Digital Success for Ofsted Winning Team

Last updated 8th December 2009

The team at Stuarts Road Children’s Home have been celebrating their success after winning funding at the recent BEST Autumn Event live Dragon’s Den. BEST Leader, Wendy Kelly, and her colleagues bid for money to purchase digi-pens, which can be used to scan handwritten text and translate it into type.

When each child arrives at the home they need to have a full assessment completed, which is normally written by hand and then typed up. The team felt the pens would save precious man hours and give the staff more time to work with the vulnerable children they serve. The centre manager added that they had already tried other methods to help save time, such as improving the typing skills of staff, but this had not had the desired effect. The Dragons awarded funding to buy two digi-pens which the team are now piloting.

The team have also been awarded an excellent report by Ofsted Inspector, Julia Garrett, who commented that “the atmosphere in the home was very relaxed, considerable work had been undertaken and all policies and procedures were current and in place”.

The report clearly demonstrated the Brighter Futures remit of ‘enjoy and achieve’ and a particular success was that the children attended school on time, despite all being in looked after provision and having complex needs and challenging behaviours.

The staff have demonstrated the council’s core value of excellence by all working together to achieve their fantastic results.