Safeguarding
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as –
• Protecting children from maltreatment;
• Preventing impairment of children's health or development;
• Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, and
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
• Children include everyone under the age of 18
To read more about our policy of Safeguarding - - https://www.theschoolbus.net/compliancemanager/public/safeguarding-and-child-protection-policy/4c5e770d-3033-48c9-9cc1-59ec2ad654fc/59390
Looking after and supporting the development of the whole child
Waseley Hills prides itself on our whole school approach to safeguarding, promoting a positive open culture. We fully recognises our responsibilities for safeguarding children and young people and works with the Local Authority and other agencies to ensure the safety of children and young people in our care. As a school, we work to create a culture of vigilance, reporting concerns and embodying our professional curiosity. All staff within the school are aware that safeguarding the students in our care is everyone’s responsibility and that we always work in the best interests of the child, listening to the voice of the child wherever possible. All staff, governors and volunteers are encouraged to foster an attitude that ‘it could happen here’ and they are made aware, and reminded of, the protocols to follow should they have a concern about a child or young person’s safety or well-being.
Mrs Meredith is the Designated Safeguarding Lead who is a member of our Senior Leadership Team and is responsible for ensuring the safety of both students and staff. The Senior Designated Deputy Safeguarding Lead is Mrs Masters and the Designated Deputy Safeguarding Leads are Mrs Joshi, Mr Blount, Mrs Williams, Mrs Bradley, Mrs Ashley and Mrs McLeod all of whom support Mrs Meredith in her duties. Mrs Meredith is also our Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for extremism and radicalisation.
Throughout the academic year, we raise the profile of safeguarding and safer schools with assemblies on Bullying, Sexual and Gender Identity, Online Safety, Diversity, Domestic Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Peer on Peer Abuse, Sexual Harassment and many more. This ties in closely with our SMSC and Learning 4 Life programme.
Mrs Meredith and Mrs Masters meet every half-term with the local policing team where we share information to ensure the safety of all our staff, students and their families. Waseley Hills have a great working relationship with both West Midlands and West Mercia Police who offer support to school, individuals and the community.
Each safeguarding concern is treated with dignity and respect, and we work closely with families, external agencies, and the students themselves to ensure they feel safe, nurtured and receive the appropriate level of support to allow them to achieve their full potential.