Safeguarding

We place safeguarding at the heart of everything we do at Bedale High School. We recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and we believe that every pupil has the right to feel safe and protected and we take this duty very seriously.

Safeguarding is about keeping children safe by protecting them from harm, supporting their development and making sure they grow up in a safe environment

All staff attended safeguarding training to ensure that keeping pupils safe is our staff members’ highest priority.

In addition to our Personal Development curriculum, we use themed days to raise the profile of spotlight issues: including Anti-Bullying Week, Safer Internet Day, and Mental Health Awareness. Through regular revisiting of themes and issues, we aim for our students to develop the appropriate strategies to keep themselves throughout their time at the Bedale High School and beyond.

Safeguarding Team  

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibilities 

Report your concerns 

Should you have any concerns, no matter how small, please contact a member of our safeguarding team as soon as possible.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, please call 999

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)	Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)	Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)	Safeguarding governor

Should you have any concerns outside of school hours, then you should report them to the North Yorkshire Multi Agency Safeguarding Screening Team, please call 0300 131 2131. Additional information about making a referral can be found on their website by clicking here.

We follow the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP) procedures and use the Bromcom system to record concerns and safeguarding information.

Parents and carers can also visit the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership website for more advice and information: NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk).

Or call NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

For pupils, the NSPCC Childline number is 0800 1111.

We aim to maintain a positive relationship with all parents. The school will, in most circumstances, endeavour to discuss all concerns with parents about their child/ren.  However, there may be exceptional circumstances when the school will discuss concerns with Children’s Social Care and/or the Police without parental knowledge (in accordance with Child Protection procedures)

Prevent Duty

As part of Bedale High School’s ongoing safeguarding and child protection duties, we are fully behind the government’s Prevent Strategy. From 1 July 2015 all schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty for Schools.

At Bedale High School, we build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling our pupils to challenge extremist views. The statutory guidance refers to the importance of Prevent Awareness Training to equip staff to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas, and we constantly participate in training, so our knowledge is up to date. 

Our school is part of Operation Encompass. 

Operation Encompass is a national police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people who experience Domestic Abuse, and which is in place in every police force in England and Wales.

Children were recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act.

Operation Encompass means that the police will share information with our school about all police attended Domestic Abuse incidents which involve any of our children PRIOR to the start of the next school day.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead has completed the Operation Encompass Key Adult training and they will cascade the principles of Operation Encompass to all other school staff and governors.

North Yorkshire Duty Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) 

The North Yorkshire Duty LADO can be contacted on 01609 533080 should you wish to speak to somebody in relation to managing an allegation against a member of staff or a volunteer who works in North Yorkshire with children. please contact the relevant area LADO. For more information go to NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

The school adopt the definition used by Ofsted derived from The Children Act, 2004:

• protecting children and young people from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children and young people’s health or development
• ensuring that children and young people are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• undertaking that role so as to enable those children and young people to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.

The school recognise that safeguarding is not just about protecting children from deliberate harm. It includes issues for schools such as:

• health and safety
• bullying
• racist abuse
• harassment and discrimination
• use of physical intervention
• meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions
• providing first aid
• drug and substance misuse
  • Please take a look at the information on the FRANK website for some further guidance and support around concerns over potential substance misuse: https://www.talktofrank.com/  Or contact the school safeguarding team.
• educational visits
• intimate care
• internet safety
• issues which may be specific to a local area or population, for example the refuge centre
• school security
• developing appropriate attitudes towards personal safety and well-being

• Emphasis is placed on students views about if they feel safe in school gathered from informal discussion and formal processes, e.g. Questionnaires.
• The responsibility for safeguarding extends beyond the school gates where students are engaged in school activities.
• Safeguarding concerns the effectiveness of the school’s work with services provided, commissioned or brokered by the local authority to promote the safety and health of all learners.
• The governing body is accountable for ensuring that the school has effective policies and procedures in place in accordance with the DFE guidance, and monitors the school’s compliance with this.
• Senior and middle leaders are clear about their statutory requirements regarding safeguarding and the steps they are taking to develop good practice beyond the statutory minimum.
• Specified recruitment and vetting checks on intended new appointees, particularly identity and qualification checks, are carried out. There is a full, accurate and up to date single, central record of these checks.
• All staff understand that safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility and know who to contact if they are concerned about a child or young person. They understand their responsibilities in order to achieve positive outcomes, keep children safe, and complement the support that other professionals may be providing.
• Students are aware of how they can keep themselves safe and what behaviour towards them is not acceptable. They recognise when pressure from others (including people they know) threatens their personal safety and well-being, and are helped to develop effective ways of resisting pressure, including knowing when and where to get help.
• The school monitors the provision for and outcomes of all students, including: off- site provision, work-based learning, extended services, students with a child protection plan, refugee and asylum seekers, looked after children and excluded students, attendance, exclusions and racist incidents.
• There is a designated senior person for child protection and a deputy as well as a governor with specific responsibility for safeguarding .
• There is a child protection policy and procedural documents.
• Allegations against staff are dealt with in accordance with NYCC guidance.
• The designated member of staff has undertaken training in inter-agency working to standards agreed by the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB), and undertakes refresher training at two yearly intervals.
• All staff and other adults who work with students undertake appropriate and up-to-date training to equip them to carry out their responsibilities for child protection effectively, this is kept up to date by refresher training at three yearly intervals.
• There is a clear reporting system if a student, member of staff, parent or other person has concerns about the safety of children.
• Security arrangements for the grounds and buildings are adequate and reviewed annually.
• There are effective and prompt systems for referring safeguarding concerns about pupils to relevant agencies.
• Attendance is monitored and appropriate action taken as necessary, especially with regard to the most vulnerable.
• Close advisory links and collaboration are maintained with a large number of external agencies and professionals that support safeguarding.
• The school filters all internet access using a smooth wall appliance. Students are encouraged to report any internet safety issues to staff and a link to CEOP (Child Exploitation Online Protection) is available on the school website.
• North Yorkshire Police are promoting a new online resource which aims to raise awareness of what adults can do to protect children and hosts a 30 minute learning programme.

The programme covers topics including: what sexual abuse is, who abuses children, and why, offending behaviour, signs to look out for in children and adults, how to put in place a family safety plan to protect children and where to go for help and advice.

Please click on the link below:

http://www.parentsprotect.co.uk/Human Traffiking/Child Exploitation

Young Minds

Guidance for Safer Working Practice

Operation Encompass