Safeguarding

Information for students 

Whatever your worries, whatever you would like to talk about, there is always an adult in school to listen.

You are always welcome to talk to a member of staff in the Safeguarding Team or a teacher or any adult in school. You can do this by:

  • Coming to see one of us 
  • Emailing, safeguarding@hollyfield.kingston.sch.uk
  • You can report a worry you have seen or heard anonymously via Google Classroom, the link is in your Google Classroom. 

If it is the weekend or the school holidays, and you are unable to speak to a member of staff you might find these numbers useful: 

  • NSPCC Child Protection Line: 0808 8005000
  • Childline: 0800 1111
  • Samaritans: 116 123
  • CAMHS Resources for Positive Mental Health, click here

Click here for even more information about helplines, charities, and support groups specifically for children.

There are many other ways you can report a concern. If you are under 18 and have seen something online or experienced something online which has worried you, you can tell an adult, or you can report an online sexual abuse concern to CEOP: 

Information for Students and Parents

Hollyfield School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We ensure that all our employment practices reflect this commitment.

The safety and wellbeing of every child in the care of Hollyfield School is our absolute priority. We expect all of our staff, pupils, parents, governors, visitors, contractors and third party professionals to share this view. The safeguarding and protection of children is everyone’s responsibility.

Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy can be found here.

Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, Student Version, can be found here

Our Safeguarding Annual Audit can be found here.

Our Safeguarding form for visitors can be found here.

Safeguarding Personnel

The term “Designated Safeguarding Lead” (DSL) is used in the DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education document and refers to the person accountable for overseeing the safety and wellbeing of the children in the care of their setting. The role of the DSL must be fulfilled by a member of the schools senior leadership team to ensure that they have appropriate authority and status to provide advice and support to other staff on child welfare and child protection matters.

For further information on the role of the DSL can be found here.

Sophie McGeoch, Deputy Headteacher is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Lead Teacher for Looked After and Previously Looked After Children and Senior Mental Health Lead.                                         

smcgeoch@hollyfield.kingston.sch.uk

Sonali Patel, Assistant Headteacher is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). 

spatel@hollyfield.kingston.sch.uk

 

 

Nick Buckman, Assistant Headteacher is the Deputy Designated Safeguarding  Lead (DDSL).                                                   

nbuckman@hollyfield.kingston.sch.uk

 

 

The role of the Safeguarding Governor:

At the Hollyfield School all members of the Governing Board understand their commitment to safeguarding and child protection. We ensure that all governors complete annual safeguarding training and we have two Safeguarding Governors who are Ms Vicki Jones and Ms Emma Francis.

Together, these safeguarding governors work to:

  1. Ensure that the school/trust is compliant with safeguarding policies, procedures and the law.
  2. Lead on the governance of safeguarding
  3. Ensure that the school/trusts safeguarding training regime is robust.

Further information on the role of the Safeguarding Governor can be read here

Vicki Jones, Lead Governor for Safeguarding.

vjones@hollyfield.kingston.sch.uk

 

 

Emma Francis, Chair of Governors.

efrancis@hollyfield.kingston.sch.uk

 

Immediate Risk

If it is an emergency, and you are concerned that a child may be at immediate risk of harm, please contact the Police by calling: 999.

If you are not sure whether you should call the Police click here

Registering a concern about a child

If you are concerned that a child is at risk of harm or has been harmed, please contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead immediately, see email details above or call the school and speak to one of us directly 020 8339 4500.

Alternatively, you can contact Children's Services directly. Please click here.     

Registering a concern about an adult who works with children

If your concern is about an adult who is working or volunteering with children, please contact the Headteacher, Amy Jackson, or one of the DSLs Sophie McGeoch or Sonali Patel.

If your concern is regarding the Headteacher, please contact the Chair of Governors, Emma Frances.

Alternatively, you can contact the Local Authority Designated Officer on 07774 332675 or LADO@achievingforchildren.org.uk

Our Offer

The school takes its safeguarding responsibilities seriously and is clear that everyone is responsible for keeping all children safe from harm or abuse. The best interests of the child are placed firmly at the centre of all that we do.

We are fortunate to have a very experienced and skilled Pastoral Team at Hollyfield. There are four Student Support Officers who work closely with the Heads of Year and DSLs. We also work with a wide network of other agencies which ranges from external mental health workers, school counsellors, educational psychologists and welfare support.

Ella Davies is our School Health Practitioner. She works at Hollyfield one day a week supporting our young people through 1:1 mentoring, drop in clinics, leading on assemblies and workshops. Click here for more information on Ella.

All school staff who work on site are trained to Level 2 and receive regular training updates throughout the year. The DSLs attend half-termly network meetings which are supplemented with high quality CPD throughout the year, alongside access to additional training from Farrers, The Every Child Every Day Trust and Achieving for Children.

This year (2023-24) the school has identified 5 safeguarding objectives. It is our goal to understand these issues even better and offer greater support to our students and their families.

1. Consent Culture
2. Understanding the importance of speaking up and speaking out, being an upstander.
3. Mental Health, specifically self harm and boys' mental health
4. Substance misuse
5. Online Safety

Other sources of advice and support for families

On the 1st April 2021, the DfE established a dedicated helpline, run by the NSPCC, to support survivors of sexual harassment and abuse in education settings: 0800 136 663 or email help@nspcc.org.uk

Stop it now - Sexual Abuse Helpline for adults: 0808 1000900

NAPAC - Supporting recovery from childhood abuse: 0808 801 0331

A directory of further helplines can be downloaded here.