Enabling every pupil to become happy, secure, enthusiastic life-long learners who can experience personal success.
At Ashbourne Hilltop School, we’re fully committed to making sure children are safe, both at school and at home. We work hard to create an environment where children feel safe; where children, parents/carers and staff can talk about any safeguarding concerns, knowing they will be listened to.
We follow the advice provided by statutory bodies, agencies and authorities, for example the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Local Authority. We are registered to receive safeguarding updates, ensuring we stay aware of current trends and issues. We work alongside supporting agencies in a number of ways. They may provide us with advice, they can work direct with parents/carers and they can support us with resources and lessons — for example, this may include local police doing road safety lessons or Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School inviting our parents to online safety evenings.
Our staff and governors are aware of the importance of safeguarding, not just in being alert and raising concerns, but also in teaching the children how to stay safe and be considerate of others. Our team takes part in regular safeguarding training, which covers a range of topics from general safeguarding to female genital mutilation (FGM) and extremism.
Please visit our Family and Pupil Wellbeing page for more information on Early Help at Hilltop
We ask parents and carers to think carefully about when they leave their children unattended in cars. It may be tempting to leave a sleeping, tired child but when they wake they are likely to become upset, distressed and may try to leave the car. Paying for petrol at a garage where you can both see each other through windows is very different to going into a supermarket to do some shopping. The law doesn’t say an age when you can leave a child on their own, but it’s an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk.
Use your judgement on how mature your child is before you decide to leave them alone, e.g. at home or in a car.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) says:
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Mr Darren Hooley, supported by Deputy DSLs Mrs Jo Lee, Mrs Clare Fearn and Mrs Jane Wilton.
We are here to proactively support our community to stay safe. If you have any safeguarding concerns, please contact us by phone or email.
Remember – safeguarding is everybody’s business.
Our policies are available on the school policy page here.
Parent Zone website: Information to help you keep your children safe online.
Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership
Educate Against Hate website: Resources and advice to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.
