At Whitecross we consider the safeguarding of every child to be our priority. All staff receive annual training to recognise the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect alongside other safeguarding concerns.
Whitecross expects all staff and volunteers to share our commitment to delivering the highest levels of safeguarding for our students. The school has developed a proactive and inclusive approach to promoting the welfare of all students. Safeguarding goes beyond the contributions made to child protection in relation to individual children. Our objective is to provide a safe environment for all young people to learn and realise their full potential.
All stakeholders are required to be aware of the procedures found in our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy. Together with this policy Whitecross follows the procedures set out by the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and considers guidance issued by the Department for Education, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’.
There may be occasions when we need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies regarding concerns about a child’s welfare. In these instances, we will discuss concerns with parents and carers unless we have reason to believe that such a decision would be contrary to the child’s welfare.
We have a dedicated team who work together for the welfare and safeguarding of our students. Our team is led by Mr Erwin who is our Designated Safeguarding Lead. He is supported by Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads: Mrs Giampalma, Mrs Wood and Mrs D Goodall. In addition to the team, our Safeguarding Governor is Mrs Theresa Wood.
If you have any safeguarding concerns regarding any student, please contact the team by email. Any safeguarding concern outside of school hours should be referred immediately to the Police by dialling 101 or in the case of an emergency, dial 999.
We want young people to be safe online and we know that this can sometimes be a challenge for both our students and parents. Whitecross has an online safety policy, which alongside our safeguarding policy sets out how we work with our community to address the risks online.
Our Online Safety policy has been incorporated within our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
Advice for parents:
NSPCC Online Safety Advice for Parents
Advice for young people: