Safeguarding

“Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing 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.“ KCSIE

Keeping Your Child Safe

At Penn Hall School we are committed to safeguarding children and young people and we expect everyone who works in our school to share this commitment

Adults in our school take all welfare concerns seriously and encourage children and young people to talk to us about anything that may worry them

We recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children.

We understand that safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility and everyone who comes into contact with our children and families has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.

We make every effort to provide a safe and welcoming environment underpinned by a culture of openness where both children and adults feel secure, able to talk and believe that they are being listened to.

We will adopt a ‘child-centred’ approach to safeguarding and child protection and we will act in the ‘best interests’ of our children

We ensure that everyone is aware of their safeguarding responsibilities

We provide staff, volunteers and governors with the framework, training and support they need to keep pupils and students safe and secure in our school and to inform parents and guardians how we will safeguard their children whilst they are in our care.

Please click the link below for statutory guidance from the Department for Education.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

If you have any concerns or need further information, please contact any of the named professionals:

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Communication with Parents

Our school will always discuss concerns with parents/carers and consent for any referrals should be sought unless to do so would:

Place the child at risk of significant harm or further risk of significant harm;
Place a vulnerable adult at risk of harm; and
Compromise any enquiries that need to be undertaken by children’s social care or the police.

The school will endeavour to ensure that parents have an understanding of the responsibilities placed on the school and staff for safeguarding children.

In the best interests of safeguarding children there may be occasions when the school has to consult with other agencies without a parent or carer’s prior knowledge. Our first concern and responsibility is the child’s welfare and we have a duty to protect children first and always. Such consultation may result in a formal referral which could prompt visits from social care and/or the police. We fully understand that this can be a very distressing set of circumstances. Our school will follow the procedures required by the Wolverhampton Safeguarding Children Board.

Our school will employ the services of an interpreter if required.

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Operation Encompass

Penn Hall School is proud to work with West Midlands Police through an initiative called Operation Encompass. The purpose of this is to safeguard and support children who have been involved in, heard or witnessed a domestic abuse incident. Following such an incident, children may arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared. Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff (called Key Adults) are made aware early enough to support children in a way that means they feel safe and included.

Our Key Adult is Sarah Wilkinson.

Operation Encompass Letter to Parents