Medical Care & Welfare

Come and meet our boarders and see the school in action: call 01233 739030 or email registrar@ashfordschool.co.uk
 

Medical Facilities

Our on-site Medical Centre is run by three fully qualified RSN Nurses and is open six days per week. We also offer an on-call service so a nurse can be reached 24 hours a day. All boarders are registered with our school Doctor and given a medical check-up when they arrive. Boarders can visit the Doctor during the twice weekly drop-in clinic or make additional appointments to see her via the Medical Centre. Boarders are registered with a local dentist for either routine or urgent dental care.

Should emergency medical treatment be necessary, the School is only a 5 minute drive from the William Harvey NHS hospital. 

Ashford School is committed to the pastoral care of all our pupils and we will do all we can to ensure your time with us is happy, productive and rewarding. In addition to our medical and tutor teams, the School also has a Chaplain and an independent Counsellor whom any pupil can see.

Welfare

If you are experiencing any problems and would like to talk to someone about it here is what to do.

• If you are a parent of a pupil, you should talk to your child's Housemaster/mistress or the Head of Boarding, Mr Mark Single, or the Director of the Senior School, Mrs Yvonne Howard. If your concern is not being resolved you can make a formal complaint to the Head - refer to the attached Complaints Procedure above.
• As a boarder, if something is making you unhappy or worried it is always best to talk to someone:
  • Is there a friend who can help?  An older boy or girl?
  • Your house staff?
  • Your academic tutor?
  • One of the school nurses?
  • The Chaplain?
  • The Head of Boarding, Mr Single?
  • The School Doctor
  • The School Counsellor (appointment via Medical Centre)
  • Mrs Elaine Rose, a School Governor (contact her privately on elainerose@f2s.com)

You do not have to be on your own when you talk to someone, you can always have a friend with you or a member of staff. If you are aware of another pupil having problems it is important that you let someone know.

You might want to talk to someone not connected to the School. You can ring your guardian or one of the helplines:

• Shirley Goldwin (Independent Listener)  01303 813009
• CHILDLINE  0800 1111
• NSPCC Helpline  0808 800500

If you have a suggestion or a complaint you should see or write to the Head of Boarding, Mr Mark Single, first. If you are not satisfied then take your complaint to the Director of the Senior School, Mrs Yvonne Morris, or in her absence the Head, Mr Buchanan. If you are still not satisfied, you can contact OFSTED: they are responsible for the care and welfare of pupils in boarding schools.  Their contact details are:

• Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
• By telephone:08456 404045 
• By post: OFSTED, Royal Exchange Buildings, St Ann's Square, Manchester, M2 7LA