Safeguarding

Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Our child protection policy provides clear direction regarding expected codes of behaviour in dealing with child protection issues. It also makes explicit the school’s commitment to the development of good practice and sound procedures, to ensure that child protection concerns and referrals may be handled sensitively, professionally and in ways which prioritise the needs of our students.

We will always work with our students as young people.

  1. We will take the time to listen to their concerns – what matters to them, matters to us
  2. We will let them choose who to talk to and what they want to share
  3. We will support and empower them to make their own decisions
  4. We will be non-judgemental, proportionate and transparent in our responses
  5. We will respect their privacy and confidentiality and seek their consent wherever possible before sharing information
  6. We will always discuss the next steps with them and help them access appropriate and specialist support on their terms

In any situation, their wellbeing and safety are our top priorities.

For access to a comprehensive list of organisations that provide support click here: Useful Sources of Support

Key Adults at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School

Main School (01200) 423379
Miss Jasmine Renold
Deputy Headteacher (Head of Main School) and Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mr James Hoyle
Senior Assistant Headteacher and Back-Up Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mr Jamie Alcock
Assistant Headteacher (Main School) and Back-Up Designated Safeguarding Lead

Sixth Form (01200) 423118
Mrs Kate Johnston
Deputy Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form) and Designated Safeguarding Lead
Miss Helen Ashton
Assistant Headteacher (Sixth Form) and Back-Up Designated Safeguarding Lead
Ms Georgina Clark
Assistant Headteacher (Sixth Form) and Back-Up Designated Safeguarding Lead

All staff are required to undergo an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check and to read the documents available below.

Young people are most likely to be successful academically if they feel secure in their school environment. Safeguarding themes form an integral part of the Main School PSHE programme and the Sixth Form Guidance programme. Staff are trained regularly in a variety of aspects of Safeguarding and Child Protection and we have a number of members of the Senior Leadership Team trained as Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs).

What to do if you are worried about a child and think they might be suffering abuse

During term-time, if you’re worried that a CRGS student is at risk or is being abused, of if you have any concern about Safeguarding or Child Protection, please contact Miss J Renold (Main School) or Mrs K Johnston (Sixth Form). They are the Designated Safeguarding Leads and can be contacted by telephone 01200 423379 (Main School) or 01200 423118  (Sixth Form).  The Back-up Designated Safeguarding Leads are Miss H Ashton (Assistant Headteacher – Sixth Form), Ms G Clark (Assistant Headteacher – Sixth Form) and Mr J Alcock (Assistant Headteacher – Main School).

During school holidays all safeguarding issues should be directed to the Children’s Social Care Team at Lancashire County Council on the following telephone number: 0300 1236720 (between 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.) or out of hours 0300 1236722 (8.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m.).

Documents available to download

Safeguarding Information for visitors to Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.

Early Help

An Early Help Assessment helps practitioners to identify what a family would like to change and to develop an action plan.  Early Help is about receiving the right help at the earliest possible stage. This may involve other agencies.

An Early Help Assessment can empower families to achieve change, recognising the family’s knowledge and expertise and including them as active participants in the process of identifying their strengths, needs and desired changes. Each stage of the assessment process, including the final action plan, is negotiated and completed in partnership between the family and practitioners.

An Early Help Assessment can prevent family members from having to repeat information to different professionals by recording this in a single document which, with consent, can be shared. Different practitioners working with a family can be requested to contribute to an assessment. Having an action plan brings clarity to who will be doing what to address the desired changes.

If you feel that your family might benefit from Early Help, please contact one of the DSLs (Designated Safeguarding Leads).

 

Prevent Strategy

As part of the school’s commitment to safeguarding and child protection we support the government’s Prevent Strategy.

What is the Prevent Strategy?

The Prevent Strategy is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes.

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent Strategy.

These include:

  • Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
  • Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy
  • Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity
  • Challenging prejudices and racist comments
  • We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the Internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils.

At Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, we build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values.

The statutory guidance refers to the importance of Prevent awareness training to equip staff to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. At our school, teaching and support staff receive regular training.

If you have any concerns please contact the school and ask to speak to a DSL.

 

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a unique Police and Education early intervention safeguarding partnership which ensures that a young person’s school is informed, prior to the start of the next school day, that there has been a domestic abuse, vulnerable child or missing incident to which the child or young person has been exposed, and which might then have an impact on them in school the following day.

Each school is informed of all such incidents, not just those where an offence can be identified or those which are graded as high risk.  The partnership recognises that all domestic abuse, vulnerable child and missing incidents can be harmful to children and young people.

This information will be shared throughout the year, including holidays and weekends.  Information will only be shared with the school by the police where it is identified that a young person was present, witnessed or was involved.

A nominated member of staff, known as a Key Adult, has been trained to liaise with the police. Our Key Adults are Miss Renold (Main School Safeguarding Lead) and Mrs Johnston (Sixth Form Safeguarding Lead).  They will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the school makes provision for possible difficulties experienced by children or their families.  The Key Adults will keep this information confidential and will only share it on a need to know basis, for instance, to teaching staff for the child or young person.  It will not be shared with other school students.

This national initiative has been implemented across the whole of the Lancashire Police area.  If you would like some more information about it, you can view it online at www.operationencompass.org.

If you have any questions or wish to know more about our involvement in Operation Encompass, please do not hesitate to contact us at the school.  

eSafety

An important theme covered in assemblies as part of Main School PSHE and Sixth Form Guidance programe is eSafety. For further information see our eSafety page.

Leaders are proactive in their approach to identifying and supporting students who are vulnerable or might be at risk of harm. Staff receive comprehensive safeguarding training. This allows them to use the clear and comprehensive safeguarding systems confidently. Students learn about how to keep themselves safe from risks such as harmful sexual behaviour and online abuse. They are well informed on how to report concerns.

— Ofsted November 2022