“Children with very complex needs are supported by unendingly patient and caring staff.” 

This is one of the findings of the latest report from Ofsted care inspectors who have graded Prior’s Court as “good” – the 12th year in a row our care provision has been rated as “good” or “outstanding”.

Inspectors paid a three-day visit to our site in May to observe and document the standards of our 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 2021.

Other extracts of the report read:

• “Equality and diversity are central to the beliefs and ethos of the service. Each child has a unique identity, and this individuality is both championed and celebrated by the whole team.”
• “Children have numerous, innovative opportunities to voice their opinions and feelings.”
• “Staff work hard to maximise the capacity of children with complex needs to actively participate in day-to-day decision-making.”
• “Children benefit from warm, nurturing relationships with staff. Staff demonstrate an unswerving commitment, enhancing children’s lives and providing a range of positive, developmental experiences.”
• “Passionate, caring and dedicated staff work tirelessly to ensure that children are safe and protected from harm wherever possible. They are guided in this by a highly skilled designated safeguarding lead (DSL) who has a comprehensive knowledge of the specific risks and vulnerabilities for children.”
• “Records are meticulously maintained and lend themselves to careful tracking and monitoring. This has helped the DSL to ensure that all necessary safeguarding actions and notifications are enacted in a timely manner.”

Sarah Butcher MBE, our Director of Young People’s Wellbeing, said:

The report is a reflection of the amazing work our staffing teams do every day to support our young people. It is a privilege to work with such dedicated and knowledgeable teams.

The challenges within the social care sector as a whole are well known and how Prior’s Court is affected by this is noted in the report. But I am hugely pleased the report also recognises how everyone at Prior’s Court is working really hard to make things better.

Following on from the inspection, the areas for improvement found by Ofsted have been acknowledged by senior leaders at Prior’s Court with plans being developed to address these points.

Sarah added:

There is always room for improvement and we will be striving to address these areas for the benefit of our young people.

Prior's Court's Ofsted Education rating remains "outstanding". Our four Young Adult Provision homes, registered with the CQC, are all rated as “good”.

Read the full Ofsted care report

*Our 12 separate residential homes for children are registered as one Children’s Home with Ofsted.