Safeguarding

The Orion Education Trust, our school staff and members of Local Governing Bodies are committed to providing a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment. 

We are committed to safeguarding children and young people, and we expect everyone who works in our school to share this commitment.  Adults in our school take all welfare concerns seriously and encourage children and young people to talk to us about anything that worries them.  We work with other agencies to ensure there are adequate arrangements within our school to identify, assess and support those children who are suffering from harm.   We will always act in the best interest of the child creating a culture of vigilance for all.   

We provide a continuous training programme that raises the awareness of trustees, members of central trust staff, all members of Local Governing Body and all Orion Education school staff of the need to safeguard students and ensure that they are fully aware of their responsibilities in identifying and reporting possible cases of abuse .

The Orion Trust board has appointed a trustee with specific oversight of safeguarding and a member of the Executive Leadership Team with overall responsibility for safeguarding across all Orion Trust Schools. Local Governing Bodies of Orion Trust schools will appoint a governor with specific oversight of safeguarding at school level as well as a governor with specific oversight of children looked after; this may be the same governor.  

All Orion Trust schools have a Designated Safeguarding Lead who will adhere to the updated London Child Protection Procedures and Bromley/Kent Safeguarding Partnership.  

We ensure that all staff and volunteers who have access to students have an enhanced DBS disclosure and S128 Education and Skills Act 2008 ‘discretion’ check via the Teacher Services System.   The central team and Orion Trust schools will implement recruitment procedures as outlined by updated Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment legislation  

Orion Trust schools will endeavour to make parents/carers aware of their role in child protection and safeguarding from all potential risks and will develop and promote working relationships with external agencies in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children Legislation, Keeping Children Safe in Education (2020) and contribute to external agency enquiries as appropriate.  

Our Principles 

• Safeguarding incidents could happen anywhere and safeguarding students is everyone’s responsibility. Staff should always be alert to possible concerns being raised at the school. 
• We believe that every child, regardless of age, always has and in all situations a right to feel safe and protected from being physically or psychologically harmed.  
• We believe that children must receive the right help at the right time to address risks and prevent issues escalating. 
• Children (defined as those up to the age of 18) regardless of age, gender, ability, culture, race, language, religion, or sexual identity, have equal rights to protection.  All children have a right to be heard and to have their wishes and feelings considered.   
• All Orion staff will we remain vigilant about safeguarding concerns and maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here.’   
• We consider that all children and young people have or are experiencing some form of sexual harassment or exposure to sexual content. 
• Working in partnership with external agencies is essential to supporting children and families and to contribute to agency enquiries as appropriate. 

• Parents/carers are to be kept aware of their role in child protection and safeguarding; working with families as a matter of good practice to inform them of any referrals made, unless it is agreed that doing so may/will put the student at risk from harm. 
• Every complaint or suspicion of abuse from within or outside the school will be taken seriously and will be referred to an external agency such as children’s social care services, the LA designated officer(s), or the police.  
• We commit to teaching children about how to keep themselves and their peers safe and healthy, through our teaching and learning, extra-curricular activities, pastoral care and extended school activities. We will teach about safeguarding, including keeping safe online, as part of providing a broad and balanced curriculum covering relevant issues through personal, social health and economic education. 

.