A children’s home for disabled youngsters has been rated “outstanding” by the education watchdog.

Dragon’s Retreat, a short break service run by Hextable-based charity We Are Beams, has been praised by Ofsted for “consistently exceeding the standards of good”.

Its report said the children’s home provided a “highly effective” service and supported and encouraged its youngsters to achieve goals which are important to them.

The inspector added: “Children receive consistent support from staff and make excellent progress, for example, in their ability to feed themselves or get dressed by themselves.

“All children’s achievements are celebrated, and they learn important new skills when they come to stay.”

The report stated that the children are “treated with dignity and respect” and the feedback from parents was “overwhelmingly positive”, with one saying “they would be lost without the service”.

Staff were also praised for providing “exceptional quality of care”, “plentiful opportunities” for the children and having an “in-depth understanding” of their needs and how to protect them from harm.

The registered manager, Robin Adams, who has been with the service since 2023, was said to have “high expectations” for staff and is “ambitious and aspirational” about what the children can achieve.

However, although its safeguarding policy was “comprehensive” and it uses “safe recruitment practices”, the inspector found that one record did not show the reasons why one person had left a previous job.

The report added: “This shortfall in recording undermines an otherwise rigorous process which ensures that only suitable adults are employed at the home.

“The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained. They must ensure that recruitment safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them.”

Despite this, Dragon’s Retreat was rated as “outstanding” overall, which was an improvement from its 2023 inspection when it was said to be “good”.

Speaking about the achievement, manager Robin Adams said: “I am extremely proud that Ofsted recognises our service as outstanding.

“I have always felt that the team work extremely hard to ensure all our families and young people get an excellent service from us.

“Since stepping into the registered manager role, the whole team and I have worked together to improve the service and ensure it is the best it can be for our families and young people. This outcome just rubber stamps it.”

With six fully fitted bedrooms, Dragon’s Retreat is an independent short break unit providing overnight care for children and young people with disabilities up to the age of 18 years.

It provides a home-from-home experience, promoting independent living skills and ensuring the children or young person has fun whilst staying there.

We Are Beams also provides services and support for disabled children and their families across Kent.