Welwyn St Mary’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection Policy which can be viewed in the policies section of the website.
Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies, when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will 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.
We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism. Welwyn St Mary’s is also part of Operation Encompass, a project run jointly between schools and Hertfordshire Constabulary, which provides notification to schools of any incidents where a child or young person has experienced or been exposed to any domestic abuse.
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Sam Branch (Deputy Headteacher and SENCo). Our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are Emma Phillips (Acting Headteacher) and Richard Hawley (Teacher). The Governor for safeguarding in our school is Jane Bacon.
Operation Encompass
Welwyn St Mary’s is part of a project that runs jointly between schools and Hertfordshire Constabulary.
Operation Encompass is the notification to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, of incidents where a child or young person has experienced or been exposed to any domestic abuse.
Operation Encompass will ensure that a member of the school staff, (DSL) known as a Key Adult, is trained to allow them to liaise with the police and to use the information that has been shared in confidence. They will also ensure that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have experienced a domestic abuse incident.
Asbestos
Our school follows best practise for asbestos safety as stated in Managing asbestos in your school or college – Guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
This includes our asbestos register, asbestos location map and a management plan that is reviewed annually.
- Child Protection Policy (644.12KB)
- Safeguarding Policy (314.08KB)