Ashbrow School

Working Together for Children and Families

Ash Meadow Close, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD2 1EX

office@ashbrowschool.org.uk

01484 452128

Our Designated Safeguarding Leader is Mrs Louise Kent

Our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leaders are Mrs Ami Smitten, Mrs Debbie Whitehead and Mr Alex Thomas.

Pastoral Care and Safeguarding

Our Pastoral Team

Our safeguarding & family support team are on hand to support not only our pupils, but parents and carers too.

  • Mrs Debbie Whitehead – Senior Safeguarding Officer
  • Mrs Debbie Barclay – Learning Mentor
  • Mr Alex Thomas- Safeguarding Officer

We offer a wide range of support and advice, as well as referrals to other agencies. We are based at Community House and can be reached there during school hours, either by dropping in or telephoning the main school switchboard.

Below are some of the ways in which we can provide support:

  • Referral to School Nurse for tooth hygiene, routines, head lice support, hygiene, sleep problems, weight/height concerns etc. The school nurse is in school on Tuesday mornings.
  • 1-1 parenting sessions around behaviour, routines and boundaries.
  • Help with applying for school places (Reception and high school).
  • Support with school uniform.
  • Referrals for children for support for emotional wellbeing.
  • Referrals for adults to support around mental health, housing, finances and support with food in emergencies.
  • Supporting with school attendance and home visits.
  • A listening ear for any concerns you or your child may have of a safeguarding nature. We are the point of contact for both the police and social services where incidents happen in and out of school.

Our behaviour support and learning mentor teams are a key part of our school.  We have staff based in both KS1 and KS2 buildings who support our pupils in a number of key areas - both in and out of class - and also support with breakfast club and meet & greet. 

The team develop strong relationships with all our children but particularly those who need additional support with their emotions.  These might include regular 1-1 sessions, or staff might just be on hand when a child is struggling to stay in class and access their learning. These key staff become someone the child can feel safe with to share their emotions and talk about their difficulties.

Passing on concerns

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at Ashbrow School – the safety of our pupils is our greatest priority at all times.

If you have concerns about an Ashbrow School pupil - this could involve worries about a child's physical or emotional well being or their safety - you can contact school during school hours on 01484 452128 and ask to speak to a member of the safeguarding team.  During school closures and holidays, you can email us on safeguarding@ashbrowschool.org.uk letting us know your name and contact number and, if you feel appropriate, an indication of what your concerns are.  A member of the safeguarding team will respond to your email as soon as possible.

During school holidays, there is a telephone number available for safeguarding concerns - please be aware that this is not switched on all the time but is checked regularly for messages.  Again, please leave your contact details and your name when you leave a message or text.

Mrs Debbie Whitehead    07956 084504

If you would prefer to pass on your safeguarding concerns to Kirklees Children’s Social Care, please telephone 01484 456848 during office hours.

 

If you feel a child is in immediate danger, please telephone the police on 999.

 Important contacts

Role Name Contact details
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Louise Kent

Head Teacher

louise.kent@ashbrowschool.org.uk

School 01484 452128

Deputy DSL

Ami Smitten

Deputy Head Teacher

ami.smitten@ashbrowschool.org.uk

School 01484 452128

Other contactable DSL(s) and/or Deputy DSL(s)

Debbie Whitehead

Senior Safeguarding Officer

Alex Thomas

Safeguarding Officer

debbie.whitehead@ashbrowschool.org.uk

School mobile 07956 084504

 alex.thomas@ashbrowschool.org.uk 

School mobile 07956 084613

Leadership team if DSL or Deputy DSL can't be on site

Katy Roche

Assistant Head Teacher KS1

 katy.roche@ashbrowschool.org.uk 

Head Teacher Louise Kent louise.kent@ashbrowschool.org.uk 
Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO

LADO.cases@kirklees.gov.uk

01484 221126

Chair of Governors Ken Gedman ken.gedman@ashbrowschool.org.uk 

School Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Please visit the link below to read our full Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

Ashbrow School Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

 

Encompass

As a school we participate in Operation Encompass, more information is available here and here

 

Visitors to school
We have a variety of visitors to school on a daily basis - some are here to support the smooth running of the school (for example our IT consultants or our school nurse).  Some are in school to enrich the children's learning with special activities. ALL visitors are required to provide the school office with a copy of their DBS check before going into school. We ensure that all adults in school wear a lanyard/badge that reassures staff and children that they are safe to be in school. In certain cases, where a company may send several members of their team to Ashbrow on a regular basis, we ask for a 'letter of assurance' from them that confirms the company has safeguarding procedures in place and that they carry out DBS checks on all staff.

PASTORAL INFORMATION

We have a range of information in school to support parents - please speak to staff in Community House if you would like any further support or referrals made.

School Nurse/Locala - support in school

Hygiene advice for KS2 pupils

Head lice and nits information

Tooth hygiene