Safeguarding at Our School

Safeguarding (also sometimes referred to as Child Protection) is a key priority for our school and something we monitor closely in line with legal requirements set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education. This document sets out the legal duties schools must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 in schools and colleges.

Safeguarding is all about keeping children safe from any type of harm. This could be physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect or any form of radicalisation, for example. St Alban’s staff are vigilant and take their safeguarding responsibilities very seriously.

Every school has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and deputy DSLs. Staff who have these responsibilities attend comprehensive safeguarding training and are responsible for ensuring that all staff are aware of their safeguarding duties. In our school Mrs Goldsworthy is the Designated Safeguarding Lead, and Mrs James, Miss Meades, Miss Brookes and Mrs Welton are the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.

All staff and volunteers in our school receive safeguarding training and are asked to report any concerns they have about a child or parent’s safety to the DSL so that they can decide what our next steps need to be.

Wherever it is safe to do so and is felt not to cause any further risk to the child, the DSL or deputy DSL will speak to parents regarding any concerns that have been raised. Concerns that could lead to a child or parent being considered at risk of threat of significant harm must be reported to Children’s Services as part of our legal duty. Where it is felt that talking to parents before informing Children’s Services would put a child at further risk or cause an investigation to be obstructed, school will ring Children’s Services without first talking to the parent or carers. Children’s Services will then decide how they want parents to be informed and school will follow their advice.

Our priority will always be to keep children safe and we therefore have a duty to take all concerns seriously. However, we do appreciate that parents and carers may find conversations around these concerns upsetting, uncomfortable or difficult. We try to keep these conversations as objective as possible, dealing only with facts, in the hope that it helps parents and carers to see that this is not a judgement but an opportunity to share important information.

Sometimes, to support the welfare of our children and families at an early stage, before difficulties become too great, it may be appropriate, in partnership with parents, to seek additional ‘early help’ from professionals trained to help children and families in a range of different situations. Our Home School Link worker and deputy DSL, Mrs Welton, has access to a range of professionals and agencies and will work with parents to identify appropriate sources of help and support that may benefit their family if needed.

As well as ensuring we act appropriately if concerns about children are raised, we also provide opportunities through our curriculum for children to learn how to keep themselves safe in a variety of different situations. For example, learning about how to keep themselves safe online, fire and rail safety, NSPCC ‘speak out stay safe’ workshops. You can read more about our safeguarding curriculum by visiting our Curriculum page.

If you have any concerns or worries regarding the welfare or safety of a child, or if you feel your family could benefit from additional support, please contact the school by calling 02392 482072.

Our Child Protection policy can be found in the policies section of our website.

The Prevent Duty - Information for Parents/Carers

Please select the link below to find out more about the Prevent Duty, an important part of the safeguarding work of all schools to protect children and young people from radicalisation and extremism.