Membership review for The Forum School

The membership review is intended to reflect the experiences of the visitor who might be looking for a placement. The review is subjective, consistent and impartial, representing the impressions of our team member on the day of the visit.  It is a snapshot view only.

The contents of this review are intended to cover some of the subjects and issues which an individual, their relatives or their placement officer might ask.

This review has been published with the written agreement of the home owner, or an authorised representative of the company.

‘The Forum was employing 2 Occupational Therapists, 3 Speech and Language Therapists and 3 Clinical Psychology Assistants. Deputy Head, Andy Orth, stated that all these practitioners were integrated fully into the daily program of the school and were very much hands on offering advice and guidance in practical situations.’

Summary of findings

Individuals attending the Forum School were being provided with a bespoke curriculum that was tailored to meet individual needs and met a wide variety of educational and support requirements.

I visited both the school and part of the residential provision and both areas I found to be well provided for both in terms of provision of activities, equipment and overall environment and also in terms of the quality and amount of staff available.

Introduction 

Cambian are a provider of specialist services in care, mental health and learning disabilities. Several of Cambian’s education services could be said to have a specialism with regard to autism. The Forum school is at the forefront of Cambian’s autism-focused educational services.

The Forum School is located in the Dorset countryside within 28 acres of land. The school was seen to be very well equipped with a theatre, a sports hall, indoor and outdoor riding arenas and a swimming pool. Admission to the school can take place at any time during the school year.

Students have full access to the National Curriculum with teaching appropriately differentiated to meet their needs. In addition, The Forum School draws upon a programme of specialist education and 24-hour care with a wide range of clinical and therapeutic inputs.

Multi-disciplinary teams and high staffing ratios ensure intensive individual support. In each class, students benefit from the attentions of a teacher and two teaching assistants and potentially an Occupational Therapist or Speech and Language Therapist.

First impressions

I found the school easily on the main road on the outskirts of the village of Shillingstone. I parked near the school theatre and made my way past some stables on the right hand side through a gate which had been enveloped in a plastic covering which had apparently been useful in appropriately keeping some children’s focus.  I asked a member of staff where the entrance to the reception area could be found and I then signed in and was given a visitors badge. I was then taken through to the office of David Keeton, the Acting Head of the school. David introduced me to Andy Orth, the Deputy Head, who took me on a tour of the school site.

The Environment (External)

The school is in the heart of the Dorset countryside and is surrounded by trees and open land. The 28-acre site has horticultural areas and sensory walks, as well as a sports field and both stables and a riding arena. There was also a bike track. There was such a lot of open space to move around in. There were, however, clear gated boundaries in place on the site and a time delayed automatic entrance/exit gate at the main site entrance.

The Environment (Internal)

The classrooms were spacious and well equipped. Most had been fitted out with SMART boards. There was also an IT room and a dedicated therapy room.  At full capacity I cannot imagine the school would feel overcrowded due to the amount of space internally and externally. The School had a large seated theatre which included a state of the art ‘Optimusic’ installation. The older pupils had a separate educational area with its own outside space. 

In terms of the residential houses, the living rooms and kitchens I saw were spacious and airy, with fairly minimal furnishing, which seemed totally appropriate.

The Environment (Wider Environment)

The School had usage of 5 minibuses/people carriers; staff members transporting young people had to undertake a driver assessment and have a clean driving license. From the school it was a fairly short ride to the coast, so individuals enjoyed lots of days out on the beach. Pupils from the school were supported to use the local leisure centre. Pupils were also supported to attend the local hairdressers and Andy Orth reported excellent relations within the locality particularly with other schools and with the church.

Understanding Autism

Deputy Head, Andy Orth, has a Master’s Degree in autism and has clearly had a great deal of experience in a variety of roles working with individuals on the autistic spectrum.

Andy was also the lead member of staff for the practice of MAPA (Management of Actual or Potential Aggression) although much of MAPA practice enables staff to successfully de-escalate situations. There are also physical interventions within the strategies. MAPA Physical Interventions are independently risk assessed and accredited by the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD). Andy felt that the implementation of MAPA had been really successful at The Forum.

The school clearly believed that there was a key role for speech and language therapy and all round communication, with a focus on consistency - signing systems as well as spoken word; allowing processing time; awareness of sensory sensitivities with use of visual and environmental cues and assistive technology both in the classroom and in the residential areas.  90% of pupils engaged in some form of sensory diet. The Forum was employing  2 Occupational Therapists, 3 Speech and Language Therapists and 3 Clinical Psychology Assistants. Andy Orth stated that all these practitioners were integrated fully into the daily program of the school and were very much hands on offering advice and guidance in practical situations. The school also used the behaviour monitoring software ‘Sleuth’ to monitor behaviour trends.

Many pupils engaged in Therapeutic Listening Programs, a research-based tool for treating people of all ages who have difficulty with processing sensory information, Each pupil had a communication profile. Andy felt that the education staff delivered a holistic approach which took in elements of both TEACH and ABA practice essentially using what worked best for each pupil.

Andy was aware that acoustics and difference in air pressure in rooms could impact on the hyper-sensitivities of an individual with autism.

Health and Wellbeing 

The Forum was employing a full-time School Nurse who delivered medication training to the rest of the staff team and undertook arrangements for the ordering and storage of medication for individuals attending the school. All Team Managers were trained in the administration of controlled drugs. The staff team were expected to complete an on line learning course with regard to the usage and side effects of medication. Andy Orth reported excellent relations with the local GP’s surgery.

A variety of therapies were used to contribute to the well-being of the individual both in terms of alleviating anxiety and, in some cases, developing interaction. The use of the on-site horses being particularly key for some individuals.

Food was cooked and prepared onsite. Individuals had input into the preparation of their own meals as much as possible and menus were reviewed regularly.

Individuals attending the school

On the day of the visit there were 49 pupils attending the school. The Forum had capacity to accommodate 65 individuals. Andy stated that the school had more recently focused on individuals who had a learning disability and other complex needs as well as their diagnosis of autism. There were no pupils who could be described as having higher functioning autism.

Outside of the traditional classroom environment, individuals could engage in a variety of activities onsite including rebound therapy, use of climbing wall (which Andy Orth was also key instructor for) bike trail, sensory gardens, swimming pool and riding and caring for the horses; a music therapist also came on site twice weekly to deliver sessions.

The Forum operated a kind of pupil exchange scheme with the nearby Claysmoor Preparatory School. Andy felt it had been a really positive relationship and had been insightful for both parties. Some of the older pupils were engaged on an ASDAN Work Right program which provided a framework to develop a range of basic transferable employability skills.

Staffing 

All newly recruited staff were employed according to the Department for Children Schools and Families guidelines. All staff received Child Protection training.

No member of staff was allowed to work at The Forum without a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Staff members underwent a 2-week period of induction before commencing work at the school and there was a 6-month staff probationary period. 

The school had over 250 staff, which included a dozen qualified teachers and two Further Education tutors. Pupil/staff ratios in care and education were at least 2:1. 

Support staff were engaged in achieving Skills for Care qualifications from levels 2 to 4.

Management of the school

In terms of individuals, David Keeton was the Acting Head of the school and Andy Orth his Deputy.

Regular recording was seen as vital and support plans, activity plans, activity risk assessments, daily records and incident records were part of the regular paperwork trail linked to both Sleuth, the behaviour monitoring software program, and use of MAPA.

In situations where individuals were putting themselves or others at risk, as part of the behaviour management strategy, MAPA was employed to promote a least intrusive, positive handling strategy with an emphasis and preference for the use of verbal, non-verbal de-escalation strategies. This programme basically equipped staff with techniques around de-escalation of situations and enabled them to manage their own and the safety of others in difficult situations.

Daily handover meetings across the school and residential service ensured staff across the school were fully up to speed with developments for each individual.

Conclusion 

The school was very much focused on the needs of pupils on the autistic spectrum. It was set in what appeared on the day to be a safe, calm and tranquil environment. The high staff to pupil ratio allowed for bespoke educational packages to be constructed around the needs of each pupil. The pupils I met on the day were individuals with autism who would be described as having autism with additional learning difficulties.

It was great for the school to have the ability to call upon the expertise of such a highly qualified number of clinical professionals on site, and who seemed to be involved on a very practical level. There was clear evidence of a strong infrastructure being in place around things like policies, paperwork and training and the quality and variety of facilities available were as good as I have seen.  I very much enjoyed the visit and I would very much like to thank the staff and pupils for their time.

 

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Visiting Officer: Craig Godding
Operations Director - Living Autism