The Federation of Westminster Special Schools takes its safeguarding responsibilities very seriously, with the overriding priority being the health, safety and well-being of every pupil and staff member. This means we ensure that:

• designated teachers for safeguarding and child protection are trained to the highest level in safeguarding and child protection policy and procedures;
• everyone working across the Federation has successfully completed the statutory security checks and clearances and undertakes annual safeguarding training to ensure that they understand and adhere to current safeguarding procedures;
• safeguarding policies and procedures are robust, including the Child Protection and Safeguarding policy and Whistleblowing policy. These are reviewed annually by the Federation Governing Board to ensure that we are in line with current statutory safeguarding requirements and procedures.
• the implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures is monitored closely by senior leaders and governors to support the safeguarding of our pupils and staff.

Our aim is that every pupil is able to learn and thrive in a safe, caring and stimulating environment. We listen carefully to our pupils and take very seriously what they tell us. In doing so, we use the pupil’s preferred method of communication, such as PECS and Makaton. We also carefully monitor any changes in attendance, behaviour and appearance.

The statutory guidance and procedures we follow have been laid down by the Department for Education (DfE) and supported by the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board. These duties are adhered to by the Federation’s Governing Board. By working closely with everyone concerned, we firmly believe that we offer a safe learning environment for all our pupils.

The Designated Teachers for Safeguarding are:

Andy Balmer:              Executive Head

Ricardo Clarke:          Assistant Head of Pastoral (Federation Designated Safeguarding Lead)

Claire Shepherd:       Head of School College Park School

Tanja Zeljic:                 Assistant Head of Primary College Park

Simon Bennett:          Assistant Head of Secondary College Park

Pamela Murphy:        Head of School Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee School

Eva Diaz:                        Assistant Head of Primary Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee School

TBC:                                 Assistant Head of Secondary Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee School

David Dyer:                 Governor with responsibility for Safeguarding

Sharon Ackbersingh:            Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)