At Glebe, safeguarding is embedded within our curriculum and culture, not only in lessons, but within our wider curriculum, daily routines, language and conversations. Our pupils, are taught how to stay safe, how to protect themselves from harm and how to take responsibility for their safety at school and within the community. Through this, we ensure a caring, safe, secure and inclusive environment, so that pupils are happy, confident, achieve their best, make a successful transition into adulthood and lead fulfilling lives.
Our broad and balanced curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills that significantly impacts personal development, behaviour and welfare; physical and mental well-being, to support safeguarding themselves. We encourage pupils to ask questions, share their concerns and reflect on their thoughts.
There are many opportunities throughout our learning in our curriculum to explore safeguarding issues, for example through Tutor Time, Assemblies, Pastoral Team conversations and in lessons. We are mindful of the needs of our pupils therefore are considerate in the delivery of all information. Topics we cover include:
Exploring values, personal rights, responsibilities and equal opportunities, that develop moral concepts that impact positively on safeguarding, promote British values and prevent radicalisation and extremism
Road and rail safety (including out of school visits, bike-ability, work with police officers in the community)
Visits to school from medical staff; NHS Nurse, Hearing Impairment Team
Visitors from charities such as the BRECK Foundation
Work from local voluntary sector services particularly around safe transition to F.E Colleges such as ‘Impact Factor Day’ E.g Fire Awareness (including visits from the local Fire Service, Police
Child Exploitation: Gangs, County Lines; (drug/knife crime), Sexual
Our visits and experiences incorporate 'Stranger Danger', being safe in the outdoors, what to do if??
E-Safety: staying safe on line and E-Safety Champions in school, safe use of technology including password security and privacy settings
Any current issues happening in school, discussed with groups of pupils, eg staying safe online, grooming, county lines, sharing nudes
Safe use of technology including password security and privacy settings
The promotion of equality of opportunity and diversity, for pupils to prevent discrimination and not tolerating any prejudiced behaviour
Behaviour for learning in and out of the classroom and exhibiting good learning behaviours. Reminder that class times are a time for sharing ideas, addressing concerns, and promoting important values
Time is taken at the beginning of every new school year to reaffirm school values, expectations, and rules for being part of Glebe School. This good start to the year, with everyone clear about their roles and responsibilities, sets the tone for the rest of the year and leads to excellent safeguarding outcomes
Assemblies are used to promote personal safeguarding matters and explore themes. For example, we talk about anti- bullying including cyber bullying and British values.
Our school reflects the diversity of pupils’ experiences and provides pupils with a comprehensive understanding of people and communities beyond their immediate experience including the role of women in society and different family groups including same-sex couples
Throughout the curriculum, there are planned opportunities to promote all forms of equality and foster greater understanding of and respect for people of all faiths (and those with no faith), races, genders, ages, disabilities, and sexual orientations, through their words, actions and in their influence
To download a copy of the Safeguarding in our Curriculum map, click below:
Opportunities are created in a variety of subjects to address areas of safeguarding. To see examples of more detailed information on how we do this, please see links below (the list is not exhaustive of all subjects).
Pastoral Team
Regular check ins with pupils if looking upset/acting differently. e.g. pupil arriving to class looking upset due to allegations made by another pupil
Pupils can discuss relationship issues with their form tutor
Regular check ins with pupils following incidents
Form tutors strive for close relationships with parents. This allows the school to get context on behaviour on a regular basis,
Stopping pupils talking about other pupils in class to de-escalate any issues and promote good relationships
Encouraging pupils to see things from all angles and promote healthy relationships/friendships
Regular lessons on mental health and managing difficult feelings in anxiety in Tutor time
Art/music therapy give pupils opportunity to be creative and explore thoughts and feelings
Regular check ins with pupils if looking upset / acting any differently
Regular counselling for identified pupils
Regular social/friendships group sessions
Close liaison with HOY so that any issues may be addressed as soon as possible
Core Subjects
English
A range of themes in the texts students study give them the opportunity to learn about different values and ways of life and to take part in discussions around a range of topics that might affect them directly or indirectly
Roleplaying, allowing students to try see things from someone else's point of view
Texts studied in class give rise to opportunities to discuss safeguarding issues such as healthy relationships, domestic issues, road safety, homelessness
Online safety - students only use pre-approved websites when completing ICT tasks
Environment of classroom/health and safety - minimal displays (low stimulus environment for sensory sensitive students), equipment stored clearly and neatly, students expected to put away/clean equipment aafter use, chairs always tucked in and desk layout kept the same (ensures safety for VI students)
Maths
Personal safety - addressing money vulnerability through improved money sense and an understanding of budgeting
Developing children's security and feeling of safety - encouraging safe risk taking with answers and approaches - developing a sense that there is more than one way to approach a problem in life and it's ok to make mistakes and get things wrong. Making mistakes doesn't have to define our choices or future opportunities.
Have conversations with students when they suggest making unsafe choices - Some students say that the best way to make money is to steal. Discuss how maths can support students in the future to them keep safe and make good career choices?
offer students support if struggling with emotions during lessons.
keep updated with reports from SLT or HOY regarding issues with students and take this into consideration in lessons.
Science
Ensure students are aware of safe working in a lab
Encourage a culture of safety as a group responsibility - ie pupils are responsible for their own Bunsen burner, but if you see someone behaving dangerously in the lab you have a duty to report it
Discussing issues such as pressure and consent during reproduction lessons to give pupils an opportunity to ask questions in a related topic
Safety lessons given before lab work starts. At the start of each lab lesson hazards and risks are discussed to make students aware of dangers and encourage a lab culture of considering hazards and acting sensibly to protect themselves each other and equipment
Foundation Subjects
Through exploration of plays and different mediums, discussions often arise around good/bad relationships, racism, sexism, homophobia
Through acting/improvisation, students can look at subjects such as toxic friendships, gangs, knife crime, poverty, how to find help etc. and what they might do in those situations in a safe space
Provide movement breaks, water breaks, check ins to make sure students are feeling okay
A good behaviour system is in place to ensure an environment where all can learn
Theatre trips out - how to travel on public transport
Forum theatre allows them to explore issues in a safe space
Drama/acting teaches expression and language, so that students can develop skills to express themselves and communicate with others
The importance of safety in all forms is explained, depending on the topic/where the lesson will be held (classroom, Quad, Wild Area)
Discuss the concept of being happy/wellbeing, and how if we are safe and happy we can be in a better place to learn
Students plan and assess risk during out of class activities
As one the 5Cs (school visions & values) we break down the word compasion - what does it mean? To care for yourself, care for each other, care for the environment and stress that caring for yourself must come first
In out of class activities some students have extra supervision by an additional adult to address specific safeguarding concerns
Activities are designed to build the importance of teamwork in all areas (healthy relationships)
Mental health: students have emotion charts on their desks and at the start of each lesson are greeted with ‘Cómo te sientes hoy?’ (How are you feeling today?) to which they answer in Spanish
Students explore and collaborate with the work of the British based charity Project Peru, which raises awareness about poverty, neglect and domestic abuse that affect children in Lima, Peru
Projects: understanding apropriate relationships and effective communication through engaging in a Pen Pal project
Healthy relationships: class discussions in which British values are often compared to those in Hispanic countries and how these shape society
Staff develop and use safe procedures within all areas of physical education
All staff to be aware of potential hazards and act accordingly
Risk Assessments are in place both on and off-site
Staff ensure that risks to health and safety are minimised by vigilance, particularly in respect of apparatus and equipment used to teach safe practice and awareness of obvious, presumed and anticipated hazards
Poolside and water safety are taught through swimming lessons
PE staff formulate and monitor safe systems of work within PE and inform other staff, coaches and volunteers (AOTT’s) of relevant health and safety regulations
Ensure all school/college staff, coaches and volunteers (AOTT’s) are appropriately trained and competent in the activities undertaken, which should be relevant to the age and competency of the pupils
No students use apparatus or equipment without direct supervision of a competent adult
All accidents to staff, coaches, volunteers (AOTT’s) and students are reported and appropriate action taken, including the completion of an Accident Report Form
PSHE curriculum covers all areas of Safeguarding through each of the strands to a different degree, however, some go into more detail. We are sensitive in our teaching and recognise that some more sensitive subjects need to be taught at an age-appropriate level, or in a small group/1:1 level where the need arises.
ability to maintain safety
openess and willingness to ask for help
understand the negotiation of healthy relationships
respect and understand consent
building resilience and manageing unwanted outcomes
comprehending establishing and respoecting boundaries
Specialist Areas
Health and safety is at the core of everything we do in Design Technology. From their first lesson in year 7 students are made aware of the dangers in the workshop and how to behave appropriately in that environment
Students are always given short/spot demonstrations on how to perform a task with an emphasis on how to carry it out in a safe manner
Staff in the DT department are fully up to date with D&TA Health and safety training which ensures staff are experts at delivering health and safety in the DT curriculum
Technician staff perform daily checks to make sure machines are maintained and in good working order
Students are encouraged to explore their interests and passions in DT which provides a great sense of well-being. Students are often overjoyed to take home their creations and often give them as gifts to family members
The DT workshop is a well lit space with minimal clutter. All tools and equipment have their place and this is taught to the students from the start. Students have a responsibility to return the Workshop to its original state after the lesson which installs respect for their environment and the facilities at Glebe
Knives – both sharp and butter knives are locked in a cabinet in the Food Tech office and counted in and out when needed
Knife use – procedures are adapted to suit specific students or groups e.g. minimise use, change recipes to avoid use, 1:1 staff support, removal of knives immediately after use
Knife use outside Food Tech – knives requested by staff outside the department have to be signed out and in and it is the responsibility of those staff to keep the knife in their possession at all times until return
Inappropriate behaviour with sharps – any dangerous or inappropriate behaviour with sharps is immediately reported to tutors/HOYs and safeguard lead
Risk Assessment – any worrying behaviour around safety (sharps in particular) trigger a risk assessment which is shared with DSL/tutor/HOY/other Technology staff
Safety in the Kitchen - Intensive training is given to all students about safety awareness with procedures and equipment and is reinforced every lesson
Staff check CPom reports daily for any concerns which could impact on Food tech lessons. Lessons are then adapted accordingly.
Lessons begin after either break or lunch when incidents may have occurred. Staff check student wellbeing as they arrive to the lesson and offer support when needed. Any issues are addressed as a priority before any cooking begins
Tutor Time Texts
Through our texts we've had conversations around a number of sensitive topics such as:
Domestic abuse (Noughts and Crosses)
Peer on peer abuse (Noughts and Crosses, The Hate U Give)
Abuse of power (The Hate U Give)
Discrimination such as towards disability (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time), race (Noughts and Crosses,
The Hate U Give), xenophobia (Long Walk to Water), and gender (The Girl of Ink and Stars)
Relationships, both sexual (Noughts and Crosses) and familial (The Hate U Give) including family breakdowns and affairs (Curious Incident)
Radicalisation (Long Walk to Water)
Drugs, alcohol, internet safety, media bias and grooming/county lines (The Hate U Give)
English
Across other texts students have studied we've looked at gang culture (The Outsiders), abuse of power (Lord of the Flies, The Giver) and immigration
Maths
Personal safety - addressing money vulnerability through improved money sense and an understanding of budgeting
PE
Well-being - how to stay fit and healthy, what to eat and how exercise helps your mental health
Enrichment
Personal safety in the home - cooking, safely using cleaning products, community awareness, safe travel
PSHE
SRE, safety in the home - fire safety, stranger danger
Challenge Award Scheme
Well-being and keeping self safe - our new reward scheme aims to develop independence and awareness of own safeguarding and responsibilities
BTEC Sport
Well-being, personal safety and consent - how to stay safe during exercise, how to support others and help them physically (asking consent to help them and appropriate touch when coaching i.e. moving a hand etc.)
Trips
Democracy, rights and responsibilities - interviewed Lord Paddick to ask questions about how he helps women stay safe on the street, what the government do for disabled people etc. We had a workshop with parliament about voting.
Safety in the home - visit from the London Fire Brigade to talk about fire safety and we visited the fire station too.
Health and safety - talk from Thames water about water suitability, safety and cost.
DT & DofE
health and safety - have to regularly readdress personal responsibility and importance of safeguarding others, not just ourselves
PSHE, Life Skills, ICT, World cultures discuss topics around keeping yourself safe, safety in the community, safe and healthy relationships as well as self care and independence
Topics like consent and democracy are used through the curriculum so the students understand they have a voice, but that they have to respect others’ voices as well
Students have daily sensory and relaxation time where they are taught relaxation techniques. Students identify ways to support a healthy emotional and mental state
Tools are given to the students to help them learn to identify and regulate their emotions
Students have fruit and access to toast if they arrive to school hungry
Staff are aware of the school’s safeguarding policy and process to report information to the DSL. Twice weekly staff meetings are held to discuss pastoral concerns around students. By looking at report books/ABC charts staff are able to determine next steps and identify larger problems. More regular meetings are held if necessary.
If a student needs assistance to change clothes or sanitary products, two members of staff will be present
