Safeguarding - Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School

We have a deep-rooted and secure culture of safeguarding

Pupils feel safe and because our school is a safe space they attend very regularly.
Pupils behave in an exceptional manner.
Pupils respect each other. Prejudiced behaviour is extremely rare.
Pupils have trusted adults they can talk to.
The school supports students who need it. We have 7 Heads of Year and 3 Heads of School/Key Stage. Each Key Stage has 2 or 3 non-teaching pastoral support staff. We have 5 Mental Health First Aiders, 6 Learning Support Assistants, 3 ELSA practitioners and 2 Counsellors.
Pupils are taught how to be safe online and offline
Our school is an harassment-free zone.
Staff are well trained to identify students at risk.
Staff use their training to raise concerns.
Referrals are made to the local authority in a timely way.
When referrals are not accepted by the local authority, we support in other ways and challenge this decision if necessary.
Rigorous checks are made on staff who work in our school.
Staff are held to the highest standards of personal behaviour.
Our school governors and external experts regularly check our safeguarding arrangements.

The Leigh Academies Trust exists to promote outstanding educational experiences that inspire all learners to set their sights high, to achieve to the best of their abilities, and to excel in all that they do in order to prepare them to live and work as successful, active citizens.

The Leigh Academies Trust recognises that schools have a crucial role to play in helping to identify welfare concerns and indicators of possible abuse or neglect at an early stage. All staff have a full and active part to play in protecting and safeguarding the children in our care; our pupils’ welfare is our paramount concern.

The Trust will follow guidelines provided by the DfE and the Medway Safeguarding Children Partnership (MSCP). Each Academy Body (AB) will appoint a senior member of staff as their Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), and consider appointing deputy DSL’s. The AB will work with the DSL to ensure all staff are appropriately trained, and will regularly monitor safeguarding within their school. The DSL will be responsible for ensuring all safeguarding procedures within the school are kept up to date.

Who to contact

The Designated Safeguarding Lead at SJWMS is Mr C Morris and the Deputy Safeguarding Leads are Mrs R Breach and Ms A Gibson. Any concerns should be reported to safeguarding@sjwms.org.uk.

To contact our Safeguarding Governor – Faith Ohaeri faith.ohaeri@sjwmsgov.org.uk
Medway Council Children’s Services – 01634 334466
Medway Local Authority Designated Officer – 01634 331065

To contact our Chair of Governors, Mr Tony Saroy, please email office@sjwms.org.uk specifying ‘For the attention of Chair of Governors’.

All our students can raise a concern with a member of staff. Each student has a form tutor whom they see daily. Our pastoral team consists of 7 Heads of Year and 3 Heads of School/Key Stage. Each Key Stage has 2 or 3 non-teaching pastoral support staff. We have 5 Mental Health First Aiders, 6 Learning Support Assistants, 3 ELSA practitioners and 2 Counsellors.

Out of Hours

All students have access to a school Chromebook, meaning email contact with staff is easier and therefore growing in frequency.

Students who want to raise a welfare or safeguarding concern out of school hours (i.e. before 8am or after 4pm on weekends) should email safeguarding@sjwms.org.uk rather than emailing teachers directly, as they may not respond.

If you think a child is at immediate risk of harm and need to contact Medway Council Children’s Services out of hours, please call 03000 419191

How does Safeguarding work at SJWMS?

Our staff will always act in the best interest of children. All staff, not just teachers, identify students who need help or are at risk. Students quickly get the help they need because of the extensive support systems we have. Referrals are made to partner agencies in a timely way, and managed appropriately.

Staff are trained annually but also receive termly email updates, and input at staff meeting sessions at the start of each term (six times per year).

Safeguarding is our priority and everyone’s responsibility. We expect staff to use their training to maintain vigilance, professional curiosity and healthy scepticism about what they see and hear.

Staff who are worried about a child should raise their concerns using Bromcom, or email safeguarding@ for those without access to Bromcom.

Safeguarding permeates every aspect of our school and influences all decisions and actions taken by our staff.

Click here to view our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy