Acacia Hall
As the children’s home associated with Kisimul Upper School Lincolnshire, Acacia Hall offers residential provision for up to 37 young people with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs, including behaviours of concern.
Welcome
In an atmosphere conducive to learning academically and in the life skills sense, Acacia Hall provides an integrated residential education and care package to young people aged between 14 and 20.
The home is around eight miles from Lincoln and six from Market Rasen, and is set in the quiet hamlet of Friesthorpe, in Lincolnshire. Surrounded by a rural landscape and farmland, it is a stunning location close to local shops and leisure amenities.
Our Statement of Purpose is available to view/download here.
“Children are happy and there are lots of smiles and laughter. The relationships between children and staff are good, with some very good interactions. Staff communicate with children in a calming and soothing manner. This helps the children to relax. The children are comfortable with the nurturing approach that staff use. Staff have a clear understanding of the children’s needs, including those children that are new to the home.” Kisimul Ofsted Report 2023
Our approach
Our primary aim is to improve the social and educational outcomes of our young people. A focus on the needs of the individual and a celebration of childhood are therefore an integral part of the culture at Acacia Hall. All our young people, whether on a weekly placement, term time only or 52-week basis, undertake an individual programme of full-time education tailored to their specific needs and have Individual Learning Plans.
Working closely with the education provision at Kisimul Upper School Lincolnshire (Acacia) to ensure those needs are met, we are also very proud of our animal husbandry facility, which is used extensively as part of a comprehensive, broad-ranging curriculum. Individual or group sessions can have a sensory or vocational focus, and group participation encourages co-operation and development of social interaction and engagement. This is also underpinned by formal accreditation in animal care and associated vocational skills.
There is a multi-disciplinary framework in place on site to provide integrated and specialist support for learning and managing communication, sensory and behavioural needs. This includes educational psychology, speech and language, occupational therapy and music therapy as part of the core provision underpinning individualised programmes.
We actively promote young people’s welfare and development, supporting cultural and physical diversity through our policies, procedures and practice. Our process is to fundamentally involve young people in decision-making, ensuring they understand they have choices and that we value their views and support. Our young people are constantly encouraged to express their wishes and views individually, and we provide support to enhance that. This extends to an active young people’s council, which has autonomy in decision-making about the school and residential services.
Accommodation
Each young person has a room designed to meet their needs. Accommodation is in the form of two separate buildings split into seven areas, six of which are located in the main house. In addition to this, there is an eight bedded house that has been purpose-built to the rear of the main house called Anam Cara, designed to support young people with the transition into adulthood.
Activities
Acacia Hall provides a full range of leisure, sporting and recreational activities, and every young person takes part in physical education. As well as our animal husbandry yard and the sports hall on our main site, there is also an outdoor play area and a range of external activities available to the young people we look after. This varies from shopping trips to local towns at the weekends to rock climbing and sailing.
Staff & Therapeutic Services
The home is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and all staff are trained to recognise the types of challenges that young people in this group face in achieving their full educational potential. We implement a comprehensive staff training programme, which ensures there is an emphasis on excellence for all staff teams.
Acacia Hall School has a large therapy team that form an integral part of the disciplinary team. The team work very closely together to advise, guide and support staff in meeting the very complex needs of young people by developing and implementing individualised support and skill development plans. See more information on our Therapeutic Services here.
Safeguarding
It is the policy of Kisimul Group to ensure that a safe and caring environment is provided at all times for the young people entrusted to its care, and to protect them from significant harm (Part 2 section 10 of the Young people’s Act 2004). The group is committed to ensuring that all young people attending services are kept safe and that concerns about a child/young person are followed up in the right way and to ensure that everyone including parents/carers, staff, volunteers and young people know what should happen and what is expected of them. Full training in the appropriate procedures is provided as part of the induction process for each new member of staff and reinforced in periodic refresher training and through supervision.
Acacia Hall follows the Child Protection and Adults at Risk Procedure (OPED 05 Child Protection and Adults at Risk Safeguarding Policy) in line with The Local Safeguarding Board. The local procedure is framed in the context of the company’s overall policy and procedure.
No form of bullying nor intimidation is tolerated anywhere within Acacia Hall, irrespective of who the victim or perpetrator may be. The overall philosophy on these issues is set out in the company’s comprehensive behaviour policy.
Ofsted
PRAISE FOR ACACIA FOLLOWING OUR LATEST OFSTED INSPECTION
Acacia Hall Children’s Home is delighted to have been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted.
Our latest inspection was very complimentary about the home and the care we provide, saying staff spend quality time engaging with the children to make sure they have fun and learn new skills.
Ofsted also highlighted that the children spoke very positively about the home, with one saying that she loved the staff and that they made her happy and looked after her well.
Inspectors added that staff understood the complex and challenging needs of the children, and helped provide a good transition for them into adulthood.
They praised the overall experience and progress of the young people we support, and commended the effectiveness of leaders and managers at the homes. The report also focused on how well our children and young people are helped and protected.
A mum of one of our youngsters, Julie Shade, said of her son’s care: “Words cannot express my gratitude for all the hard work. I will never forget the kindness shown to us in our numerous hours of need.”
Some of the comments Ofsted said about the home included:
“The nurturing relationships between the staff and children are a key strength of the home”
“Children are supported to enjoy shared activities with their peers”
“Staff spend quality time engaging with children to make sure that they have fun and learn new skills”
“Regular and effective communication with families and partner agencies helps children to settle quickly”
“Children are encouraged to share their views and make choices”
“Staff are well trained and are provided with regular, effective supervision”
The school year
The home offers offer up to 52 weeks of residential provision. The associated school, Kisimul Upper School Lincolnshire (Acacia) operates a conventional three-term school year over 38 weeks of full-time education.
The school has a number of modern and well-equipped classrooms with no more than seven pupils to a class, which are staffed on a high ration basis to meet the complex needs of each pupil. There are also extensive educational resources, including a library, food technology, music rooms and ICT suite. Recently an interactive learning classroom environment, including immersive technology, has been added to the curriculum offer.
Contact details
Acacia Hall, Friesthorpe, Lincolnshire.
For further information please call or email: 01522868279 or enquiries@kisimul.co.uk.
