The Holme Church of England School
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility
Our Commitment
The Good Shepherd Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We ensure that all our recruitment and employment practices reflect this commitment.
The safety and wellbeing of every child in the care of The Holme is our absolute priority. We expect all of our staff, pupils, parents, local committee members, Trustee directors, visitors, contractors and third party professionals to share this view. The safeguarding and protection of children is everyone’s responsibility. All staff receive regular continuous professional development, which is supplemented with weekly briefings and other supprot e.g. case studies.
Designated Safeguarding Leads
The term “Designated Safeguarding Lead” (DSL) is used in the DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education document and refers to the person accountable for overseeing the safety and wellbeing of the children in the care of their setting. The role of the DSL must be fulfilled be a member of the schools senior leadership team to ensure that they have appropriate authority and status to provide advice and support to other staff on child welfare and child protection matters.
Our DSLs are:
Mrs Sarah Stevenson (Headteacher) - Designated Safeguarding lead
Mrs Beverley Hoe (AHT), Miss Jo Lawrance (Year 6 class teacher)
Ms Jo Lawrance (Inclusion Lead and Year 6 Teacher)
Mrs Anna Hotchkiss (SENCO and EYFS Teacher)
Mrs Vanessa McMillan (HSLW)
You can also email a DSL at: safeguarding@holme.goodshepherdtrust.org.uk
What to do if you have a concern
If you have a concern about a child, please contact a DSL. If your concern is about an adult working or volunteering in the school, you should contact the Headteacher. If your concern is about the Headteacher, you should contact the Trust Board Chair.
Alternatively, you can contact Hampshire Children's Services directly:
Office hours: 0300 555 1384
Out of hours – 0300 555 1373
If you have a concern about an adult working with children you can contact the LADO (Local Area Designated Officer) by phone on 01962 876364, via email child.protection@hants.gov.uk
or via the Hampshire County Council website.
Helpline for abuse in educational settings
Run by fully-trained NSPCC helpline staff, the NSPCC will offer advice for anyone concerned about current or non-recent abuse.
Please contact the helpline on 0800 136 663 Monday to Friday 8am – 10pm or 9am – 6pm at the weekends or email help@nspcc.org.uk
Policies
You can read our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and Allegation of Abuse Against Adults Policy by clicking on the hyperlinks.
You can read our COVID-19 Appendum to our Safeguarding Policy here
You might also like to look at our Online Safety page for more information about staying safe online.
You can read about The Good Shepherd Trust's safeguarding arrangements on their website.
Our safeguarding policies and procedures are derived from statutory national guidance:
Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2023
Children Missing Education 2016
Working together to Safeguard Children December 2020
Information Sharing Guidance 2015
What to do if you're worried about a child is being abused 2015
Useful websites:
Hampshire Safeguarding Children Board
Report child abuse to your local council
Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP)
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
Department of Education: Tackling Child Abuse Together
Think u Know (Parent e-safety information)