Safeguarding

The safeguarding of our pupils is of the upmost importance at St Mary’s Catholic High School, and we believe that Safeguarding is everyone’s business and responsibility. It is the golden thread that runs through our school vision of academic excellence, holistic care, and religious formation.

All staff and governors at St Mary’s receive regular Safeguarding and Child Protection training and are aware of wide range of safeguarding issues that affect our pupils. They are vigilant to the signs of harm and abuse, and understand how to report any safeguarding concerns as a matter of priority.

We are committed to the belief that St Mary’s Catholic High School should provide a safe, caring, positive and stimulating environment, both inside and outside the premises, that promotes the spiritual, social, physical, and moral development of all our children.

We will always work closely with parents and carers in the area of safeguarding, as we believe that a united, child-centred approach will lead to the most positive outcomes. A termly safeguarding newsletter will be shared with parents and carers to highlight the most significant safeguarding issues impacting on our school community and guidance on how to address them. You can find our back catalogue of newsletters here

We are passionate about promoting the welfare of children and young people in order for them to achieve the very best outcomes they can- both academically and in their personal development We strive to educate our pupils about key safeguarding issues to equip them with the knowledge they need to make good decisions to keep themselves and others safe. This happens via curriculum teaching, including PSHE and RSE. We also run a programme of safeguarding assemblies each half-term to all year groups, which are planned and led by the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the Deputy Safeguarding Lead.

We consistently work with other agencies, including Social Care, the Police, and local charities, to ensure adequate arrangements are made to identify, assess, prevent, and support any child who suffers harm.

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and responsibility.

If you have any concerns about the welfare or safety of a child at our school setting, or feel that something may be troubling them, you should share this information with an appropriate member of staff straight away. Some issues e.g. a child’s appearance, hygiene, general behaviour, can be shared with any teacher or member of support staff at St Mary’s. Do not worry that you may be reporting small matters – we would rather that you tell us things which turn out to be small than miss a genuine concern or problem.

However, if you think the matter is more serious and may be related to a child protection concern you must ask for the safeguarding designated lead or deputy. Where the child has been harmed or is at risk of harm e.g. physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect, you must talk to one of the people below immediately. If you are unable to contact them, you can ask the school office staff to find them and ask them to speak to you straight away about a confidential and urgent matter.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• protecting children from maltreatment;
• preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development;
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

(Keeping Children Safe in Education, DfE, 2022)

If you are worried about a child’s safety in Derbyshire, you can also directly contact Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190 straight away. For any safeguarding concerns about a child in the Sheffield area, contact Sheffield Safeguarding Hub on 0114 273 4855.