St Francis School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and expects all staff, volunteers and visitors to share in this commitment. We actively listen to all pupils and always take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is for all pupils to enjoy their time at school and feel safe and secure.

In its broadest sense safeguarding encompasses:

• Quality of staff recruitment and management, including induction, professional training, support and conduct;
• An appropriate and enriching curriculum;
• A safe built environment and campus security;
• Behaviour management, including rules and sanctions;
• Health and safety, including trips and expeditions;
• Attendance;
• PSHEE;
• Nutritious food, healthy lifestyles and medical care;
• Well-maintained and updated operating procedures and policies;
• Arrangements for visitors, speakers and volunteers;
• Managing complaints and allegations appropriately;
• Child protection, children in need and early intervention protocols; and
• Whistleblowing procedures.

Good schools embed safeguarding in all that they do; it means wanting the best outcomes for pupils and being proactive (as adult staff) in achieving them. Our aspiration is to be an outstanding school, where safeguarding threads through all aspects of school life.

To this end, we aim:

• To maintain a whole school culture of openness and transparency;
• To encourage vigilance and a sense of shared responsibility for the duty of care to protect children and young people;
• To develop an aspirational approach to pastoral care, delivering the highest standards of proactive, consistent and individual attention; and
• To never think pupil pastoral care and safeguarding is someone else’s job: pupils feel safe and supported because the whole school shares this commitment.

We seek to develop and improve our safeguarding policies and procedures continuously. We encourage an ‘open culture’ where any concern can be raised, however small it may seem, and where all members of the St Francis community contribute to effective safeguarding practices.

The Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is reviewed annually, in line with key statutory guidance, primarily Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

We work with the Wiltshire Safeguarding Vulnerable People Partnership, and other external statutory agencies, including attending meetings of the Wiltshire Safeguarding Forum. The school contributes to an annual schools’ safeguarding audit carried out by Wiltshire Council. The Governors have oversight of the School’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy at its annual Autumn Term meeting. The safeguarding Governor meets with the Designated Safeguard Lead twice a term. The school's Safeguarding team meets every week during the term. Throughout the year the St Francis staff complete Safeguarding training on a range of relevant topics further improving their knowledge and understanding.

Further information is included in our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Designated Safeguarding Team

• Designated Safeguarding Governor: Jane Stevens
• DSL of St Francis School: Jonty Butler
• Deputy DSL: Rachel Ashman
• DSL of St Francis Nursery: Nikki Kimber
• Deputy DSL: Maria Urbieta-Myers