Safeguarding
Safeguarding
“Safeguarding” is a broad term used to describe services, philosophies and procedures aimed to protect children from harm.
“Child Protection” is a part of Safeguarding. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.
It is essential that everybody working in a school or college understands their safeguarding responsibilities. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play ensuring children and young people are safe from abuse, neglect exploitation and harm. Our school is committed to safeguarding children and aims to create a culture of vigilance. All staff should make sure that any decisions made are in the best interests of the child. Our pupils’ welfare is our paramount concern. The governing body will ensure that our school will safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils and work together with agencies to ensure that our school has adequate arrangements to identify, assess and support those children who are suffering or where significant harm is suggested. Our school is a community and all those directly connected, staff members, governors, parents, families and pupils, have an essential role to play in making it safe and secure for all. All our staff are correctly recruited in accordance with Wirral Safer Recruitment Policy, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and Working Together to Safeguard Children. We follow all safeguarding policies in school (Working Together to Safeguard Children and Keeping Children Safe in Education, Managing Allegations) and DBS rulings to ensure a culture of safeguarding.
Staying safe online and elsewhere is more important than ever in the digital age and the world we live in.
Lots of information is available online. Click the buttons below for more details.
If you have any safeguarding concerns, please contact safeguarding@heygarth.wirral.sch.uk or any of the people below.
What sorts of issues are “Safeguarding” issues?
Child Protection
Preventing Radicalisation
Safer Recruitment and selection of staff
Allegations of abuse against teachers and other staff
On-line safety
Risk assessments for off-site activities
Health and Safety including site security
Staff Training and raising awareness
Safer Working Practice
Specific Safeguarding Issues
bullying including cyberbullying
children missing from education
child missing from home or care
child sexual exploitation
domestic violence
drugs fabricated or induced illness
faith abuse
female genital mutilation
forced marriage
gangs and youth violence
gender based violence/violence against women and girls
hate
mental health
missing adults and children
private fostering
preventing radicalization (see below)
relationship abuse
sexting
trafficking
Site Security
In order to assist in the security of the school both during the day and after hours, a magnetic door locking system operates on ALL external doors and gates and some internal doors.
We go to great lengths to ensure that our school site is safe and secure for all. At breaks and lunchtimes, staff patrol the site and provide supervision in all the pupil areas.
At breaks and lunchtimes, staff and duty assistants patrol the site and carry radios to assist with communication. Such staff are on hand to ensure that lunchtimes are orderly and pupils have a point of contact.
Entrance, Car Park and Pedestrian Safety
In a morning and after school the entrance to the school site becomes very busy. Parents who are dropping their pupils off at school or collecting them at the end of the day are advised that there are parking restrictions in operation and you are requested to do so WELL AWAY from the school gates. As pupils walk onto the school site they will do so via the pedestrian entrances at Gates A, B and C. The most important instruction is that pupils must not walk through any gates when they are being used by motor vehicles.
Visitors
Visitors to the school enter the site via Gate A and head towards the main building to the door signposted Reception.