Tewkesbury has been found to have 'serious and widespread failures' in its first Ofsted report after children were found to be 'smeared with faeces' and fed on a diet of junk food.

Orbis Abbey Rose was visited by inspectors last month who took immediate action to suspend registration to the school and alert the local authority. The 10 resident children were found alternative placements.

It found 'serious weaknesses' which placed children at 'significant risk of harm.'

The home cares for up to 10 children who have autism spectrum disorder and/ or learning difficulties. There is also a day school on the same site which is unaffected.

The children's home was rated inadequate in all areas with inspectors finding that one child was not prevented from eating wild mushrooms while another was not prevented from 'misusing the internet'.

There were also reports of children assaulting staff, smashing car windows and throwing furniture. Police have been called to support staff who 'lack de-escalation skills to manage incidents safely.'

The children also had processed and fast food to eat too often. One child had 122 chicken nuggets and 14 litres of fizzy drink each week.

It was also found to be unclean, with poor infection control.

Inspectors found: "Incidents of staff, children and the premises being smeared with faeces are a regular occurrence. Despite plentiful supplies on-site, one house only contained one toilet roll between six bathrooms and the staff bathroom did not contain any handwash or handtowels."

The home was registered in May and is owned by Orbis Education and Care group based in Cardiff which runs schools, residential homes and facilities for children and adults with a diagnosis of autism.

Orbis announced the acquisition of the former Southwick Park run by the Cambian Group in November last year with the promise of a 'fresh start' in a multi-million pound deal.

Under previous management, in September 2016, Ofsted judged Southwick Park to be 'inadequate' and in February 2018, inspectors found it failed to 'meet all of the independent school standards.' It closed under the Cambian Group in April 2018.

'Highly dangerous behaviours'

The report said: "Several serious incidents have occurred since the home was registered in May 2019, for example highly dangerous behaviours by children, including smashing car windows, throwing furniture, causing extensive damage to rooms and assaulting staff.

"On two occasions, one child was not prevented from eating wild mushrooms and another child was not prevented from misusing the internet despite both children having at least one-to-one support from staff. Incidents have occurred when one child has harmed and attempted to harm other children. On one occasion, staff locked themselves and the child at risk of harm in a bathroom.

"As a direct result of these incidents, children and staff have had to attend hospital for medical attention and the police have been required to support staff."

The report also found that children's after-school activities are 'repetitive and uninspiring' and as a result 'a number of children spent time repeatedly watching DVDs and walking around the grounds.'

The report recommendations included that the staff need the knowledge and skills to recognise that children may be at risk of harm.

Inspectors found some positive interactions with children and said 'several permanent members of staff spoke passionately about wanting to support the children well.'

Staff said for example that one child had visited the hairdresser successfully and another child had positively attended a health appointment, which had both previously been difficult for the children.

There was also a high percentage of staff brought in from an outside agency and some staff told inspectors that their training in autism was poor.

Allegations have been made about some staff but the report found that: "On occasions, staff have remained working alone with children despite allegations being made about them by other staff."

'Taken swift action'

A spokesperson for Orbis Abbey Rose said: "At Orbis Abbey Rose the safety and wellbeing of our young people is paramount and we are committed to delivering high quality education and care across all of our services.

"Following a recent Ofsted inspection in November 2019, we can confirm that Ofsted have temporarily suspended the residential children’s home. The day school remains unaffected.

"This is clearly a concerning matter for us and we have taken swift action to make alternate care arrangements for all of our young people during this temporary suspension.

"Since the initial inspection we have been working closely with Ofsted to address their concerns and have put a robust improvement plan in place. Following a monitoring visit this week, Ofsted have acknowledged the progress we have made over the past few weeks. We will continue to work closely with Ofsted, the local authorities and families as we implement the improvement plan."

A Gloucestershire County Council spokesperson said: “We take the welfare of children in our care very seriously.

"As soon as we were made aware of the outcome of the Ofsted inspection at Orbis Abbey-Rose, we took immediate action to remove the two children we had placed there as soon as possible.

"Whilst it wouldn’t be appropriate to talk about individuals, both are now in an alternative care which meets their individual needs.”

This article has been updated to include a Gloucestershire County Council statement.