Safeguarding

Every person who works with our children understands their responsibility in keeping children safe and should be confident in how they will do that.

Our school and college community has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are our students. This means that we have Safeguarding and Child Protection policies and procedures in place, which are available on the school and college website. All staff, including our volunteers and cover staff, must ensure that they are aware of our procedures.

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will always ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with their parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that this is not in the child’s best interests or a child is at significant risk or in immediate danger.

 

WHAT IS SAFEGUARDING?

Safeguarding means:

  • protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
  • preventing harm to children’s health or development
  • ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
  • taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes

 

Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.

 

WHO TO SPEAK TO:

If you have any concerns regarding the welfare of a pupil, please report it to the designated Safeguarding Leader (DSL) or one of the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leaders (DDSL).

Prevent

Contest: the UK's counter terrorism strategy.

The school is committed to protecting our young people from extremist behaviour and, as such, we are vigilant to students who are vulnerable and support the prevent branch of CONTEST (Counter Terrorism Strategy).

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  • Prevent: to stop people becoming terrorists and supporting terrorism
  • Pursue: to stop terrorist attacks
  • Protect: to strengthen our protection against terrorist attack
  • Prepare: to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack

 

What does Richmond School do?
  • Has a single point of contact for Prevent (Designated child protection staff)
  • Assesses risk of students being drawn into terroism
  • Develops an action plan to reduce the risk
  • Trains staff to recognise radicalisation and extremism
  • Refers vulnerable people via the usual safeguarding procedures
  • Prohibits extremist speakers and events
  • Manages access to extremist material
  • Teaches a broad and balanced curriculum based on the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, including and promoting fundamental British values
  • Promotes community cohesion