MBO Impact Report 2019

Practice: Schooling
The heart of the charity’s
practice expertise is The
Mulberry Bush School
in Standlake.
Children placed from all
over England and Wales
receive highly integrated
specialist therapeutic care,
treatment and education
from a highly trained staff
team on an outstanding site.
The school works with the
children residentially and has
a team to work with families
in their own locality or on site
depending on need. Much
of the charity outreach offer
delivers the learning from
the specialist school.
Whilst at The Mulberry
Bush School children make
outstanding progress in
their social and emotional
development and achieve
at least good academic
outcomes.
The quality of relationships
with families is outstanding.
The progress of work
with children in therapy is
‘Outstanding’. Families report
that the work done with
them is ‘Outstanding’.
School aims
and ambitions:
• The Mulberry Bush School
sets exceptionally high
expectations for children.
It sets targets that are both
challenging and realistic.
Outcomes are always at
least good and in most
cases are outstanding.
• The school strives to ensure
children and their families
thrive and achieve fulfilling
lives together, both within
their communities and as
part of wider society.
• They work tirelessly to
manage the anxiety, create
stability and provide a
challenging but nurturing
therapeutic experience that
starts to heal the traumas.
• The work is about long
term change and to achieve
this they do not expect to
perform any quick fix or
miracle cure pieces of work.
They build relationships with
children and families and
engage in building a more
stable future together. They
work to enable the child to
return at the end of their
stay at The Mulberry Bush,
to an appropriate school
and home setting; able to
function more appropriately
in mainstream society.
• The experience and data
over the years demonstrates
that many children, once
they feel safe at The
Mulberry Bush School, make
at least good and often
outstanding progress in core
subjects and in their social
and emotional development.
What the
families say:
‘Foster carer days
are very helpful.’
‘The family weekend was
brilliant full stop!’
What the children said:
• 69% of children felt they were
getting better at learning
• 64% felt that they can keep
themselves and others safe
• 63% of children felt that
adults let them know when
they are doing well
of children
said they felt
good when
they did well!
Safeguarding audit
The recent safeguarding
audit found that the school
has ‘record keeping and
recruitment processes
that are among the best
in the county.’
By the end of their time
at the school, children:
• make excellent progress
socially and emotionally
• levels of physical
interventions decline
• are more able to play
with other children
• feel that they are able
to cope with living in
and working in groups
• are better able to regulate
their behaviour
• are more able to play
• need less physical
intervention
• enjoy the school activities,
trips and events
• are more able to feel
good about themselves
when they do well
‘I am proud to be an ex pupil of The Mulberry Bush. The
therapies and coping mechanisms that we were taught as
children helped me throughout my adult life, and enabled
me to be a loving caring member of society.’ (Ex-pupil)
What
Ofsted said:
‘Exceptionally well
trained staff go to great
lengths to support the
children, all of whom have
experienced trauma in
their earlier childhoods.
The staff give them stability,
understanding and the
confidence to achieve.
This lays the foundations
for the children to start to
heal and to develop resilience
to overcome adverse early
life experiences.’
(Ofsted November 2019)
‘The children learn to be
in a group and to conform
to rules and expectations.
Consequently, children begin
to understand that they can
have a positive influence
on the social and physical
environment in which they live.’
(Ofsted November 2019)
‘Influential leaders and
managers are unwavering in
their determination to improve
the children’s life chances.’
(Ofsted November 2019)
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