Windsor House
- Registered: 2001
- Registered Places: 3
- DfE Education: Yes
- Assessment/Therapy: Yes
- Step Down Placements: Yes
- Staff Ratio: 2:3
Windsor House - A 'Good' Children's Home with 'Outstanding ' Leadership and Management
"Children are settled and enjoy living at the home. They have trusted and secure relationships with staff, who understand their individual needs and strengths. The positive relationships between children and staff help the children to feel emotionally safe and secure.
Moves into the home are carefully planned. Each child has a personalised display area
outside their bedroom, reflecting family, interests and cultural identity. This helps the
children to develop a sense of belonging and feel that this is their home, from the day
that they arrive. One child still has a welcome banner on his bedroom door from his first
day, 3 years ago. The home environment is warm and welcoming and is enhanced by
the abundance of thoughtful photos of children, their families and staff. The manager
uses these images to help to reflect and celebrate the children’s progress and journeys
from their starting points.
Staff support the children to engage in education and to make good progress. This has
enabled children who have previously been out of education to re-engage. One child is
at college, working towards gaining employment skills and aspiring to work with animals.
One child is not in education or training and staff are now supporting the child to seek
employment.
Children in the home have a number of different health needs. When appropriate to do
so, children are supported to manage their medication independently, in preparation for
their move to independence. Children are encouraged to build healthy lifestyles and are
supported to engage in heathy habits. These include engaging in exercise and attending
the gym. One child has lost a significant amount of weight since living in the home and
has improved their health and mobility dramatically. They speak with great pride about
the progress that they have made. The child credits staff in supporting them to achieve
their goals and said, ‘I don’t know how I would be able to thank [member of staff] for
everything he has done to help and support me.’
Staff have a good understanding of early childhood trauma and the impact that this can
have on children. They understand the complex dynamics of children and their families,
and children are supported well to spend regular time with family members. Staff work
diligently to make sure that these arrangements go well, travelling with the children and
supervising family time when needed."
Ofsted Inspection - February 2026 - Full report available by request
Residential Care
At Windsor House we provide children and young people with warmth and nurture, within an environment where we observe children to grow and develop as they begin to respond positively to the homes environment and the homes adults.
The children placed within Windsor House have all experienced some form of loss, neglect, trauma and rejection. This has had a profound effect on the children, whom are encouraged and nurtured to once again begin to trust for them to feel safe and secure within their placement. With the support of the adult team and the professionals involved in each child’s care, it is our intention that we will be able to successfully support the children in coming to terms with the underlying reasons for coming into care and to feel safe, secure, happy and healthy during their time with us.
The home aims to build positive relationships with all children whom come to reside at Windsor House in order to at first establish the ways in which we can support them to develop their self-esteem. A focus on building positive relationships begins from their arrival to the home and continues to grow throughout their placement.
Once these relationships are established, the children’s views, wishes, and feelings in regards to their care are incorporated into the way in which we provide care for them. All adults aim to support the children with their individual needs which are determined early on into placement. This is the foundation for ensuring that the children within Windsor House feel healthy, safe and secure and this builds the platform for which they are able to grow, develop and achieve.
The homes adults have the understanding and skills to support all children with their behaviours and recognise that at time the presented behaviours are a form of communication and reflects the thoughts, feelings and needs of our children at that time.
Through the development of positive relationships, the children are supported to recognise their emotions, and to understand how to communicate and express themselves in a constructive and appropriate manner. Positive encouragement and praise is regularly used within the home to recognise the children’s achievements and support is provided to assist them in developing further and understand socially acceptable behaviours. It is our aim that by supporting the children in this way, we are maximising the potential for them to achieve both their own self set goals and make improvements highlighted by the adults involved in their care.
For some of our children the long-term plan may be that a suitable fostering placement is identified and for others, there may be an aim for them to return to their family home. Whichever option is being considered for our children, we aim to ensure that they can manage that transition at a time that is right for them.
Education
The home is directly affiliated to both our DfE registered, specialist SEMH schools: The Davenport Primary School and The Old Priory Secondary School.
The respective school and the home work in close partnership to ensure continuity in respect of learning support, achieving developmental goals and behaviour management.
The Davenport School (Key Stage 2: 7-11yrs) offers a differentiated curriculum in order to meet the individual learning needs of each young person. The school operates with small group settings where children are closely supported and supervised by a qualified teacher and learning support assistants.
The Old Priory School (Key Stages 3 & 4: 11 – 16yrs) offers the national curriculum allowing for GCSE study in essential subject areas, alongside alternative, differentiated curriculums, including ASDAN and City & Guilds NPTC vocational awards, both of which lead to nationally recognised qualifications.
Assessment & Therapy
Children and young people residing in our care have access to a range of assessment and therapy services including:
- Psychological Assessment
- Psychotherapy
- Systemic Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Speech & Language Therapy
- Equine Therapy
- Music Therapy
- Drama Therapy
- Art Therapy
- Play Therapy
All therapy referrals are overseen by the organisation’s dedicated Therapy Services Manager in consultation with the allocated social worker and other key stakeholders as appropriate.
Our assessment and therapy services are an inclusive element of our residential care provision and attract no additional funding requirement.
Health Support
In addition to our therapy services and panel of consultants, each of our homes have direct access to a health promotions worker and, in the event of any significant health concerns arising, oversight from a registered, dual diagnosis nurse. This ensures effective, professional guidance in respect of health profiling, together with the immediate and ongoing health needs of each individual child and young person placed in our care.
Statement of Purpose
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