Safeguarding investigation continues at boarding home

All children who were boarding at the Swinderby Kisimul special needs school site near Lincoln have now been temporarily moved home or to appropriate alternative accommodation.

As previously reported, an investigation is underway after Ofsted suspended the registration of the children’s boarding home between Lincoln and Newark due to serious safeguarding concerns.

The school will remain open as normal while Lincolnshire Police investigate the matter concerning the accommodation site at Kisimul, which is an autism school for children with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.

In a statement released on Monday, November 5 a Kisimul spokesperson said: “Our top priority is ensuring the safety of the children and young people we care for. Our focus is on providing them with high quality care and support in a safe environment.

“It would not be appropriate to comment on the allegations as the police investigation is ongoing, but we take all safeguarding concerns extremely seriously and ensure they are thoroughly investigated.

“All of the children that were resident at the children’s home have been temporarily moved home or to appropriate alternative accommodation. We are continuing to work closely with parents, local authorities and social workers to ensure the young people affected continue to receive the care and support they need.

“The safety of the young people in our care is paramount and we are fully supporting the police’s investigation.”

What we know so far

• Ofsted suspended the registration of the children’s boarding home at Swinderby Kisimul schools site due to serious safeguarding concerns
• The school will remain open as normal while Lincolnshire Police investigate, along with relevant authorities
• No arrests have been made and the police investigation is ongoing
• Lincolnshire County Council worked together with parents and carers to make arrangements to find alternative provision for where they did have children placed at the home
• All children who were resident at the boarding home have now been temporarily moved home or to appropriate alternative accommodation
• The school was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2016 and still currently has this rating. Its children’s home was recently inspected and rated as ‘Good’

A spokesperson for Ofsted previously said: “We have suspended the registration of the children’s home after being made aware of serious safeguarding concerns.

“These have been referred to the police and relevant local authorities. It would be inappropriate to comment further while an investigation is underway.”