Our Safeguarding Statement

Redwood Secondary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

• Redwood Secondary School is a safe place for children, where our responsibilities for safeguarding children are taken seriously.

• Through our curriculum, we teach the children about personal safety, and how to keep themselves safe from harm.

• There is a strong anti-bullying ethos evident throughout the school. We teach our children how to recognise bullying, how to keep themselves safe from bullying behaviour and how to report it. We listen to our children.

• Our curriculum includes opportunities to discuss feelings and emotions and helps our children to think about their own personal safety and their rights as individuals to be kept safe from harm.

• We teach our children about the uses and misuses of drugs, at an age-appropriate time and level.

• Our sex education programme teaches our children about keeping themselves safe from harm, at an age-appropriate level.

• We have clear guidance to help children to use the internet (including social media) safely.

• Our policies and agreed practices for child protection, health and safety, behaviour management, attendance and looked after children all comply with the recommendations for safeguarding children at school. We have a trained designated child protection officer and deputy officer, and a designated governor with responsibility for child protection practices at the school.

• We have policies to manage potential allegations against staff, whistleblowing and the use of physical intervention.

• Our staff recruitment policies and practices are rigorous and comply with safe recruitment and selection requirements. We always pursue identity checks and qualification checks and we take up and scrutinise written references before confirming employment.

• We require clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before employing any staff.

• All supply teachers, agency staff, and outside club and coaching staff are required to provide evidence of DBS clearance.

• The governing body is regularly updated about child protection, bullying, and safeguarding policies and practices by the Headteacher.

• It is the responsibility of every adult in this school to ensure that we maintain the highest level of awareness about possible unsafe practices and deal with any issues immediately and appropriately.