Safeguarding 

Oaklands Catholic School and Sixth Form College Safeguarding Statement 2024-2025

Oaklands Catholic School and Sixth Form College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of all students and expects all staff, governors, parents, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment. We strive to ensure that consistent and effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, students and staff at school.

Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that safeguarding means:

• Protecting children from maltreatment
• Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
• Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcome

The school adheres to the following three DfE safeguarding documents:

• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024
• The Prevent Duty 2023

Oaklands Catholic School has policies and procedures in place, based on the Hampshire Children’s Safeguarding Partnership model policies, to deal effectively with child protection and safeguarding issues, which include tackling radicalisation and extremism, together with recording, referral and monitoring processes.

To promote a safe environment for students, Oaklands Catholic School employs a strict selection and recruitment policy which includes all statutory checks on staff and regular volunteers including Enhanced DBS (disclosure and barring service) checks

The school has a range of Safeguarding documents which are reviewed according to the agreed review cycle. These are:

• Child Protection Policy
• Safeguarding Policy
• Staff Code of Conduct
• Information for Visitors pamphlet (including Safeguarding)
• Attendance and Registration Policy
• Behaviour Policy
• Anti-Bullying Policy
• Whistleblowing Policy
• Health and safety Policy
• Children Looked After Policy
• Inclusion and SEND Policy
• Drugs Education Policy
• Relationships and Sex Education Policy
• First Aid Policy
• Medical Conditions and Administration of Medicines Policy
• ICT Security, Safety and Acceptable Use Policy
• Site Security Policy
• Emergency Response Plan (inc Critical Incident Recovery)
• Fire Management Plan & Fire Evacuation Plan
• Offsite Activities and Educational Visits Policy
• Restrictive Physical Intervention Policy
• School Equality Policy & Equality Information and targets
• Imagery Policy
• Management of Allegations of abuse against staff

To view Oaklands Policies please click here.

To view Oaklands Prevent Strategy please click here.

All staff receive annual Child Protection and Safeguarding update training and are aware of the procedures for passing on concerns within school.

The Schools Safeguarding Team:

The Safeguarding Governor is Mrs E Boulton. She can be contacted via the Clerk to the Governors, Mrs Colley, on extension 3063.

If you have any serious concerns about your child, another student or a member of staff at Oaklands Catholic School please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Bonnington, Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), who will be able to provide you with the best advice and help using the appropriate degree of confidentiality.