ON THIS PAGE:

• Find out who are Designated Safeguarding Leads are in school.
• Meet our Pastoral Team.
• Find out about the pastoral support available in school.
• See how to raise concerns about a child who you think may be at risk.
• Read our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
• Find out about Early Support Assessments and TAF Plans.
  

Designated Safeguarding Leads at Ashbrow School

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

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

Operation Encompass

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

Visitors to school

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

Early Support and TAF Plans

We work alongside parents and outside agencies to support when some additional help is needed.  We refer to this as 'early support' and it can come in many shapes and forms. 

This often begins with an Early Support Assessment, where we capture how the family are doing in one assessment.  This helps us identify what help is needed by the family and start the process of putting that support in place. 

At times, parents may choose to receive that support through a TAF Plan - a Team Around the Family Plan.  This process involves parents, school and any other professionals supporting the family and meet regularly to make sure that everyone is working as a team to help the family.

Early Support Assessments and TAF Plans are voluntary and parents can choose to end that support at any time.

You can find out more about Early Support and TAF Plans on the Kirklees Safeguarding Children Partnership website.  There is also a very useful page of links for parents on this website, including information on parenting, NSPCC advice and information on services available.

If any parent/carer feels that they need some extra help, the first step is to speak to a member of our team based in Community House.