Safeguarding children and protecting them from harm is everyone鈥檚 responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play.听
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is :听
- Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as problems emerge
- Protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
- Preventing impairment of children鈥檚 mental and physical health or development
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
Safeguarding Within Our Curriculum
Our school has three curriculum pathways followed by our pupils, these curriculums are underpinned by our three Key Drivers: Communication, Wellbeing and Independence.听 Our school values of Respect, Teamwork and Resilience are also at the heart of our curriculums.
Our curriculums are designed to ensure that our pupils are explicitly taught to keep themselves safe within school, at home, in the community and within their life going forward, in the most appropriate way for the pupils.
Please see the below document for a detailed view of how safeguarding is embedded within our curriculums, for all of our students.
Working with Our Pupils
The Safeguarding team have been working with our Student Council to update the documents that we use to keep our pupils safe.听 We worked with them to design and create two new ‘Pupil Friendly’ versions of our policy documents, listening to their ideas and comments to ensure they were fit for purpose.
The documents have now been introduced to classrooms to support pupils with keeping safe in school, and knowing who their trusted adults are.
We have also worked with our therapy team in school to create other documents for school to ensure all pupils know the communications to keep themselves safe.听 These will be used in areas of personal care and within classrooms.
You can see the documents below:
Mobile Phone Guidance for School
As you will be aware the DFE have recently created new guidance for schools around the use of mobile phones.
Due to this we have created guidance for the school, taking into account he varying needs of our pupils, the medical needs that our pupils have and the need for the teaching of PFA skills with our pupils and the use of assistive technology provided through mobile phones which links to this.
Please take the time to read over the guidance and any questions can come to the safeguarding team or the Department lead.
Mobile Phones in School鈥�Guidance
To鈥痬aintain鈥痑 safe,鈥痜ocused鈥痑nd supportive learning environment, all students must hand their mobile phones to a member of staff at the start of the school day.鈥�疨hones will be stored securely and returned to students at the end of the school day.
The school recognises that many students rely on mobile phones for their journey to and from school.鈥�疭tudents may therefore bring their phones to school for transport and travel purposes, but they must be handed in鈥痠mmediately鈥痷pon arrival.
Exemptions and Reasonable Adjustments
The school acknowledges that some students may require access to a mobile device during the school day as part of their individual needs.听 Reasonable adjustments will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may include:
- Medical needs, such as the management of diabetes through mobile phone-linked monitoring systems.
- Communication needs鈥痠dentified鈥痺ithin an EHCP or other support plan.
- Therapeutic interventions recommended by healthcare professionals or therapists.
- Activities that support Preparation for Adulthood outcomes, where mobile phone use has been identified as鈥痑n appropriate tool鈥痶o develop independence, travel training, communication鈥痵kills鈥痮r community access.
Any exemption must be agreed by the school in partnership with the student, parents/carers鈥痑nd relevant professionals.听 Arrangements will be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain鈥痑ppropriate鈥痑nd supportive of the student’s needs.
Use of Phones Under an Agreed Exemption
Students with an approved exemption may only use their phone for the specific purpose agreed鈥痺ith parents/carers, a medical plan and the DSL.听 Where this is the case parents/carers will be invited into school to discuss the exemption and an individual contract will be in place to safeguard all pupils and staff.听 The school reserves the right to review, amend or withdraw arrangements where use is no longer鈥痑ppropriate鈥痮r where there are safeguarding concerns.
Unauthorised Use
Students must not use mobile phones during the school day without prior authorisation.听 Unauthorised use, including photography, recording, messaging, social media access or gaming, may result in the phone being confiscated and further action being taken in line with the school’s behaviour policy.
This approach reflects current Department for Education expectations that schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default, while making鈥痑ppropriate adjustments鈥痜or pupils with SEND,鈥痙isabilities鈥痮r medical needs.
Date:鈥�September 2026
Review date:鈥�September 2027