Students can only learn effectively and enjoy their learning and their experience at school if they are as healthy and happy as they can be.  To this end we provide a range of services to support their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Medical

We have a team of First Aid trained staff who are able to support students who have a medical diagnosis, are feeling unwell in school or have been injured.  Students can go to reception with permission from their teacher and a member of the team will help them. They will also respond to medical emergencies if they occur during the school day.

Where we are notified that students has or developed a diagnosed medical condition, we work with the student and their parents to establish a Medical Healthcare Plan, a copy of this can be requested from mesmedical@maidenerleghtrust.org if you have not already been sent one. This will ensure that the student can participate safely in as many of the school’s activities as possible and provides staff with information when taking students on school trips.

Medication in School

Maiden Erlegh School does not provide any medication whatsoever for students, including painkillers such as Paracetamol, Strepsils or antacids. The only exception to this rule is the emergency administration of pre-prescribed Epinephrine (Epipen) and Diazepam, which has been provided, and consented for, by a parent; or other prescribed medication which can be self-administered and for which a parent has given written consent. Please contact mesmedical@maidenerleghtrust.org to arrange to discuss such requirements.

There is a room available to students to check blood sugar levels, etc. or administer medication as agreed and where this medication can be securely stored.  We also run regular update training sessions for Epipen administration.

School Nurse

We have access to the services of a School Nurse but do not have one on site all of the time. Referrals to the School Nurse are usually through a student’s Head of Year or Mrs S Bendall.

Counselling

We have our own school counsellor who is qualified and experienced in working with young people. Students may self-refer via Mrs S Beckett (in our Inclusion Team) or a Head of Year may make a referral to the counsellor for students who may be experiencing difficulties in their life for a number of reasons. Typical examples may be relationship difficulties, poor self-esteem, bereavement, depression and stress.

Students are seen during the college day, in a counselling room based at the college. The sessions are confidential unless either the student gives permission for the information to be passed on, or someone has been or is at risk of harm (in this case the information will be passed on to one of the Safeguarding Team). For more information about our counselling, please contact Mrs S Beckett.

Inclusion Team

The inclusion team supports individual students or small groups of students with their learning. This might take the form of helping them with specific learning skills (e.g.: organisation or mind-mapping); providing them with a quiet space to learn if they are struggling emotionally; helping them catch up with work if they have had to miss lessons, for example due to ill health and talking through problems which might be impacting on their learning.

We have a dedicated Student Support Area, quiet rooms and an Inclusion Study Area, which can be used as required.  

Behaviour Support

On occasion, some students struggle to meet our expectations in terms of their behaviour. The reasons for this are often very complex and personal to the individual, but it has a very negative effect on their motivation and learning, as well as their relationships with teachers and peers. In order to support the student, a Head of Year may refer them for Behaviour Support with mentors from the JAC Team. Some of this work happens in small groups, but increasingly the students prefer working 1:1 with a JAC mentor. The sessions take place during the school day and on site and a student usually has about six sessions.

In addition to this work, JAC workers also run groups for students who would like to help develop the work of the school or support their peers. Recent groups have looked at Cultural Diversity and supporting our anti-bullying policy.

Child Protection

At Maiden Erlegh School we take very seriously our duty to keep our students safe and we do this in a variety of ways. Please consult our Child Protection Policy on our Key Polices page for the full range of actions in this respect, including full compliance with “Safer Recruitment” guidelines.

If there is cause for concern that a child may be the subject of abuse, a referral will be made to the appropriate Assessment Team at Children's Services. In the majority of cases, parents are informed if this is going to happen, but occasionally we do so without reference to the parents.

The principle is that the welfare of the child is of paramount importance.

If any parent or student has reason to be concerned about a child or young person, they should contact Mrs Jo Bhadye, Assistant Headteacher, who is the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead on j.bhadye@maidenerleghtrust.org or in her absence one of the three Deputy Safeguarding Leads – Mrs Stephanie Bendall, Mrs Sarah Beckett and Miss Claire Nimmo.