Under School Safeguarding

• To put the safeguarding of our pupils, i.e., minimising the risk of them suffering abuse, neglect or exploitation, at the absolute heart of everything the School does.
• Where a pupil is at a safeguarding risk, the Safeguarding Team will ensure that all policies and procedures are followed, liaising with external agencies, e.g., Children’s Services in the local authority in which the pupil lives, the police, etc. where appropriate.
• To encourage an environment where all pupils, who have age-appropriate knowledge of what can put them at risk, can talk to any adult and feel that they are being listened to and appropriately supported.
• To ensure that school attendance is as high as possible, emphasising the importance of good attendance to pupils and parents, and working with specific parents to minimise poor attendance.
• To ensure all staff are aware of the Safeguarding policies and procedures and have the knowledge, practice and confidence to act in accordance with the policies and procedures if a child is at a risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation.
• To continuously review and improve our Safeguarding procedures, which encourages excellence in safeguarding amongst all staff and volunteers.

Our Safeguarding Policy and related procedures are in line with current government guidelines, including:

• Keeping Children Safe in Education (2026)
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2026)
• Prevent Duty Guidance, England and Wales (2023)
• Working Together to Improve School Attendance (2024)

Additionally, our policy and procedures are reviewed regularly in conjunction with our other policies including our Behaviour Policy and our and Anti-Bullying, -Abuse and -Discrimination (Anti-BAD) policy.

We also work with outside agencies, such as Children’s Services in local authorities in which pupils live, in order to ensure the safety of specific pupils where there is an increased risk of them being at risk of harm from abuse, neglect or exploitation.

On very rare occasions, a social worker from a Children’s Services department of a local authority, while undertaking an investigation under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989, may want to speak to a child without parents’ knowledge. In collaboration with partner agencies, this action would only be taken if a child were at immediate risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, and where seeking consent would heighten that risk or cause evidence of a crime to be lost.

If you would like to know more about our policies in regard to Safeguarding, please speak to one of the Safeguarding Team below.