Safeguarding Children
The Duke of Bedford School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and health and safety of all children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Our Safeguarding officers are:
Mrs Pinguenet (Headteacher)
Mrs Johnson (Deputy Headteacher)
Mrs Sewell (SENCo)
Mrs Holtz (Inclusion officer)
Mr J. Bellamy and Mrs R. O'Sullivan (Safeguarding Governors)
The Safeguarding Lead is the first point of contact for any member of the school community who has a concern about the safety or well being of a child.
Safeguarding-and-Child-Protection-Statement
At The Duke of Bedford School, we follow the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Authority's Protection Procedures and the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board local guidance and we have systems in place to share concerns regarding children’s welfare with the designated person, with parents and with relevant external agencies. Part of our legal duty to safeguard our children, may also include us needing to consult specifically with and take advice from, the Police or Children's Social Care, should the need arise. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with his/her parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child's welfare.
Peterborough Local Authority has a Safeguarding Board. Please follow the link to view their website:
https://www.safeguardingcambspeterborough.org.uk/home/about-the-partnership-board/
By working closely together as a staff and with our partner agencies, we firmly believe that we will continue to offer a safe learning environment for all our children.
Guidance-for-Safer-Working-Practices-Feb-2022
What-to-do-if-you-re-worried-a-child-is-being-abused
Working Together to Safeguard Children Dec 2023
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board co-ordinates work to help keep children and adults safe from abuse and neglect:
https://www.safeguardingcambspeterborough.org.uk/
Prevent Strategy
As part of The Duke of Bedford school’s commitment to safeguarding and child protection we fully support the government's Prevent Strategy, and take guidance from Teaching Approaches to help build resilience to extremism.
What is the Prevent Strategy?
The Prevent strategy is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists, supporting terrorism, fundamentalism or extremist behaviours.
It responds to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views. It provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support. It also works with a wide range of sectors (including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, online and health).
DoB-Statement-on-preventing-radicalisation
Please see the following website for advice and support: https://www.ltai.info/
Operation Encompass
At The Duke of Bedford School we work in partnership with Cambridgeshire Police and Peterborough County Council to identify and provide appropriate support to pupils who have experienced domestic abuse in their home; this scheme is called Operation Encompass.
In order to achieve this, Cambridgeshire's Education Safeguarding Team will share police information of all domestic incidents, where one of our pupils has been present, with the Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) and Domestic Abuse Lead. On receipt of any information, the DSL and DA Lead will decide on the appropriate support the child may require. The Operation Encompass information is stored in line with all other confidential safeguarding and child protection information. All information sharing and resulting actions will be undertaken in accordance with the 'Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Joint Agency Protocol for Domestic Abuse - Notifications to Schools, Colleges and Early Years settings'.
