Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of all our young people and to protect them from harm.

Safeguarding means: protecting children from abuse and maltreatment. Preventing harm to children's health or development. Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.

Staff at Cardinal Newman agree that they should:

• Protect you from harm.
• Make sure that nothing stops you being healthy or developing properly.
• Make sure that you are safely looked after.
• Make sure that you have the best life chances and can grow up happy and successful.

Staff at Cardinal Newman agree that to make sure they look after you they will:

• Make sure the school is a friendly, welcoming and supportive place to spend time in. Somewhere you want to be.
• Be there for you to talk to if you need to and know who to ask for help.
• Give you safe messages in your lessons to help you learn how to look after yourself both online and in the real world.
• Have all the right rules in place to help look after you. They will follow these rules all of the time (these rules are called policies).

When someone hurts you, it can be called abuse. This is when someone does something to you that is harmful, unpleasant or painful like:

• If someone deliberately hits you, hurts you, injures you or humiliates you in different ways.
• If someone says or does something that makes you feel bad about yourself or hurts your feelings, which makes you feel scared, sad, upset or frightened.
• If someone doesn’t take proper care of you so you feel abandoned, lonely or neglected. You might not be able to eat or wash regularly, or you might not be able to come to school every day or on time

There are four types of abuse:

1. Physical Abuse – hitting, smacking, shaking, throwing, burning, biting etc.

2. Sexual Abuse – be aware this doesn’t always mean actually touching a child. It could be someone making you watch things to do with sex or encouraging you to act in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable.

3. Neglect – this means things like not providing meals or warmth or clothing. Or perhaps not taking you to the doctors when you need to go. There may be lots of different reasons why a child is neglected and it is really important that we know so we can help.

Abuse is never ok and if you are being or have been abused you must remember

– it is not your fault.

- You must always tell someone and they will help it to stop.

 

All of the staff at Cardinal Newman will do our best to make sure the building is safe for you to learn and spend time in. We will make sure that we know who everyone is in school by asking visitors to sign in at reception. You will always know who a visitor to the school is because they will have signed in at reception and will be wearing a visitor badge around their neck. If you see someone in school who is not wearing a badge and is not with a member of staff you should ask them politely who they are and ask them to make their way to the gatehouse. If you do not feel confident enough to do this please let a member of staff know straight away.

The building, outside areas and fields will be as safe as they can be for you so that you don’t hurt yourself, although accidents can happen if you are not careful. Staff will look after you if the fire alarm goes off and you should know what to do and where to go. When you leave school to go on a trip, the staff will make sure they can keep you safe wherever you are going.

What we will do

​At Cardinal Newman, we will help you in the following ways:

• We will do our best to spot if there is a problem. All of the adults in school have had training in this.
• We will work with other people (including the people at home) to help protect you and solve any problems you may have.
• We will listen to you if you want to talk to us and need our help. We will always take you seriously.
• We will support and encourage you and will respect your wishes and views. You can talk to any member of staff, but you should know that there are a number of staff who are responsible for making sure you are safe and well cared for, and they listed below.

• It is never your fault if someone is hurting or abusing you.
• There is always someone who can help you.
• If someone is hurting you, they might also be hurting someone else so it is important that you tell someone to make it stop.
• Every child should enjoy their right to a happy and safe childhood.

Do not be scared to tell someone straight away - we will always listen.

​Any disclosure made will be passed to Mrs Galvin who is the designated safeguarding lead at Cardinal Newman.

Bullying - If you think a student or an adult is bullying you or someone you know, you must tell your teacher/parent/carer or someone you can trust as soon as you can. It won’t stop unless you do. Bullying should not be kept a secret.

Saying strange things to you - If a student or an adult says something to you, or you hear something that you do not like or that upsets you, you must tell your teacher/parent/carer or someone you can trust.

Touching you -Your body belongs to you and not to anyone else. This means all of your body. If someone touches you on a part of your body you do not like, it is NOT OK. You must tell your teacher/parent/carer or someone you can trust as soon as you can.

Hitting, punching or smacking you - If a student or a grown up hits, punches or smacks you or hurts you in any way, you must tell your teacher/parent/carer or someone you can trust as soon as you can.

Presents - Presents are a lovely thing to get, but you should not take a present from anyone without checking with your parents first. Most of the time it will be ok, but sometimes people try and trick young people into doing something by giving them presents (like sweets, money or phones) This is sometimes called a bribe. If it does not seem right, tell someone as soon as you can.

On the computer or your phone - Computers and mobile phones help us all to share things and talk to our friends or family, but they can also make it easier for bullies and other people that want to hurt you to get close to you. It is important to know how to keep yourself safe on your computer, your phone and on websites. Bishop Ullathorne School has an e-safety policy which is there to protect you. If you are unhappy with any comments or photographs you’ve seen on your computer or mobile then you can also contact www.thinkuknow.co.uk as well as adults in school.
 

During your time at Cardinal Newman Catholic School, you will be taught PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) though regular lessons, assemblies and pastoral programme. You will learn about lots of important ways that you can keep yourself safe and healthy from mental health issues, keeping safe online, exploitation, body image, drugs and healthy lifestyles, to name a few.