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Child Protection & Safeguarding

 

Staff and governors at Upton Hall School are thoroughly committed to promoting the safety and welfare of all pupils. Please see our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy, which can be viewed by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

 


Key Contacts: -

Designated Safeguarding Lead                                                                                                                                                                    

Mrs N Griffiths (Assistant Headteacher)

     

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads                                                                                                                                                        Mr P McAleese (Deputy Headteacher) & Mrs A Gaunt (Headteacher)

                                                    

Link Governor for Safeguarding   
Mrs K Green (Chair of Governors)


 

Safeguarding is the procedures that are followed to keep pupils safe, and promote positive well-being.  This includes: -

  • Protecting children from maltreatment
  • Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
  • Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
  • Child protection
  • Supporting vulnerable children
  • Safe care, at home, in school and in the community
  • Safer Recruitment
  • Safer Perimeter
  • Community issues
  • Online safety
  • Risk
  • Curriculum
  • Partnership working
  • Transition Planning

Child protection is one aspect of safeguarding, and describes the actions taken to protect specific children who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.

Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership (WSCP)

The WSCP is a statutory agency established by the Children and Social Work Act (2017). It is a multi-agency partnership of organisations who agree how to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The WSCP is led by the three statutory safeguarding partners of the Local Authority, Merseyside Police and Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group.

The DSL works closely with the WSCP to ensure that swift and appropriate action is taken in order to keep pupils safe from harm.  Upton Hall School has a legal duty to report any concerns to Children's Services, and other agencies such as the Police where appropriate.

If you have a concern about a young person, please contact school reception (0151 677 7696) and ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.  Please do not give any details of your concerns to the receptionist, but please make it known that you wish to raise a safeguarding concern.

If you suspect that a child is at risk of harm, abuse or neglect, you are able to report these concerns via the Wirral Integrated Front Door.

Mon - Fri, 9.00am - 5.000pm - 0151 606 2008

Outside of these hours - 0151 677 6557

Email - IFD@wirral.gov.uk

In the case of an emergency, always dial 999.

Further information for parents and carers from the WSCP can be found here.

Further information for pupils from the WSCP can be found here.

Other useful links: -                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Barnardos                                                                                                                                                                                                              Childline                                                                                                                                                                                                           Merseyside Police                                                                                                                                                                                                         My Mind                                                                                                                                                                                                             NSPCC        

 


Constable Safer Schools Officer

PC Hughes joined the Metropolitan Police in 2006 and served there until transferring to Merseyside Police in 2014. He has served in a combination of uniform and detective roles during his service more recently specialising in child protection and safeguarding alongside schools. Prior to joining the police, PC Hughes studied at Loughborough and Cambridge University before recently completing a PGCTHE/FHEA alongside lecturing at Edge Hill University. He hopes to develop research involving the police and young people over the next period of his career.

  1. Children missing in school Sept 23
    PDF File
  2. Safeguarding Policy Sept 2023
    PDF File

For more information about Online Safety, please click here.


Attendance

One important aspect of safeguarding at Upton Hall School is excellent school attendance.  

At Upton Hall, we firmly believe that for a pupil to reach her full educational achievement, a high level of school attendance is essential. We will consistently work towards our target of at least 97% attendance for all pupils. Every opportunity will be used to convey to pupils and their parents/carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance.   

Reducing absence is an integral part of our work and we will:

  • Promote our pupil's welfare and safeguarding
  • Ensure every pupil has access to the full-time education to which they are entitled
  • Ensure that our pupils succeed while at school
  • Ensure that our pupils have access to the widest possible range of opportunities when they leave school.

At Upton Hall, an attendance panel is employed in order to challenge poor attendance.  There are three levels:

Level

 

Action

Follow-up

 

 

Level 1

 

Attendance dips below 92%.  Pupil interview with form tutor and head of year with letter sent to parents informing them that the meeting has taken place

 

 

Monitored for a further 4 weeks and if there is no improvement, move to Level 2

 

 

Level 2

 

 

 

Parent and pupil interview with the director of pupil development.  The head of year will create a formal attendance plan.

 

 

Monitored for another 4 weeks and if there is no improvement, move to Level 3

 

 

Level 3

 

 

 

Parent and pupil interview with the director of pupil development and LA attendance officer, with explanation of possible legal action.  The LA prosecution officer may also be in attendance.  The attendance plan is to be updated by the head of year.

 

 

 

Monitored for another 4 weeks and if there is no improvement, initiate legal proceedings

The planned dates for the Level 3 attendance panel interviews taking place in 2023/24 are: -

  • Thursday 14 March 2024
  • Thursday 16 May 2024
  • Thursday 27 June 2024

In addition to this schedule, further attendance interventions and level 3 panel interviews will take place on any date, should a pupil’s attendance be of significant concern.