At CRGS, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. We are fully committed to providing a safe, nurturing environment where all students feel valued, respected, and protected from harm.
We follow the latest statutory guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education, and work closely with families, external agencies, and our local safeguarding partners to promote the welfare of all our students.
Our safeguarding team is trained to a high level and is always available to listen and respond to concerns. All staff, governors, and volunteers receive regular training and understand their role in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
We encourage a culture of vigilance, openness, and support, empowering students to speak up and seek help when they need it.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
| If you have a concern about a young person at Main School please contact one of our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs):
Miss Jasmine Renold Deputy Headteacher (Head of Main School) and Lead DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) Deputy Lead DSL: Mr Jamie Alcock (Assistant Headteacher: Main School) Our Student Support Managers are also trained as DSLs. At Main School they are Mrs Kathryn Kinney and Mrs Chloe Mather. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Governor is Dr Andrew Clayton. Main School: (01200) 423379 |
| If you have a concern about a young person at Sixth Form, please contact one of our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs): Mrs Kate Johnston Deputy Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form) and Lead DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) Deputy Lead DSL: Ms Georgina Clark (Assistant Headteacher: Sixth Form) Our Student Support Managers are also trained as DSLs. At Sixth Form they are Mrs Joanne Roberts and Mrs Rachel Thompson. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Governor is Dr Andrew Clayton. Sixth Form: (01200) 423118 |
What to Do if You’re Worried About a Child or Young Person
If you are concerned that a child or young person may be at risk of harm, abuse, neglect, or exploitation, it’s important to take action immediately.
During school hours: Please speak to a member of the Safeguarding Team without delay. You can do this in person, by phone, or by email. All concerns are taken seriously and handled with care, confidentiality and professionalism.
Outside of school hours or during holidays: If you believe a child is at immediate risk, please contact Children’s Social Care Lancashire CSC can be contacted on 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.) or call the police on 999.
If you have a concern about the behaviour of an adult working with children at CRGS, please contact the Headteacher, Mr James Keulemans. You can also contact the LADO directly through the local council.
The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is someone who works for the local council and is responsible for making sure that any concerns or allegations about adults working with children are handled properly and safely.
This includes:
- Teachers and school staff
- Volunteers
- Childcare workers
- Sports coaches
- Anyone else in a position of trust around children
If someone working with children is accused of behaving inappropriately, harming a child, or not following safeguarding rules, the LADO helps to:
- Make sure the child is safe
- Decide what needs to happen next
- Support the school or organisation to follow the right procedures
- Work with the police or social care if needed
This doesn’t mean the person is guilty — it just means the concern is being taken seriously and looked into carefully.
At CRGS, we work closely with our local LADO to make sure any safeguarding concerns involving staff are dealt with fairly, consistently and in line with national guidance.
In Lancashire, if you have concerns about an adult working with children you can phone 01772 536 694 or email LADO.Admin@lancashire.gov.uk. You can also submit a referral online through the Lancashire Safeguarding Partnership website. It is important to remember that quick reporting helps protect children and that if you are unsure, contact the Headteacher or a Lead DSL at school first – as they will work with the LADO to seek the right advice.
All adults who regularly work on our site are required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to prevent unsuitable people from working with students. All members of staff are recognisable by their identity badge. Any visitors to the school must sign in and wear a Visitor’s Badge and are closely supervised when on site.
- Support for Students
Young people are most likely to be successful academically if they feel secure in their school environment. Safeguarding themes form an integral part of our Personal Development programme.
The Supportive Six are the principles that guide our response to young people and the concerns that that they bring to us. It is important that students know who to talk to and what they can expect.
For access to a comprehensive list of organisations that provide support click here: Useful Sources of Support
- Early Help
Sometime children, young people and their families need a little extra support — and that it’s okay to ask for help.
Early Help is the support we offer to children and families as soon as problems start to arise — or even before they do. The aim is to provide the right help at the right time, so small issues don’t become big ones.
This support can cover a wide range of areas, such as:
- Concerns about a child or young person’s behaviour, wellbeing or development
- Struggles at school or at home
- Parenting challenges
- Family relationships
- Housing, financial or health worries
We work in partnership with you and, if needed, with other services such as health visitors, local charities, youth services, or the local authority, to put together a plan that works for your family.
Early Help is voluntary, confidential and led by you. It’s about listening, not judging — and working together to make things better.
If you feel you could benefit from Early Help or just want to talk things through, please get in touch with one of our Student Support Managers. At Main School the Student Support Managers are Mrs Chloe Mather and Mrs Kathryn Kinney and at Sixth Form, Mrs Rachel Thompson and Mrs Joanne Roberts.
You’re not alone — we’re here to help.
- Prevent
What is the Prevent Strategy?
The Prevent Strategy is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. We follow the Prevent Strategy as part of our safeguarding responsibilities.
At CRGS, we are committed to keeping children safe in every way — and that includes protecting them from extremism and radicalisation.
What does this look like at CRGS?
- Teaching children and young people to think critically, respect different views and make safe choices
- Promoting British values like democracy, respect and the rule of law
- Helping students build confidence, feel included and have a strong sense of identity
- Challenging prejudices and racist comments
- Training our staff to spot signs that a child or young person may be vulnerable to radical or harmful influences
- Protecting 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, and by vetting visitors who come into school to work with our children and young people.
What to do if you are worried about someone?
If you notice a sudden change in behaviour, isolation from friends or family, or they seem influenced by extreme ideas or hate speech — it’s okay to speak to us. You won’t get in trouble. It’s about keeping our children and young people safe.
If you have concerns, please talk to one of our DSLs (Designated Safeguarding Leads). You can also find more information on the Educate Against Hate website.
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 CRGS, all 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 Lead DSL) and Mrs Johnston (Sixth Form Lead DSL). 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 one of the Lead DSLs.
- eSafety
An important theme covered in assemblies as part of Main School PSHE and Sixth Form Guidance programme 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
