Dove Green Private School

Dove Green Private School places student wellbeing at the heart of its approach to education, with safeguarding underpinning emotional safety for all students. A dedicated safeguarding team leads wellbeing across the school, including the Primary Principal as Head of Safeguarding & Wellbeing and the Assistant Principal as Head of Pastoral & Inclusion, supported by other senior leaders. The team is available to respond to concerns and provide guidance to students, families, and staff. The Inclusion framework provides targeted SEL support, including social skills groups and access to pastoral care as part of the broadly inclusive curriculum. A School Counsellor is available to provide individual emotional support as part of the safeguarding and wellbeing provision. In addition, a team of Mental Health First Aiders, accredited by Mind Matters, supports early recognition and response to mental health concerns.

Dove Green Private School is inclusive and follows a mainstream curriculum with additional support, differentiation, personalisation, and adaptation to meet individual needs. Support is delivered through a graduated approach with ongoing monitoring and assessment. The Inclusion Team leads SEN and inclusion, including Head of Inclusion Jeannette Jones, Upper School SENCo Lena Gaitanou, Lower School SENCo Darin Shahin, and EAL LSA staff such as Rola Ismail. Provision includes in-class support, phonics and maths interventions, social skills groups, access to pastoral care, Gifted and Talented groups, and English as an Additional Language support. Dove Green is a mainstream school rather than a dedicated SEN specialist institution.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision is planned after an initial needs assessment, with support designed to help students access the curriculum, initially focusing on essential communication and progressing to subject-specific help. The Inclusion Team includes an EAL Learning Support Assistant and other EAL staff (e.g., Beverly Banares, Olga Huckin, Rola Ismail, Liubov Shuvalova). EAL planning is integrated into school inclusion practices and emphasises meaningful peer interaction and teacher differentiation. The Race Equality Policy and English Language guidance recognise bilingualism and outline school strategies to support bilingual learners and access to literacy in multiple languages. English language planning is embedded in the school's Inclusion policies, with staff differentiating to meet varied needs.

Mental wellbeing is supported by a dedicated team of Mind Matters–accredited Mental Health First Aiders who are trained to recognise early signs of mental health challenges and provide initial support. The safeguarding structure includes a School Counsellor who offers individual emotional support to students. Pastoral and inclusion practices underpin ongoing wellbeing within the curriculum, and staff receive regular wellbeing-focused training as part of safeguarding requirements. The school also emphasises access to pastoral care for students and families facing emotional or behavioural challenges.

Dove Green Private School is rated ‘Good' by KHDA and BSO authorities. Safeguarding aligns with UAE Federal Law No. 3 of 2016 (Wadeema's Law) and the UK's Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024. A safeguarding team with roles including Primary Principal – Head of Safeguarding & Wellbeing, Assistant Principal – Head of Pastoral & Inclusion, Secondary Designated Leads, and a School Counsellor provides support and guidance. All staff are trained annually to Level 1 safeguarding with ongoing updates, and concerns can be reported to designated safeguarding leads or the safeguarding team. The school emphasises a culture of safety, trust, and care, with clear reporting channels for safeguarding concerns.