Safeguarding

What is Safeguarding? 

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. 

In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all at Our Lady & St Edward ensure the approach is child-centred. This means that Our Lady & St Edward consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

Our Lady & St Edward recognises that no single practitioner can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances. If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.

The purpose of safeguarding children is to:

  • Protect them from abuse, maltreatment and exploitation.
  • Prevent anything from harming their health or development.
  • Ensure they can grow up under safe and effective care.
  • Take action to ensure they have the best outcomes in life.

As part of our Safeguarding offer, Our Lady & St Edward and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust (OLoL CAMT) have a team of people who lead on safeguarding our students, they are our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs). 

All staff have undergone basic safeguarding training and the following staff members hold specific roles and responsibilities for child protection in school.

Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) contact details:

Rachel Byrne (DSL)
Tel: 01159155800
Email: r.byrne@olseacademy.org.uk

Joanne Greenwood (Deputy DSL)
Tel: 01159155800
Email: j.greenwood@olseacademy.org.uk

Kath Astley (Deputy DSL)
Tel: 01159155800
Email: k.astley@olseacademy.org.uk

Safeguarding hotline number for OLoL:
Tel: 01158550557
This will be diverted to our safeguarding team between 9am-3pm weekdays, and will send a voicemail to the safeguarding team outside of these times.

Moira Dales (Trust Safeguarding Lead)
Tel:07852133114
Email: m.dales@ololcatholicmat.co.uk

Contextual safeguarding

Culture Statement

At Our Lady & St Edwards Catholic Voluntary Academy we have a culture of safeguarding which is as follows:

Our leaders create a culture of vigilance and continuously communicate the importance of safeguarding throughout our school community.

Clear reporting systems

  • Use of CPOMS for secure, timely recording of concerns
  • Immediate reporting and effective follow-up actions
  • Staff are encouraged to report all concerns on CPOMS, however if they are ‘high level concern’ or ‘emergency level concern’ staff are told to report to the safeguarding team first and record second

Supporting our children

  • Pupils understand what is unacceptable behaviour and how they can disclose this information to us, even if the disclosure isn’t about them
  • Pupils are regularly reminded of how to disclose (in person or the worry button) and the support that is available to them through external services
  • They feel safe and confident to seek help or report concerns
  • Pupils take part in an annual safeguarding survey and other specific surveys throughout the year and feedback is collated and shared

Safeguarding Governor

  • Our Safeguarding governor supports our DSL
  • Our safeguarding governor meets with the DSL termly to review systems, processes and the culture of safeguarding
  • They ensure that we follow the safer recruitment processes

Working with parents and carers

  • We support our parents and make sure that they are not only aware of what safeguarding is but show them how they can report concerns to us
  • We ensure that the parents of our pupils know that we are always there to hear their concerns
  • Our parents receive updates about safeguarding issues including online safety through the parent bulletin and emails throughout the year

Staff training (CPD)

  • Annual safeguarding training
  • Ongoing updates through meetings and DSL networks
  • Staff are trained to recognise signs of risk, harm, and abuse
  • Practical examples and scenarios are shared weekly through the staff bulletin to ensure safeguarding is kept at the forefront of all that we do

Curriculum

  • Elements of our curriculum enable pupils to recognise and respond to risks to their wellbeing which are successfully designed and delivered, for example, learning about online safety or healthy relationships
  • We have a clear RSE programme in school

Safe environment

  • Our environment is effectively designed to safeguard students – this includes physical aspects of the environment such as CCTV cameras, secure gates, ID access to specific rooms, windowed doors into rooms, sign in/out inentory
  • We have zero tolerance of discriminatory language and behaviour which is met with consequences to deter repeat offences

Contextual Safeguarding

Each School has a separate contextual area of risk and mitigation.

Mental health and wellbeing

  • School has a clear graduated response to student wellbeing which is shared with all stakeholders
  • Wellbeing checks are completed by form leaders at regular intervals throughout the year
  • Our pastoral support workers, family support worker, school counsellor and school chaplains are the non-teaching staff available to support students when required
  • We work closely with external agencies to offer support in school and out of school 

Online abuse/E-Safety

  • Robust filtering and monitoring within school to prevent access to any harmful online content and notify Safeguarding of any concerning key strokes/searches
  • Lessons dedicated to online safety through IT and Personal development Relationships- domestic abuse, sexual assault/violence, harmful sexual behaviour
  • Education around healthy relationships through high quality RE and Personal development lessons
  • Student assemblies

Children missing in education/Missing episodes

  • Regular home visits for any student absence that is concerning
  • Close liaison with outside agencies and reporting of any concerns immediately
  • Close relationships with parents/carers and open lines of communication