Ofsted has flagged safety concerns at the country’s first secure school for young offenders, including increasing numbers of children making weapons out of everyday items.

Oasis Restore, which is classed as both a secure 16 to 19 academy and children’s home, was found to be “not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people’ in April after its first full inspection.

The institution, run by the charity that sponsors the Oasis academy trust, was rated as ‘requires improvement to be good’.

However, inspectors conducted a monitoring inspection again in April this year after “concerns were received by Ofsted about children’s safety and well-being”, Schools Week can reveal.

‘Children not always felt safe’

Inspectors found there had been “an increase in instances of children making weapons out of everyday items. Some children say that this is because they have not always felt safe recently,” the report, published Thursday, said.

The school, in Rochester, Kent, is for children aged 12 to 18 who are on remand or sentenced to custody. It opened last year.

However, inspectors said there have been no incidents of children harming others, and staff “respond without delay” to “behavioural incidents”.

Staff also ran an “amnesty” to hand over weapons, increased searches and held more community meetings so “children have more protected opportunities to share their feelings and identify how they would like to be helped”.

‘Anxiety caused by door damage’

Inspectors also found a “high number of internal doors needed to be replaced” after they were damaged. Several were broken “during a short period” and this “caused some anxiety for children and staff” as children could “move around more freely” in some areas.

Leaders have “ensured that doors to particularly high-risk areas have been strengthened and made safe”, but have had to reduce the number of children living at the home to nine, when inspectors visited. It had 16 youngsters earlier this year, and can accommodate 22.

The report also detailed how “leaders have not completed a review of the quality of care provided to children,” meaning they “have not demonstrated that they have a well-rounded view of the experiences of the children and the impact that the care is having on their outcomes.” 

The secure school is the first of its kind in England and is a replacement for youth jail with a focus on education, restoration and reintegration into society.

It has classrooms, a playground, a sports hall, a theatre, an art room and a music studio, along with a workshop for children to learn vocational skills like bricklaying. 

‘Familes expressing newfound hope’

A spokesperson from Oasis Restore said the secure school is still in the early stages, but “our impact is already clear— with young people and their families directly expressing newfound hope and seeing new possibilities.”

“Our dedicated staff provide personalised education, care, and therapeutic support to some of society’s most vulnerable youth, helping them heal and grow in a safe, nurturing environment.”

They “continue to evolve our model” and wellbeing is “top priority – something positively reflected” in Ofsted’s recent visit.

Ofsted also said the registered manager of the institution had “recently left”.

The school admitted its first youngster in August after a £40 million restoration of the former Medway Secure Training Centre. It was supposed to open in autumn 2020 and cost £4.9 million, but was beset with delays and extra costs.

The pilot project is funded by the Ministry of Justice, with the average cost per person per year at roughly £250,000.

The government defines the institutions as “schools with security”, rather than “prisons with education”.

The school’s full inspection found “arrangements for ensuring that children are receiving consistently good care are not yet embedded. Consequently, children’s experiences vary in quality.”

Teachers did not “consistently support children to develop appropriate behaviours”. Inappropriate behaviour and discriminatory language was not “persistently challenged”.

While skills such as “barbering, carpentry and cookery” were in the curriculum, there was “insufficient inclusion” of science, history and geography, inspectors said.

Managers had also failed on one occasion to “recognise a safeguarding concern” and the procedures around children being “locked in an area alone” were not “robustly scrutinised”.

Recruitment struggles, but staff ‘understand’ issues

The report also flagged “significant challenges” faced by senior leaders, including recruiting and retaining suitable staff. But inspectors said leaders “understand many of the strengths and weaknesses” of the home, some of which are similar to those that exist in other settings.

Secure schools were first recommended in the 2016 Taylor review of the youth justice system, which called for education to be central to the government’s response to help rehabilitate children in custody.

Research found that smaller settings, high-quality education and healthcare, along with a specialised workforce, were key to turning young people’s lives around.

The Ministry of Justice initially pledged to open two secure schools, but Oasis Restore is currently the only one.

The government’s vision was for secure schools to replace secure training centres and young offender institutions, which often have high-levels of violence and poor education.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “We are categorical that custody should be the last resort for children, reserved for those charged with the most serious offences.

“Frontline staff are working tirelessly to drive improvements and reduce violence, and we are committed to providing the support these children need to turn their lives around.”