Safeguarding

At Thorpe Hesley School we believe that every child and adult should feel safe and protected from harm and we expect everyone who works in our school to share this commitment. We recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children. We endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment maintaining a culture of vigilance, where students are respected and valued. We will act quickly and follow our procedures to ensure students receive early help and effective support, protection and Justice.

We have an experienced and dedicated Safeguarding team made up of a Designated Safeguarding Lead (Sarah Hewitt, Headteacher) as well as four Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (Bridie Lilleker and Rachel Rawlinson, Deputy Headteachers; Lisa Shaw, Assistant Headteacher and Inclusion Lead; and Donna Oakley, SEMH Lead) and a designated Safeguarding Governor (Sarah Scott, Chair of the Advisory Group). In addition, our Children and Families Team work in partnership with our children and families offering bespoke support and advice, e.g. support with friendships, dealing with how to understand emotions, anxiety and promoting positive mental health and behaviour, as well as signposting our families to other external agencies, including Early Help and Social Services.

All staff and advisors receive annual safeguarding training in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education, as well as regular training and updates. We currently have three members of staff who are accredited Trauma Informed Practitioners. The school has a robust system of reporting, monitoring and filtering any safeguarding concerns, with cases consistently reviewed and tracked by the Safeguarding team. The school has strong links with outside agencies to effectively support children and families and we also work in partnership with our trust schools to share good practice, updates and training. We are an accredited National Online Safety school and online safety is woven into our curriculum with half termly lessons taking place in all classes. We address issues surrounding mental health and safeguarding through our PHSE curriculum, regular assemblies and through other opportunities throughout the year for example, Transition Worries workshop for Year 6, activities and workshops as part of Mental Health Awareness Week and Anti- bullying week, NSPCC assemblies and workshops.

Parent Coffee mornings happen on a half termly basis with specific focuses and input from external agencies. A Safeguarding newsletter is also sent out to our families half termly as well as parents being informed regularly of safeguarding updates using the school’s newsletter.

School have a strong attendance team with a nominated attendance lead who monitor attendance on an ongoing basis and follow the attendance pathway where concerns are identified, working closely with our families. They attend the termly School Attendance Matters Pathway (SAMP) forums and work closely with other schools within our trust to share good practice. They also have strong links with external agencies, including the Early Help Attendance Team. The Attendance Team work closely with the Children and Families Team to ensure a holistic approach for both children and families to support attendance.