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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do here at Sacred Heart. 

Great importance is placed on identifying opportunities in the taught curriculum for children to learn about safeguarding.

Our broad curriculum gives pupils opportunities to experience life in all its diversity, to acquire knowledge, understanding, and skills that significantly impact personal development, behaviour, and welfare, and equips every child with the knowledge and skills required for personal safeguarding.

Our PSE 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 at a small group or 1:1 level where a more urgent need arises.

We plan to constantly challenge children to think deeply about safeguarding matters and their own personal physical and mental well-being. We value pupils’ questions and give them space for their own thoughts, ideas, and concerns.

Practical safeguarding opportunities are planned into the curriculum. For example:

  • Road safety
  • Cycling Proficiency
  • Poolside and water safety through swimming lessons
  • Fire awareness (including visits from the local fire service)
  • Visits to school from medical staff
  • Visitors from charities such as CAFOD, NSPCC, The Dogs Trust to do focused projects
  • Online safety quizzes and training
  • What to do if you are separated from your group (in relation to school visits)
  • Safe use of technology 

We have developed an open and safe learning environment in which pupils express their views, seek help, and help others. The promotion of equality of opportunity and diversity, for pupils and staff, helps prevent any form of direct or indirect discriminatory behaviour.

Our children learn to not tolerate any prejudiced behaviour. Our behaviour policy promotes making good choices and exhibiting good learning behaviours. Class times are a time for sharing ideas, addressing concerns, and promoting important values.

Assembly time and circle times are used to promote personal safeguarding matters and explore themes. For example, we talk about anti- bullying including cyber bullying and British values including how these values are promoted in our multifaith society. Staff and children are quick to challenge stereotypes and the use of derogatory language in lessons and around the school. Our school reflects the diversity of pupils’ experiences and provides pupils with a comprehensive understanding of people and communities beyond their immediate experience.

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. Opportunities are created in a variety of subjects to address areas of safeguarding, for example, themes are highlighted through novels in English lessons.

Time is taken at the beginning of every new school term to reaffirm school values and virtues as well as our expectations for behaviour.  

An overview of how safeguarding is taught through the curriculum is shared below:

Below are some of the key documents, curriculum information and helpful links for parents and pupils to safeguarding help and advice.

You might like to read Oscar's Adventures online (see below) and see if your child can make the right choices to keep safe online. 

We regularly publish information for parents and carers about the use of the Internet and social media and hope the links below are helpful to you: