Safeguarding

Whitgift School fully recognises our responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children and young people in our care, and that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

Our practice follows the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children and Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2024) and encompasses the following principles:

• To protect children from harm 
• To prevent impairment of children’s health and development
• To ensure that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, thus enabling those children to have optimal life chances and to enter adulthood successfully
• To treat the interests of our children as paramount
• To consider at all times the best interests of the child 

Anyone who has a concern about a child’s welfare, including if there is a concern that the child is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so, should make a referral to our Director of Safeguarding / Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) – unless an allegation is against them or another member of staff, when the Headmaster must be informed. If the allegation is against the Headmaster, the Chair of Governors should be contacted. In all cases the guidelines laid down by the DfE must be followed. Please also refer to the School’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.