Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as: providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge; protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is in or outside the home, including online; preventing the impairment of children's mental and physical health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes. (DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education - Statutory Guidance for Schools and Colleges - September 2025)

Our school takes safeguarding very seriously and the school's Safeguarding Leads support families if there are any safeguarding concerns. The school works closely with Children's Social Care and offers families a high level of support. All staff receive regular safeguarding training and know precisely how to identify and report concerns. The school's Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Mrs Armstrong and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSLs) are: Mr Street, Miss Goodman, Ms Maybank, Mr Wheeldon and Ms Oram. Their training is updated every two years. Referrals are made to Children's Social Care where a child discloses any form of abuse and maltreatment or where there are concerns. The school actively engages in an inter-agency approach to support families.

As part of our curriculum provision we ensure that children are taught to keep themselves safe, whether it be through anti-bullying, PSHE lessons, E-Safety sessions, age-related sex and relationship education and through a range of visitors who update the children on strategies to keep safe and signpost the children to Childline.

Sometimes, we may feel that extra support or expertise may be needed to help support some families. When this happens, and with consent, we will signpost or refer some families to other agencies such as Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Young Minds Matter (YMM), Early Help, School Nurse, Speech & Language Services, Advisory Teaching Service, Educational Psychologist and Occupational Therapy to name just a few.

DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education - September 2024

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