Safeguarding

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Safeguarding and Child Protection is at the heart of everything we do at Highfield School.

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a police and education early information sharing partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse. Information is shared by the police with a school’s trained Key Adult (DSL) prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident thus enabling appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.  To find out more.

Prevent Duty

The Prevent Duty aims to prevent young people from being radicalised by, for example, far right extremists or religious extremists.  In school we have a duty to care for the children and take note of any child who is at risk of radicalisation, regardless of their background. We also have to take steps to help prevent children being exposed to extremist ideas. Our overriding concern is that children feel safe and also express tolerance towards all cultures and religions, even when personal views may be different.

It is important to us that our students are safe whilst at school and our procedures to ensure this are:

  1. We have a secure gate system that is monitored by CCTV.
  2. All visitors sign in at reception and are given a visitors badge before they are allowed access to any area of the school.  They are given a guide that explains the procedures within the school and are not left unsupervised at any time.  Any supply staff or visitors who will be accessing classroom areas will be asked to sign the Professional Code of Conduct document, a copy will be given to them and a copy saved for our records.
  3. Visitors not wearing a badge or moving about the site unsupervised will be challenged
  4. Visitors to our school or website who are concerned in any way about a student’s safety should make their concerns known to our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL):

Senior Designated Safeguarding Leads

  • Mrs Rebecca Thompson (Headteacher)
  • Mrs Nicola Hirst (Deputy Headteacher)
  • Mrs Tracy Marsh (Child Welfare & Safeguarding Lead)

Highfield School’s Safeguarding Team

All members of the Safeguarding Team have completed Designated Safeguarding Lead Training

  • Mrs Anna Bates (Assistant Headteacher- Semi-Formal Pathway)
  • Mrs Judith Hickey (Assistant Headteacher- Formal Pathway)
  • Mrs Amanda Sheppard (Assistant Headteacher Key Stage 5/ Post 16)
  • Mrs Kirsty Barr (Key Stage 3 Parent Support Adviser)
  • Mrs Lynn Catchpole (Key Stage 4 Parent Support Adviser)
  • Mrs Emma Kitchener (Post 16 Parent Support Adviser)

Please use the school’s contact us section of the website and ask to be contacted by one of our DSL case workers if you do have any worries.  For further help and guidance with online safety please see our E-Safety Section on the website.

All policies related to Safeguarding and Child Protection can be found below, our pupils have also written child friendly policies that are displayed in their classroom and form part of their own safety curriculum.

Useful links: