Sixth Form Contact

Safeguarding

At St Wilfrid’s, safeguarding the wellbeing, safety and happiness of every child is at the heart of everything we do. We are fully committed to creating a secure and supportive environment, where students can thrive, feel safe and be themselves.
 
Our safeguarding approach ensures that all staff, volunteers and visitors understand their responsibility to protect children from harm and promote their welfare. 
 
This commitment includes a robust policy, regular staff training and clear procedures for identifying and addressing any concerns swiftly and sensibly. We work in close partnership with families, local authorities and child protection agencies to uphold the highest standard of child safety. 
 
Your child’s safety is our priority and we encourage open communication to ensure that everyone in our school community feels informed and supported.

St Wilfrid’s C of E Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. In all staff recruitment we adhere to DFE Safer Recruitment Guidance.

We believe that safeguarding our students is everyone’s responsibility and have an attitude of - it could happen here! 

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Our safeguarding procedures are based on the latest statutory guidance from the Department for Education.

All staff:

  • Receive safeguarding training on induction.
  • Complete annual safeguarding updates.
  • Understand their responsibilities for reporting concerns.
  • Are trained to identify signs of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Governors regularly monitor safeguarding practice to ensure compliance and effectiveness.

Safeguarding is embedded throughout our curriculum.

Children learn about:

  • Personal safety
  • Healthy relationships
  • Consent and respect
  • Online safety
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Bullying prevention
  • Diversity and inclusion

These themes are delivered through:

  • PSHE lessons
  • Relationships and Health Education
  • Assemblies
  • Special awareness events
  • Visitor workshops

If you have a concern about the safety, welfare or wellbeing of a child, please do not delay in sharing it.

During School Hours

Contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead using the details below:

Outside School Hours (including school holidays)

If you believe a child is at immediate risk of harm:

  • If residing in Blackburn, contact Blackburn with Darwen Children's Social Care - Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm on 01254 666400.
  • In an out of hours emergency (evenings and weekends) on 01254 587547 

If residing in Lancashire, contact Lancashire Children’s Social Care on 0300 123 6720 Monday to Friday from Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.

In an out of hours emergency (evenings and weekend) on 0300 123 6722.

  • Call the Police on 999 in an emergency
  • Contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000

Technology plays an important role in children's lives. We work with students and families to promote safe and responsible use of digital devices.

We Teach Children About:
  • Safe internet use
  • Social media awareness
  • Cyberbullying prevention
  • Protecting personal information
  • Online relationships
  • Digital footprints

 

As part of our safeguarding responsibilities, we have a duty to help prevent children from being drawn into extremism or radicalisation.

We achieve this through:

  • Staff training
  • Curriculum opportunities
  • Promotion of British Values
  • Encouraging respectful discussion and critical thinking

Any concerns are managed in accordance with local safeguarding procedures.

You can find our prevent policy here.

We recognise that emotional wellbeing is a key part of safeguarding our students within the Academy. We believe that building our students resilience, self esteem and coping strategies, we will support them to live life to the full and manage their own mental health and wellbeing. Each year we screen our students using the Warwick/Edinburgh mental health questionnaire and use this to identify students needing additional input.

Support available in school includes:

  • Pastoral support
  • Emotional wellbeing programmes
  • Access to counselling services where appropriate
  • Support for families through external agencies

Children are encouraged to talk to a trusted adult whenever they need support.

Parents and carers provide an essential input in collaboratively keeping our children safe. Please see below for supportive resources:

NSPCC

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/advice-for-families/

 

Kooth

https://connect.kooth.com/for-families

In our local area, we work closely with the following external agencies who are able to provide valuable support for families:

Should you require support in accessing any of the above services, please do not hesitiate to contact Hayley Lawson, our Family Support Worker (hlawson@saintwilfrirds.com)

The following policies can be downloaded below:

Our Children Protection and Safeguarding policy is reviewed annually by governors and updated in line with statutory guidance.

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. By working together with children, families, staff, governors and partner agencies, we can ensure that every child is safe, supported and able to succeed.

If you have any safeguarding concerns, please contact our safeguarding team immediately. No concern is too small when it comes to a child's safety and wellbeing.