The Dunes Awarded Ofsted Outstanding In All Areas
Ofsted has again rated The Dunes, one of New Horizons (NW)’s residential care homes, Outstanding across all inspection areas.
This glowing report highlights the incredible work being done to provide a safe, nurturing, and aspirational environment for children and young people.
A Home That Feels Like Family
Ofsted praised The Dunes for its warm, beautifully decorated environment, noting the family dog and personalised touches like children’s photos and artwork that create a true sense of home. Staff are described as “nurturing,” “warm,” and deeply committed to every child’s well-being.
Children benefit from long-term, stable placements, which build trust and allow them to progress. A headteacher remarked about one child, “It has transformed his life being there.”
Transformative Support & Life-Changing Outcomes
The Dunes empowers children to grow emotionally, socially, and academically. Key highlights from the report include:
- Exceptional progress in speech, self-confidence, and independence.
- Strong partnerships with education providers to promote high attendance and academic success.
- A wide range of experiences, like international holidays, clubs, and community work, that build life skills and self-esteem.
- Specialist health support tailored to each child’s needs.
- Deep focus on identity, inclusion, and emotional well-being.
Safety First, Always
Safeguarding is robust and child-centred. The team uses proactive strategies to reduce risk, de-escalate conflict, and provide emotional support following incidents. Children’s voices are central to their behaviour support plans, ensuring they feel heard and understood.
Transitions into and out of the home are carefully planned with the child’s needs at the heart. Even after they leave, children stay connected with ongoing support and group activities that maintain those essential bonds.
Visionary Leadership
Manager Tracy Locke and her deputy lead with passion and purpose. Their innovative, trauma-informed leadership inspires the team and consistently delivers high-quality care. Regular training, including work with clinical psychologists, keeps staff at the forefront of best practices.
Room for Growth
The only recommendation was to improve the location risk assessment process by including more local intelligence. The team is already addressing this to strengthen safeguarding further.
A Beacon of Excellence
We are incredibly proud of everyone at The Dunes. Their work is changing lives every single day. This Outstanding rating is more than an achievement; it reflects the love, effort, and dedication poured into creating a home where children thrive.
Original article posted 31 July 2023
We are delighted to announce that “The Dunes” has been awarded Ofsted Outstanding in all areas for its first-ever Ofsted inspection.
Highlighting the high quality of care and support provided to the children and young people living there, the Ofsted Outstanding report praised the home’s “nurturing, inclusive culture” and the “excellent oversight of practice” by the manager.
It also noted that the home has “highly effective safeguarding practices” and that children and young people “feel safe and their risks and vulnerabilities are well understood.”
The Ofsted Outstanding report highlighted several specific areas of strength, including:
- The home’s “highly effective assessments” consider the incoming children’s and young people’s needs alongside the needs of the children and young people already living there.
- The way children and young people are encouraged to develop positive, trusting relationships with staff.
- The home’s “exceptional progress” with education. Some children and young people who did not previously attend school are now regularly attending.
- The way that children and young people are encouraged to develop their life skills in preparation for adulthood.
- The home’s “highly effective safeguarding practices.”
The Ofsted Outstanding report also highlighted New Horizons (NW)s commitment to progressive staff training, development and support.
- The staff training, development and support provided are excellent. All staff have access to high-quality, relevant training.
- The effectiveness of the leaders and managers is outstanding. The manager is enthusiastic and child-centred, supported by an effective leadership team. Together, they have created a nurturing, inclusive culture that enables children and staff to flourish.
- The way that children are helped and protected is exemplary. The home has highly effective safeguarding practices, and children and young people feel safe, with their risks and vulnerabilities well understood.
In summary, the Ofsted Outstanding report found that the home provides “highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good.” A testament to the hard work and dedication of the highly skilled and dedicated staff who work there.
Huge congratulations to Registered Manager, Tracy Locke, and the team at “The Dunes” for their dedication and hard work from everyone at New Horizons (NW).
Thanks to them, their home is a shining example of how residential care can provide a safe and supportive environment for children and young people who need it most.
A very proud moment for everyone.
Working with and caring for children and young people is ‘more than just a job!’
At New Horizons (NW) we are passionate about ‘creating positive outcomes’ for all our children and young people, so staff support and development is crucial to providing the care that our children and young people need.
As an expanding business we are always seeking to recruit enthusiastic, driven and empathetic people who are looking to make a significant difference to the lives of children and young people living in residential care.
If you’d like to know more about a career in caring at New Horizons (NW) visit our website > Careers
If you’d like to see the latest jobs available at New Horizons (NW) visit our website > Latest Jobs
