Safeguarding and Child Protection

Safeguarding Statement

Hawthorns School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff, governors and volunteers to share this commitment.

Our pupils belong to a group of people who are, potentially, some of the most vulnerable to abuse in all its forms, for a number of reasons. It is our duty therefore to make sure that child protection is an integrated part of the ethos and practices of our school.

We take all welfare concerns seriously and encourage children to communicate to us where possible about anything that worries them. We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. Many of our pupils are unable to communicate through formal methods, so monitoring non-verbal communication is also essential. All staff are trained in Child Protection and are aware of signs to look out for and processes to follow should there be any concerns.

We will always act in the best interests of the child.

We believe that our school should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical and moral development of the individual child. We recognise the importance of providing an environment that will help children feel safe and respected.

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment including our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which is available on our website.(click here if you wish to view policies now)  This explains the procedures staff must follow to protect our children.

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with parents/ carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.

We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.

If you are worried that a child has suffered harm, neglect or abuse, or you are worried that a child may be at risk of suffering harm, please contact the DSL or a member of the school safeguarding team below by phoning 0161 370 1312 or email   safeguarding@hawthorns.tameside.sch.uk.

Designated Safeguarding Leads:

Debbie Fitton (Deputy Head)

Deputy Safeguarding Leads:

Pierre Coiffait (Executive Head)

Janet Sarno (Head of School)

Sonia Jones (Multi- Agency Family Link worker)

Lead for Looked After Children (LAC):

Debbie Fitton (Deputy Head)

Local Authority Designated Officer:

Tania Brown 0161 342 4398

If your concern is urgent and school is closed, please contact the

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)  Tel 0161 342 4101  Out of hours Tel 0161 342 2222

Hours – Monday to Wednesday 8.30am to 5pm, Thursday 8.30am to 4.30pm and Friday 8.30am to 4pm.  If a child is in immediate danger, contact the Police by phoning 999.

Operation Encompass

Hawthorns School implements the Operation Encompass project that runs jointly between schools and Greater Manchester Police. It aims to support children who are affected by domestic violence by ensuring that their school is informed of any incidents that Police attend. This allows the school to support the children. If you have any questions about this project, please contact school. 

External Agencies

• Police
• Attendance Improvement Service
• TOG Mind
• School Nursing Team
• Young Carers
• Virtual School