Safeguarding

Worried about a child?

Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. If you have any safeguarding concerns, however small, about a child please contact the school Designated Safeguarding Lead or Headteachers straight away.

Our Safeguarding Lead:

Mrs D Williams
Headteacher
0121 464 3248

drb Ignite Multi Academy Trust:
Robert Bowater | CEO
safeguarding@drbignitemat.org

For out of hours concerns:

Birmingham CASS
Monday to Thursday: 8:45am to 5:15pm
Friday: 8:45am to 4:15pm
Telephone: 0121 303 1888

Emergency out-of-hours:
Telephone: 0121 675 4806 or in an emergency call 999

Purpose of our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

Our policy supports a strong school culture of safeguarding and provides clear direction to all stakeholders about expected practice in dealing with safeguarding concerns and issues.

It makes explicit the school’s commitment to the development of best practice and effective procedures, ensuring that safeguarding concerns and referrals are handled sensitively, professionally and in a way that supports and protects the needs of the child at all times.

Our culture of safeguarding has three clear drivers:

  1. Prevention: by creating a positive, safe and secure school ethos and providing high quality teaching and pastoral support to pupils
  2. Protection: by following agreed procedures and ensuring staff are appropriately recruited, trained and supported to respond appropriately and sensitively to safeguarding concerns
  3. Support: by providing support for all pupils and staff with a strong focus on particularly vulnerable pupils who may require bespoke interventions.

This means that everyone at The Oval School is committed to:

  • protecting children from harm at all times
  • preventing impairment of children’s health or development
  • ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
  • taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
  • working in partnership with parents and external agencies to keep children safe

Children’s voice in safeguarding

At The Oval School we have an active Children’s Local Safeguarding Board who are known as the Rights Respecting Rangers. The children in years 4, 5 and 6 apply to be Rights Respecting Rangers and we link this with our UNICEF work. The children meet on a regular basis to discuss how they can safeguard children at The Oval School. These projects have included:

  • Internet safety
  • Road safety
  • Training to be young PCSOs.

The Trust also hosts an annual Children’s Safeguarding Conference with all the other Trust schools so that we ccan share our successes together.

Useful links

Safeguarding policies

View

Keeping Children Safe in Education

September 2022
Download

View our Safeguarding Procedures