Safeguarding

St Joseph’s School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support children, families and staff at school. All concerns are passed through the members of staff who are trained as “Designated Child Protection Officers” which make up the ‘Safeguarding Team’ in school.

Here in St Joseph’s School, the ‘Safeguarding Team’ consists of:

• The Designated Safeguarding Lead: John.Kinsella@sjchs.uk
• Senior Deputy Safeguarding Lead: Anna.Dove@sjchs.uk
• Deputy Safeguarding Leads: Cherie.Jameson@sjchs.uk, Mary.Eldon@sjchs.uk, Nina.Morton@sjchs.uk, Lee.Adams@sjchs.uk, Karl.Fillingham@sjchs.uk
• Heads Of Year: Year 7 – Mary.Eldon@sjchs.uk, Year 8 – Nina.Morton@sjchs.uk, Year 9 – Chloe.Wilkinson@sjchs.uk, Year 10 – Karl.Fillingham@sjchs.uk, Year 11 – Lee.Adams@sjchs.uk,
• Designated Safeguarding Governor: Deborah Naylor, Patricia Poole
• Designated teacher for Looked after Children: Anna Dove

If you have any safeguarding concerns about your child, or indeed any pupil at St Joseph’s High School, please do not hesitate to contact any of the safeguarding team – their details are shown above.

If there is an emergency situation requiring an immediate response, please contact the police on 999.

If you have a concern about the safety or well being of any child you can contact the Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership for advice, or alternatively contact the Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership on 0333 240 1727.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility.

We are a safeguarding school – children’s safety and well-being is our number one priority.

Here are some of the things we do to promote safeguarding in school and ensure we keep the safety and welfare of children at the forefront of everything we do:

• We ensure all staff have current DBS checks, which are updated regularly in line with School Policy.
• We ensure the school has adopted the Safer Recruitment principles; key staff are trained in Safer Recruitment, and every interview panel has a member trained in Safer Recruitment.
• We ensure references for new staff are sought and validated prior to appointment.
• We ensure Partner agencies provide written assurance that their staff have undergone DBS checks.
• We ensure all professional colleagues who work in our School have DBS checks.
• We hold fortnightly safeguarding briefings for staff – these include information on local context safeguarding issues, safeguarding updates, knowledge checks and scenario-based learning.
• There is a ‘See it. Hear it. Report it!’ button on our website for students (and parents) to air concerns about bullying, safeguarding or any other pastoral concerns. This goes directly to the DSL and senior staff.
• We have a digital signing in and out system for visitors, which includes personal details and a photograph for our records.
• We ensure all visitors always wear a red visitor’s badge while on site. Visitors are escorted to reception to sign in appropriately.
• We ensure all staff and Governors have read ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) issued by the Government and updated every September.
• Our school site is secure– gates are locked and visitors need to buzz in to request access between 9am and 3.15pm
• Our Safeguarding Poster is displayed in every room in school as a visual reminder to students.
• The safeguarding team are appropriately trained in safeguarding. They undertake continuing professional development throughout the year to ensure they have the skills and knowledge required to support our students.
• All staff complete a Level 1 course in Safeguarding, and this is updated and repeated annually. New staff undertake a comprehensive induction program.
• Students follow a personal development curriculum to equip them with skills, knowledge and understanding to live healthy, happy and independent lives, and enable them to become responsible citizens.

For more information, please get in touch.

All policies are in the Information section of our website.