Keeping Children Safe

 

We want our pupils to feel safe and to be happy every day they come to Thomas Ashton School.  They will be better prepared and motivated to learn and to enjoy school.

 

Many of our children have very challenging needs and for some, meeting needs around anger, aggression and mental health is a priority.

 

In partnership with other agencies, we work tirelessly to help our pupils and their families to overcome a range of barriers and to make their education the best that it can be.  Children have to be ready to learn as well as willing to learn, and some of the barriers they may face can be beyond their control.  Sometimes our pupils need school to be an advocate for change; to help to make a difference in their lives through the support and challenge we provide to those around them. 

 

Our children deserve the strongest possible foundations upon which to build their futures, and we will do all we can at Thomas Ashton School to make sure this happens.

 

Staff are trained to deal with confrontational and challenging situations.  At Thomas Ashton School we use the principles and practice of ‘Team-Teach’ (www.team-teach.co.uk) to help de-escalate difficult situations.  The training also means that, in the event a child needs to be held for their own safety or for the safety of others, it is done as a ‘last resort’ and in accordance with the practice of Team-Teach. 

 

Please refer in particular to our policies on ‘Safeguarding’, ‘Child Protection’ and ‘Behaviour and Physical Intervention’.

 

Where we may have concerns about the wellbeing or safeguarding of  a pupil away from school, we will work with Social Care and / or the Police if necessary to ensure everything is done to protect the child.

 

Whether in-school or off-site, all activities are ‘risk assessed’ and pupils will be judged as being either safe or unsafe at that time. When pupils demonstrate they can be safe they will be involved in an activity. We believe strongly in ‘inclusion’ and want our pupils to have the experiences and challenges that will help them to grow and develop as responsible, caring and sharing young people.

 

As pupils grow older and as they mature and become more responsible, they should be given opportunities to demonstrate their maturity and ability to handle responsibility. Although we deliver a very ‘nurturing curriculum’ and have a building designed to provide security, we recognise that our pupils need to grow up, and therefore must have the experiences and the degrees of independence that enable them to do this. 

 

Some pupils travel to school independently, walking, cycling or catching the bus on their own; some children have an adult escorting them; others require transport in the form of a taxi with an escort. All pupils have to behave appropriately during their journey to, and from, school.  Dangerous or challenging behaviour by those requiring transport may result in the transport being withdrawn. For the independent travellers, dangerous or challenging behaviour could result in action being taken by a bus company for example, or even lead to Police involvement. If this was the case, parents would be advised to look for an alternative means for getting their child safely to school.