SAFEGUARDING INTRODUCTION

Sir Roger Cholmeley’s School at Highgate (“the School”) is committed to excellent governance and recognises the responsibility that this places on both individual governors (who are Trustees of the Charity) and members of the Strategy and Management Committee to take care to achieve good governance.

The Governing Body (GB), collectively, keeps under review and oversees the strategic development of the School and its public benefit provision, its leadership, governance and position in the community and expects to be informed and consulted by the Head, pursuant to his duties, on any significant matter that may bear on this, including academic and curriculum matters.

The GB also benefits from being able to draw on expertise and experience from outside its formal Governor membership.  The GB can appoint associate members to serve on one or more of the GB committees/working groups and/or to attend full GB meetings.  Associate members are not governors, but people interested in contributing to the work of the GB, the Charity and the School.

Following the recent retirement of an Associate Member who attended the safeguarding committee and supported the safeguarding governor, the School is seeking to appoint a new Associate Member.

BACKGROUND – STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE, September 2024) states that:

• ‘Governing bodies and proprietors should have a senior board level (or equivalent) lead to take leadership responsibility for their school or college’s safeguarding arrangements’ (KCSIE, Part 2, para 78)

THE MANAGEMENT OF SAFEGUARDING

The statutory responsibility of governing bodies, proprietors and management committees is set out in KCSIE, September 2024, Part 2.  A non-exhaustive list is set out below:

• GB have a strategic leadership responsibility for their school or college’s safeguarding arrangements and must ensure that they comply with their duties under legislation.
• GB should ensure that all governors and trustees receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection (including online) training at induction.
• GB should be aware of their obligations under the Humans Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010, and their local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.
• GB should ensure they facilitate a whole school or college approach to safeguarding.
• GB should, where there is a safeguarding concern, ensure the child’s wishes and feelings are taken into account when determining what action to take and what services to provide.
• GB should ensure there are appropriate policies and procedures in place for appropriate action to be taken in a timely manner to safeguard and promote children’s welfare.
• GB should take a proportionate risk-based approach to the level of information that is provided to temporary staff, volunteers and contractors.
• GB should ensure child protection files are maintained, appropriate safer recruitment policies are in place, embedded and effective, and, where reasonably possible, schools and colleges hold more than one emergency contact number for each pupil or student.
• GB should ensure an appropriate senior member of staff, from the school or college leadership team, is appointed to the role of designated safeguarding lead and that that lead has the appropriate status and authority within the school or college to carry out the duties of the post.
• GB should ensure that the school or college contributes to multi-agency working in line with statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children.
• GB should understand the local criteria for action and the local protocol for assessment and ensure they are reflected in their own policies and procedures.
• GB should ensure relevant staff have due regard to the relevant data protection principles, which allow them to share (and withhold) personal information, as provided for in the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR.
• GB should ensure that all staff undergo safeguarding and child protection training (including online safety) at induction.
• GB should ensure that safeguarding training for staff is integrated, aligned and considered as part of the whole school or college safeguarding approach and wider staff training and curriculum planning.
• GB should have regard to the Teachers’ Standards which set out the expectation that all teachers manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe educational environment and requires teachers to have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils.
• GB should ensure that children are taught about how to keep themselves and others safe, including online.
• GB should ensure online safety is a running and interrelated theme whilst devising and implementing their whole school or college approach to safeguarding and related policies and procedures.
• GB should ensure their school or college has appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place and regularly review their effectiveness.
• GB should ensure there are procedures in place…to manage any safeguarding concerns (no matter how small) or allegations that do not meet the harm threshold, about staff members.
• GB should ensure there are procedures in place, …, for staff to report concerns or allegations that may meet the harm threshold about staff members.
• GB should ensure that their child protection policy includes child-on-child abuse as set out at paragraph 160 of KCSIE, Part 2.
• GB should ensure they have clear systems and processes in place for identifying possible mental health problems, including routes to escalate and clear referral and accountability systems.
• GB should ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding to keep Looked After Children safe.
• GB should ensure their child protection policy reflects the fact that additional barriers can exist when recognizing abuse, neglect and exploitation of children with special educational needs or disabilities or certain medical or physical health conditions.

HIGHGATE’S ASSOCIATE MEMBER FOR SAFEGUARDING

The Associate Member may carry out the following duties in order to check the School’s compliance with statutory guidance and the effectiveness of the School’s training and procedures:

• Read and understand the School’s legal safeguarding requirements, (including Working Together, KCSIE and the Prevent Duty) and the School’s policies and procedures for
• Approving annually a number of School safeguarding policies, including the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
• Meeting each half term with the Senior Designated Safeguarding Lead (currently the Deputy Head (Safeguarding and Pastoral)), and any other relevant other staff, to review a report on safeguarding activities from the current term.
• Being a member of the Safeguarding Governors’ Committee and attending quarterly meetings where policies and case audits are discussed and reviewed, along with termly reports on safeguarding.
• Offering consultation to the Senior Designated Safeguarding Lead on complex cases
• The Pre-Preparatory School, the Junior School, the Senior School, Support Staff, Music and SpEx Departments all have nominated Designated Safeguarding Leads and, where appropriate, The Associate Member should oversee and support the work of the School’s team of Designated Safeguarding Leads, receiving details of their termly meetings and attending as appropriate.
• Ensure that the School’s Safeguarding and Child Protection policy is being followed in practice; and to be informed of, and involved in, any policy review.
• Ensure that the School is teaching pupils how to keep safe (at an age appropriate level) and that safeguarding education reflects the risks for the young people in the area.
• Ensure that the Safeguarding training programme for staff reflects the needs of the school and statutory regulations, including reviewing the School’s annual independent safeguarding training audit.
• Ensure that the GB are kept aware of the safeguarding risks to young people in the School and that there is appropriate monitoring, tracking and support in place for vulnerable students (referrals to local authorities, serious disciplinary incidents, bullying, mental health etc).
• Ensure that the Single Central Record is compliant, that safer recruitment processes are in place and that all safeguarding records are stored securely.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

Applicants will be required to demonstrate expertise and experience in (a) understanding legislation, regulations and statutory guidance, (b) assessing policies and procedures to reassure

the GB that effective systems are in place to keep children safe and to ensure compliance, and (c) working effectively as part of a team to support the work of the Designated Safeguarding Leads.

Key professional attributes include:

• Discretion and Integrity: maintaining the highest possible standards of sensitivity and discretion when encountering challenging situations for pupils, families and staff (names of pupils/families are not disclosed). Blending rigorous objectivity alongside naturally caring and collaborative instincts, with the consistent focus on working together to achieve the best possible outcomes for Highgate’s pupils.
• Commitment: devoting the required time and energy to understanding the safeguarding Associate Member role, the regulatory framework for safeguarding in education and the School’s policies and procedures. Experience of working or volunteering with young people and an appreciation of core safer recruitment and safeguarding principles would be an
• Constructively critical: adopting a curious and enquiring approach in order to provide appropriate challenge to the Designated Safeguarding Leads. Asking the right questions to encourage a culture of self-reflection that constantly seeks to improve safeguarding policy and practice across the whole School community. An understanding of working within, and/or the effective appliance of, a regulatory framework in the workplace would be helpful.