Our approach to Safeguarding
At the Respect Collaboration of schools, Safeguarding and Child Protection is of the highest priority and the safety and welfare of our pupils is everyone’s responsibility.
All staff are dedicated to:
• 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 to have the best outcomes
A strong culture of safeguarding is embedded through all aspects of school life. High quality professional development is provided to staff which includes regular updates on emerging safeguarding risks to all staff and governors across our schools. Our bespoke personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is targeted to developing knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. It plays a key role in safeguarding and supporting mental and physical health.
We have established strong links with local and national organisations to provide support to our pupils to raise awareness of contextual safeguarding risks. Statutory safeguarding requirements are monitored through our quality assurance processes for our schools and vocational providers; this ensures consistency of approach and a strive to improve our practice. Each school has a dedicated safeguarding and pastoral team which includes the Designated Safeguarding Lead and Behaviour Mentors who provide support and guidance to pupils. Family Support Workers are readily available to provide families with practical advice on a wide range of issues and challenges or to refer to organisations for additional guidance or advice. This is to ensure our pupils and families receive the right support at the right time.
The Respect Collaboration of Schools ensures that Safeguarding is a golden thread through all aspects of our community.
Approach to Attendance
‘Attendance Matters’! We believe that good attendance and punctuality are essential if pupils are to learn effectively and reach their full potential. We strive to provide welcoming, caring and safe environments where every member of the school community feels valued. Being in school every day is an essential foundation to pupils’ achievement, wellbeing, and their wider development.
We aim to achieve good attendance and punctuality by working with pupils and parents in partnership to overcome barriers to regularly attending school and engaging in education. Our Enhancing Family Success workers at each school offer support and guidance to pupils and parents when pupils become persistently absent to support pupils and families to develop strategies to improve their attendance. Family Success Workers will contact families to offer support and may visit families’ homes to ascertain the whereabouts of pupils. Where pupil attendance falls below our school expectations we may refer to one of our local services for additional support, this may include an Education Welfare officer.
Across all schools, attendance is monitored through our graduated support pathway. Attendance leads monitor attendance and review targets daily to ensure attendance concerns are acted on immediately and resolved. Good attendance and punctuality are celebrated and rewarded. Pupils are supported to identify the link between good attendance, personal achievement and future choices. Where individual pupils have identified issues that legitimately impact attendance, these will be handled with care and sensitivity to support the pupil and the family.
