“St. Michael’s Church of England School, established upon Christian foundations and living out the Christian faith, is committed to providing every child with an excellent education.”

As a school we recognise and adhere to "Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021 with a particular reference, as directed in the full document,  to Part One as outlined below: 

What school and college staff should know and do A child centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding

"Schools and colleges and their staff are an important part of the wider safeguarding system for children. This system is described in the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children."

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child."

With the above points 1 and 2 in mind, the Senior Leadership and Management Team (SLMT) play a pivotal role in ensuring that safeguarding is the golden thread that runs throughout school and that is well embedded within the schools Mission, Vision and Christian ethos and culture.

All members of the SLMT are part of the Senior Leadership Safeguarding Team (SLST) and have a specific role and responsibility over and above other members of staff in their capacity as a Phase Leader to ensure that their team fulfils the requirements for safeguarding as set out in the Department of Educations publication: 'Keeping Children Safe in Education'. Furthermore, as Phase Leaders, all members have a duty to ensure that their team is well versed with the requirements relating to all aspects of safeguarding and know what to do if / when a disclosure is made.  

The school has published information relating to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and supporting DSL. All form part of the role: The Senior Leadership Safeguarding Team.  The role includes:

• Regular discussions at the SLMT meetings with the Headteacher ensuring that all are well briefed with up to date information;

• Regular discussions at the SLMT meetings about 'safeguarding challenges' to their teams to ensure that members of staff are well versed in safeguarding requirements and information;

• Regular discussions at the SLMT meetings about pupils who are deemed 'vulnerable' and support that needs to be in place and monitored;

• Regular discussions at the SLMT meetings about any CPOMS information relating to issues that potentially may need additional monitoring;

• Identification of any additional training needs to support the effective delivery and embedding of safeguarding across the school;

• Regular open discussions about the support network for the pupils and parents to support safeguarding across the school and an awareness of those in need;

• Ensuring that the priorities outlined in the School Development Plan (SDP) are addressed and followed by their Phases and in so doing, demonstrating the strong commitment to 'Keeping Children Safe in Education'.

The SLST disseminates information to their Phases and also through the Phase meetings discussions, facilitates the links between Phase and Leadership. Please click on the link to see who are members of the SLST.