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Report highlights problems at Coombe House School

A TROUBLED special school in Dorset does not meet all standards required, according to a new report.

Coombe House, in Donhead St Mary, first opened in May but was temporarily closed just a week later after ‘a bumpy start’, according to Dorset Council, which owns the site.

The school, intended to be the council’s flagship special educational needs school, re-opened shortly after, taking a reduced number of pupils.

It is run by the Dorset Centre of Excellence, located next to the property.

The site was formerly home to St Mary’s School until it was bought by the council for about £10 million in 2021.

Ofsted inspectors visited the site in October to compile its first report, following a ‘serious complaint relating to safeguarding, pupils’ welfare and safety, and leadership and management’, it said.

The inspectors say the school failed to meet standards in a number of areas in two categories – welfare, health and safety of pupils, and quality of leadership in and management of schools.

Reporting on the first section, the report says: “The proprietor delayed the school’s opening in the autumn term to enable staff to complete a comprehensive package of staff training.

“This included safeguarding training in line with statutory guidance.”

It said staff now ‘better understand’ and report concerns ‘promptly’.

However, it said ‘weaknesses’ in safeguarding remain.

“Despite recent training, staff did not apply the agreed procedures for reporting significant incidents to the designated safeguarding lead,” it said.

“In addition, some staff do not understand some other important safeguarding procedures, for example, how to deal with allegations about members of staff.”

It also highlighted how the school did not have ‘sufficient information about the onward placements for some pupils who have left’.

“As a result, some important records, including those relating to safeguarding, have been slow to be transferred to new settings,” it went on.
Other concerns include the updating of pupils’ risk assessments in light of behaviour concerns and the lack of an up-to-date safeguarding policy on the school’s website.
“Pupils attending school say that they feel safe,” the report says. “A very small number of pupils who remain registered at the school do not attend.
“Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of these pupils’ wellbeing.”
Under the quality of leadership in and management of schools category, the report finds standards are not met.
“The proprietor has ensured the significant changes that were required to the site to assure pupils’ safety are complete,” it added.
However, it says the proprietor ‘has not ensured that the standards for the arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school are met’.
Dorset Council had not responded to a request for comment when your New Blackmore Vale went to press.

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