Child Safeguarding & Protection Policy

De Merry-Hill Schools is committed to providing a safe, secure and nurturing environment for every pupil. The safety and wellbeing of children in our care is our highest priority, and this commitment guides every policy and decision the school makes.

All staff, teachers and support personnel are required to go through a screening process before employment. Staff receive periodic guidance on recognising and responding appropriately to signs of distress, abuse or neglect, and on maintaining appropriate boundaries with pupils at all times.

Visitors, contractors and volunteers are required to sign in at the school office and may not move around the premises unaccompanied. Parents and guardians collecting pupils outside of regular hours are required to follow the school's identification and sign-out procedures.

Any concern about a child's safety or wellbeing, however small, should be reported immediately to the school's designated safeguarding contact or the head of school. The school treats all such reports with the seriousness and confidentiality they deserve, and will take appropriate action, which may include involving relevant authorities where required by law.

Pupils are taught, in age-appropriate ways, that they can speak to a trusted teacher or staff member if they ever feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or unsure about a situation involving an adult or another pupil.

This policy applies to every member of the school community, including management, staff, contractors, volunteers and visitors, and is reviewed periodically to reflect best practice in child protection.

This is a template policy provided as a starting point. The school's management should review and adapt it, ideally with a qualified legal practitioner or child-protection professional, before relying on it as a binding document.