Safeguarding
Our Safeguarding Team
Danielle Nugent
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Kalsooma Siddique
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
Simon Raynor
Safeguarding Governor
Chris Stokes
Headteacher & Safeguarding Officer
Alan Dunne
Deputy Headteacher & Safeguarding Officer
Andy Childe
Assistant Headteacher & Safeguarding Officer
Safeguarding at Bedale High School
Everyone who works with children and young people has a duty to safeguard them and to take action to ensure they receive the right support at the right time.
According to safeguarding legislation and government guidance, safeguarding means:
- Protecting children from maltreatment.
- Preventing any impairment to their health or development.
- Ensuring they grow up in safe, nurturing environments that provide effective care.
- Taking action to help all children and young people achieve the best possible outcomes.
(Working Together to Safeguard Children, HM Government, 2023)
Bedale High School takes its safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously, and our staff are committed to doing everything possible to protect students and children from harm. We recognise that safeguarding is a shared responsibility, and all staff are trained to remain alert to the signs and indicators of abuse.
We place great importance on listening to our students. Their views, feelings, and wishes are central to our approach, and we work to understand and support their needs. We aim to build trusting, consistent, and professional relationships with students.
We are strong advocates of early help and aim to identify concerns at the earliest stage so that we can act preventatively. We support and advise families and parents/carers while always prioritising the best interests of the student. Safeguarding also includes maintaining safe working practices and ensuring a secure environment for all students and staff.
Bedale High School safeguards students by:
- Maintaining a secure site and recording/monitoring all visitors.
- Following safer recruitment procedures to prevent unsuitable individuals from working with children.
- Teaching students the importance of e-safety both at school and at home.
- Filtering and monitoring internet use to prevent access to harmful materials or communication.
- Ensuring all staff have up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, recorded in the Single Central Record.
- Providing regular child protection training and ensuring all staff and visitors know who the designated safeguarding lead and deputy officers are.
- Operating robust admissions and attendance systems to keep students safe and reduce the risk of children going missing from education.
- Empowering young people to recognise risks in school and in the wider community, and to develop the confidence and skills to keep themselves and others safe.
- Helping students understand the importance of raising concerns about themselves or their peers, and giving them confidence to discuss sensitive issues.
- Providing inclusion support so all students can access guidance, advice, and referrals to external agencies when needed.
- Sharing information with partner agencies to ensure students and families receive the support they need and to prevent harm.
- Taking swift action and contacting the appropriate agencies whenever we believe a student is in danger or at risk of harm.
Sexual Abuse in Educational Settings 2021
At Bedale High School, we take Harmful and Abusive Behaviours extremely seriously. In light of national concerns about sexual abuse in educational settings, we want to direct our community to a helpline commissioned by the Department for Education and operated by the NSPCC.
This helpline offers advice and support to both children and adults who have experienced sexual abuse in schools. It is also available to support parents, carers, and professionals. Anyone who contacts the helpline will be guided towards any additional, relevant support services that may help.
The dedicated and confidential NSPCC helpline — Report Abuse in Education — can be reached by calling 0800 136 663 or by emailing [email protected].
Keeping Your Child Safe at Clubs and Sporting Events
Alongside the extra-curricular clubs and activities offered in school, your child may also take part in clubs or sports sessions outside of school. To support families, North Yorkshire Sport has produced a guide for parents and carers that includes a helpful safe-activity checklist. We encourage you to read this guidance to help ensure your child remains safe in all settings.
You can access the guide here:
Useful Links
Childline – Provided by NSPCC
Contact Childline with SignVideo for children with hearing disabilities. Sign Video lets you contact through a BSL interpreter anytime from Mon-Friday, 9am -8pm. Saturdays, 9am-1pm.
To access a counsellor, they are there to listen and support you with anything you’d like to talk about. Or you can have a 1-2- counselling chat online. You can discuss anything you like from a disclosure of pregnancy, being a victim of bullying, feeling low and struggling with sleep patterns; to mental health issues, or general low mood.
Kooth
Visit kooth.com and sign up for the text based conversation with a qualified counsellor. Counsellors are available from 12 noon to 10pm on a weekday and 6pm to 10pm at weekends.
Samaritans
Young Minds
Cruse
This is a service which offers support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies. They provide tips to help yourself, or as a parent; how you can support your child. There are video links which explain the grieving process so children/ adults understand each stage of grief.
Child Bereavement UK
- www.childbereavementuk.org
- 0800 02 888 40
- [email protected]
- Website Live Chat
Child Bereavement UK work to provide support to families of children who have lost a loved one.
Domestic Violence
- www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk
- 08082000247
- 24hr National Domestic Abuse
The National Domestic and Abuse Helpline is for women and children who are exposed to domestic violence. This allows you the option to seek help, support and advice. In an emergency, please call 999.
Duty & Advice
Duty & Advice
For help and advice regarding the safeguarding of children.
Police
Use the police to seek for advice regarding an issue which is concerning about the young people.
Place2Be
Well-being activities and ideas for families to complete. Counselling services. Place2Be works in partnership with Shout a 24/7 text messaging service to support anyone in crisis, anytime, anywhere.
Stop Abuse Together
Hambleton Food Share
North Yorkshire Council
Turn 2 Us
NSPCC
If you’re worried about a child, even if you’re unsure, contact our professional counsellors for help, advice and support.
Under 18 contact number: 08001111
This provides a useful resources for parents /carers on social networks, apps. This site also supports with online safety
Thinkuknow
This is an educational programme from NCA-CEOP, a UK organisation which protects children both online and offline for different age groups and supports parents.
Childnet
Childnet has produced a Parent and Carer Toolkit which is a collection of three resources designed to help you talk to your child about their online life, manage boundaries around family internet use and point you in the direction of where to get further help and support.
The UK Safer Internet Centre
Parents and carers can find online safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online.
Shout
Text service for anyone in crisis. They can speak to someone through a text message and get fast responses. This is a great service to use instead of having to speak top someone over the phone.
About Us
Bedale High School is a high performing coeducational, community school situated on Fitzalan Road, Bedale, North Yorkshire, England. Our Core Values of Courage, Commitment and Compassion ensure that our students operate in a nurturing school environment and go on to achieve great success at the end of year 11.
Copyright © 2026 Bedale High School. All Rights Reserved.