Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
ONE Academy Trust is deeply committed to raising standards and achievement for all children regardless of ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, or disability.
If children are to achieve academically, socially and emotionally to the best of their ability, their basic needs for safety, protection and inclusion must be successfully and confidently addressed. All children have a fundamental right to be protected from harm, attend school and have their specific individual needs met.
Safeguarding and the protection of our children, young people and staff is a key priority for the Trust and that's why it is central to everything we do. We work continuously on approaches to safeguarding. Alongside other initiatives we have established our 'Designated Safeguarding Leads' Forum' to specifically monitor all safeguarding areas. The group is made up of our Vice CEO and Designated Safeguarding Leads across the trust. The core function of our DSL Forum is to provide support and guidance; to share and learn practice; and to challenge schools to ensure that children and staff are kept safe, attend, have equal access and their welfare promoted.
Our DSL Forum is also responsible for ensuring that our schools comply with safeguarding legislation and are attuned to national/local directives and contextual risks. This includes having rigorous recruitment processes for staff and volunteers, induction and mandatory and ongoing training.
We have a range of Trust safeguarding policies and guidance for all of our schools that ensures clear and robust action can be taken when required.
Our safeguarding practise allows our schools to provide a safe place for children, young people and adults to engage with us. We aim to demonstrate that our safeguarding practices are like a golden thread running through our schools, their curriculum and everyday life.
Policy
All members of the organisation, as well as volunteers and adults permitted on school premises, have a responsibility for the protection of children and reporting concerns about a child’s welfare or safety.
We have several policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment. Each of our schools has a Child Protection Policy that is reviewed annually to ensure it reflects the requirements of the most recent version of Keeping Children Safe in Education. Our staff are fully trained in relation to approaches to safeguarding.
Our common trust-wide policies can be viewed in the policy section on this website and school policies can be viewed on each school's website and accessed from the policy section. Printed copies of all our policies can be provided on request.
Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child's welfare. We ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with parents/carers first, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child's welfare.
Each school has a Designated Safeguarding Lead and at least one Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. All staff are appropriately trained. Each school also has a link governor with responsibility for safeguarding. Details of all these posts are available on each school's website.
To view the Trust's Safeguarding Strategy please click here
The Trust Designated Safeguarding Lead is Jeannie Haigh.
The Trust Deputy Safeguarding Lead is Michelle Thompson.
The link Trustee for Safeguarding is Dr Pip Dean.