Our approach to safeguarding

Schools and their staff form part of the wider safeguarding system for children.  Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

(Keeping Children Safe in Education – DfE, 2021)

This Child Protection policy is for all staff, parents, governors, volunteers and the wider school community.  It forms part of the safeguarding arrangements for our school and should be read in conjunction with the following:

• Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, 2021)
• the school Behaviour policy;
• the school Staff Behaviour policy (sometimes called Staff Code of Conduct);
• the safeguarding response to children missing from education
• the role of the designated safeguarding lead (Annex B of KCSIE)

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children (everyone under the age of 18) is defined in Keeping Children Safe in Education as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment
• Preventing 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
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Our school has a whole-school approach to safeguarding, which ensures that keeping children safe is at the heart of everything we do and underpins all systems, processes and policies.  It is important that our values are understood and shared by all children, staff, parents / carers, governors and the wider school community.  Only by working in partnership, can we truly keep children safe.