Safeguarding

Who should I contact if I have a safeguarding concern?

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is:

Miss Vandna Pathak (Senior Assistant Headteacher - Inclusion) v.pathak@tgstrust.com

The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are:

Mr Lee Thomas (Head of School) l.thomas@tgstrust.com

Miss Brid McBride (Assistant Headteacher KS3) b.mcbride@tgstrust.com

Ms Gabbi Paisley (6th Form/KS5) g.paisley@tgstrust.com

We believe that all children have a right to attend school and learn in a safe environment. Children should be free from harm from other children and adults.

Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that safeguarding means:

Protecting children from maltreatment
Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcome

Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding. School staff are particularly important as they are in a position to identify concerns early and provide help for children, to prevent concerns escalating.

Key principles

All those working at and with The Green School for Girls share a commitment to ensure that students and the staff are safe
Student welfare will always be paramount and overrides all other considerations
A proper balance will be struck between protecting students and respecting the rights and needs of parents and families; where there is conflict the child’s interests must remain paramount
Students have a right to be heard, to be listened to and to be taken seriously, taking account of their age and understanding. They will be consulted and involved in all matters and decisions which may affect their lives
The process of protecting the child from harm will be carried out with the parent/carers involvement whenever possible and they will be encouraged to exercise their responsibilities
Students will be taught ways that will foster security, confidence and independence through the curriculum
Any adults in school will have been checked for suitability to work with students
Visitors will report to Reception and wear an ID badge whilst on the premises
Clear procedures are in place to ensure appropriate handling of bullying and to ensure that students are safe in school
Clear procedures are in place to work with students, whose behaviour is challenging and may compromise their own, or others’ safety and well being
Clear procedures are in place to ensure safe use of the internet in school and these are known to all students, staff and parents
Child protection procedures are reviewed and updated regularly in line with statutory guidance

Safeguarding includes child protection, health care plans, health and safety, site security, safety on school trips, anti-bullying work and so much more.

The school follows the guidance and directives from the following Department for Education documents:

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 (updated in 2022)
The Prevent Duty 2015

Please refer to the policies section of this website for School and Trust policies related to safeguarding which are regularly updated. These include:

Child Protection
Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Policy
Fire and Evacuation Policy
ESafety Policy
Attendance and Punctuality Policy
Code of Conduct Policy
Supporting Students with Medical Conditions Policy
Equality Policy
School Trips Policy
Whistle-blowing Policy

All staff receive annual Safeguarding and Child Protection training, and must attend termly updates. They are aware of the procedures for passing on concerns within school.

If any members of the school or local community have concerns about the welfare of a child in the school, please pass them on to one of the staff above.

PARENTS AND CARERS INFORMATION

Following the troubling testimonies of sexual harassment and abuse documented on the Everyone's Invited website the NSPCC has a new helpline available to support children and young, people, and offer guidance to adults and staff working with pupils.

The helpline can be contacted on 0800 136 663, or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk

General Information

E Safety

Useful Links

e Safety Policy

Online safety for teenagers

UK Safer Internet Centre

Supporting Parents

Useful Links

Child Protection Policy

Talking mental health with young people at secondary school