Safeguarding & eSafety

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The Head teacher's Safeguarding Statement

The Curriculum

Our most important mission is to educate children well and challenge them in their learning in order that they aspire. Caring and safeguarding are therefore more than just making children safe. They also entail developing an understanding of emotional resilience, developing curiosity and fostering discipline. That is why our values include wonder, aspiration, respect and discipline. It is also why the development of mental toughness, personal strength and determination are important pillars in maintaining child protection. It is my view that things that are worth doing are seldom easy and that in learning to do battle with and in struggling with their learning, children grow and flourish. Children need to be challenged in their learning and learn to look after themselves. Anything less fails to safeguard their future and it is their future that we must safeguard as a priority. Safeguarding is an implicit part of the curriculum and is demonstrated in the quality of our teaching.

Employee Vetting and Annual Training

Caring for all young people in our school carries significant responsibility. Our fundamental mission is to educate young people to be prepared for the world in which they will develop as adults. We strive to do this in a safe and secure environment, free from intimidation and in a climate of mutual respect so that children are confident in their ability to express themselves. We make sure that all the staff are caring, suitably qualified professionals and we have detailed safeguarding procedures in place to not only deter individuals who may put child safety at risk but keep a central vetted and cleared record of employees . All employees are aware of the essential transparent nature of our work and we invite early concerns in this area however small. The annual training programme for staff regularly includes important aspects related to our duty of care.

The Safeguarding Portfolio

We reference all our work in safeguarding  against relevant policy in respect of Anti Bullying, Behaviour, Child Protection, CPD, Equal Opportunities, Gifts and Hospitality, Health and Safety, Physical intervention and restraint, Social Networking, School Security and Risk Management, SEN+D, SMSC (Sex and Relationships), SMSC(Personal development), Staff code of conduct, and Whistle blowing . All of these policies are available on our website.

Health and Safety

Our facilities are well maintained and our site team work hard to uphold the very best standards in health and safety protocols so that our physical environment is as good as it can be.

We monitor our environment and the learning climate continuously and where we feel we are falling short of the high expectations we set, we intervene and take action to remedy it. Large organisations are not perfect but we work with individual stakeholders as and when required to safeguard futures.

Statutory Duty

Under the Education Act 2002 (Section 157 for academies/free/independent schools), schools  must   make   arrangements  to   safeguard   and promote  the  welfare  of children.   Parents/carers should know that the law (Children Act 1989) requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse.  Staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with the parent/carer and, where possible, seek their consent to make a referral to Children’s Social Care if that is considered necessary. This will only be done where such discussion will not place the child at increased risk of significant harm. The school will seek advice from Children’s Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later found to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead carries out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acts in the best interests of all children.

All of these important contributions demonstrate our commitment to the highest level of safeguarding.

Tim Hodgson

Head teacher

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