InMAT inspire multi-academy trust is fully is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of all our pupils. We expect everyone associated with InMAT, all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. 

We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent, effective safeguarding policies, procedures and practices are in place to support pupils, families and staff in all our schools. 

All our schools follow the guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024), Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023), the Governance Handbook. All staff and volunteers will adhere to the InMAT safeguarding policy, whistleblowing policy and staff code of conduct.  

Our CEO is the trust Designated Safeguarding Lead. Our trust Inclusion Lead supports our schools to make sure their processes and procedures are robust and fit for purpose. Each school in our trust has a Designated Safeguarding Lead and a safeguarding governor.  We are committed to ensuring that our safeguarding leaders and all staff and volunteers receive the appropriate training to prepare them for their roles.

All our schools will work closely with families for the benefit of the pupils. Staff will make referrals and seek advice and guidance from external agencies such as Social Care if it is deemed necessary. There may be exceptional circumstances when the school will discuss concerns with Social Care and/or the Police without parental knowledge. Our leaders will always aim to maintain a positive relationship with all parents and carers. 

If you have a concern about a pupil or a member of staff in one of our schools, please use the contact details below for the designated safeguarding leader at the appropriate school, or check the school's website.

If your concern is about a senior leader at one of our schools, please contact Helen Williams, the InMAT designated safeguarding leader, or email:- safeguarding@inmat.org.uk

Designated Safeguarding Leaders

• InMAT Trust - Helen Williams 01604 434600
• Ashby Fields Primary School - Rachel Edkins  01327 310068

If you do not wish to speak with a designated safeguarding leader, please email :- safeguarding@inmat.org.uk

If you have an urgent concern about a child you can contact the Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

You can also contact the Northamptonshire Multi-agency safeguarding hub directly on 0300 126 7000 Or by using the link:

Report a concern - Help and protection for children (nctrust.co.uk)

Some other useful links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2

NSPCC | The UK children's charity | NSPCC

Home - Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Board (northamptonshirescb.org.uk)

Children, families and education (northamptonshire.gov.uk)

Thinkuknow - home

Net Aware: Your guide to social networks, apps and games (net-aware.org.uk)

https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

Childline | Childline

Parents Against Child Exploitation (Pace) UK (paceuk.info)

STOP CSE – NWG Network | Help Us Put A Stop to CSE (stop-cse.org)

 

 

At Ashby Fields Primary School, we recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all students. We endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and follow our procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice.

Designated Safeguarding Leaders

• Mrs Louisa Broad (DSL)
• Mrs Rachel Edkins (DDSL)
• Mrs Emma Ramm (DDSL)
• Miss Sophie Hume (DDSL)
• Mrs Caroline Grant (DDSL)
• Mrs Emma Mudge (DDSL)

Keeping children safe online

• Keeping children safe online
• Northamptonshire Safety Matters

Ashby Fields Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection Policy which can be viewed in the policies section on our website.

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies, when there are concerns about a child's welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with parents/carers first, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child's welfare.

We actively support the Government's Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Louisa Broad (Deputy Headteacher). The Governor with responsibility for safeguarding in our school is Janet Matthews. 

If you have any concerns about one of our pupils then do not hesitate to contact us by either telephoning the school office on 01327 310068, emailing the headteacher at rachel.edkins@afps.inmat.org.uk  or speaking to us in person via the school office.

The Northamptonshire Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) can be contacted

on 0300 126 1000 or out of hours on 01604 626 938, email MASH@northamptonshire.gcsx.gov.uk

Photographs and Videos

Whilst lots of parents and carers really enjoy seeing photos and videos of their children’s school life we are very mindful of our duty of care towards all our pupils. We take the issue of safeguarding very seriously and this includes the use of photographic and video images.

Any photographs or videos taken by parents, carers and relatives at school productions, sports days or other events are for the enjoyment of individual families. They must not be used in any way that could potentially place a child at risk. This would include publishing images in any form of print or on the internet including social networking sites. This is emphasised before concerts and shows etc and where practical a record of parents and relatives taking photographs or videos is made.

We understand that in exceptional circumstances a parent or carer may not wish their child to be photographed or videoed in this way. If this is the case then please contact the headteacher to discuss how this can be best achieved.

Occasionally, the local press will be invited to take photographs of school events and special achievements. We also like to use photographs of our children in our prospectus and similar documents, for parent information meetings, newsletters and on our display screens around the school. We also like to use photographs, of our children, on our website. If you do not wish photographs of your child to be used for these purposes, then please contact the headteacher.

The School has adopted the definition of the term 'Safeguarding' used in the Children Act 2004. 

In summary this is:

• protecting children from maltreatment;
• preventing impairment of children's health or development;
• ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
• undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.

The School's safeguarding arrangements cover all aspects of life at School, in particular addressing these issues:

• health and safety;
• bullying;
• other harassment and discrimination, including racism; sexism and other forms of discrimination.
• physical intervention; peer on peer abuse
• sexting
• homophobic behaviour
• meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions;
• provision of medical first aid;
• drug and substance abuse;
• off-site visits;
• intimate care;
• internet and communications safety;
• physical security of the School site;
• protection from maltreatment; and
• recruitment and vetting of staff and visitors to the site.

View our Child Protection Policy here.