Safeguarding the rights of all is the most noble and beautiful element of a human being.
In a very unpredictable world, the one key element for all parents is that our children are always safe. Schools, therefore, have a duty to ensure the safety of all pupils.
The British government and many other educational bodies now worldwide refer to this as Safeguarding. Many parents, although aware of the term, are not sure of its implications and how it impacts their children at school or a school’s daily responsibilities with regard to Safeguarding.
Safeguarding is essentially the actions that need to be taken to protect and ensure the health, happiness, and human rights of all children in a school environment and beyond.
All outstanding schools should have, and most importantly make available to parents and guardians, a detailed and comprehensive Safeguarding policy for the children under their care. They should also act in accordance with the policy at all times. Ask for a copy of your schools Safeguarding Policy and to meet the person in charge of Safeguarding.
All schools have a responsibility to ensure that children always receive the necessary care and feel safe and safeguarded. All members of staff should be child-centred and have comprehensive training in Safeguarding.
The UK Department of Education produced a statutory guidance document to state exactly how schools should be safeguarding their pupils: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023.
A school must ensure that all of its teaching and non-teaching staff are aware of the systems in place to support Safeguarding:
- Child Protection Policy – Safeguarding will be a large portion of this.
- Behaviour Policy
- Staff Code of Conduct
- Safeguarding Policy – Detailing roles and responsibilities within the school
As a parent, it is important that you feel and are aware that our child’s school:
- Always acts in the child’s best interests.
- Values and respects each child as an individual.
- Does not tolerate any form of bullying, racism or sexism in any aspect including technology.
- Keeps clear and accurate safeguarding records.
- Recruits all staff safely, ensuring that all necessary checks are carried out and documentation is both legal and appropriate.
- All members of the school community adhere to a code of uniform conduct about technology and social media usage.
- All teachers have regular Safeguarding training.
- Excellent relationships are nurtured with both children and parents.
Students within school lessons of the daily curriculum should be supported to feel confident and knowledgeable about Safeguarding and important subject areas discussed and covered.
For many schools, this takes place through PSHCE lessons: Personal, Social, Health and Citizen Education. These lessons, age dependent, should be extremely well planned and organised throughout the school. They should cover relevant and meaningful content, developing children’s emotional skills, build resilience, nurture mental and physical health and provide a strong understanding of the world in which we live. All outstanding schools will have this area of the curriculum mapped out for the school year and available to all parents.
As a parent, it is your right to feel that your child is safe and secure at school. As a Head of School, I always encourage parents to ask questions about this area and, when appropriate, to act accordingly with additional organisations to ensure the safety of a child.
It is important to know what is happening in your child’s school and to feel that all issues encountered will be handled in the correct way. It is also fundamental that schools work in partnership with parents and guardians, as working together is a lot stronger than apart.
By Penelope Best,
International Education Consultant
