Safeguarding

Keeping our children safe

At Wistaston Academy, the safety and wellbeing of our children is our highest priority. We are committed to providing a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where every child feels valued, respected, listened to and able to learn.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. All adults who work in or visit our school have a responsibility to promote the welfare of children and to act promptly if they have a concern about a child's safety or wellbeing.

We follow statutory guidance and robust safeguarding procedures to protect and promote the welfare of all children in our care. Our safeguarding arrangements are informed by Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children.

We are committed to:

Creating an environment where children feel safe, secure, valued and confident that they will be listened to.
Promoting positive relationships and an ethos where children are encouraged to speak to a trusted adult if they are worried or need help.
Working in partnership with parents and carers, while recognising that our responsibility to safeguard children may sometimes require us to share information with, or make a referral to, other agencies.
Helping children to understand how to keep themselves safe, including recognising and responding to risks both in the community and online.
Ensuring that all staff receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training and understand how to recognise and respond to concerns, including concerns relating to abuse, neglect, exploitation and online harms.
Maintaining accurate and appropriate safeguarding records and ensuring that information is shared promptly and appropriately when necessary to protect a child.
Working closely with Children's Social Care, the Police, health services and other safeguarding partners where this is necessary to safeguard and support children.
Taking a child-centred approach and ensuring that the child's voice, wishes and feelings are considered when responding to safeguarding concerns.
Promoting a culture where staff feel confident to report concerns and understand that they must never assume that someone else will report a concern.

Safeguarding concerns can present in many different ways. Changes in a child's behaviour, attendance, presentation, communication or circumstances may indicate that they need help or protection. We encourage anyone who has a concern about a child to report it.

If a child is in immediate danger or at immediate risk of harm, call 999.

For information about how to report a safeguarding concern, including contact details for the Cheshire East Integrated Front Door, please visit our Reporting Concerns page.