Child Protection, Safeguarding & Online Safety
At Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School we place great emphasis on the health, safety and well-being of every girl. We take all concerns seriously as we want our girls to enjoy their time at the school.
Child Protection / Safeguarding
The school works in partnership with parents/carers in every way possible to help and support their daughters to achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution. However, all schools have a clear responsibility placed on them by the Children Act 1989 and guidance from the Department for Education to safeguard the welfare of all their pupils. In doing so, schools are expected to consult with Hertfordshire’s Children’s Services if they believe there is a possibility that a child may be suffering from abuse or neglect.
A referral to Children’s Services is not intended to be an accusation of any particular action or against any particular person. It is the reporting of concerns that have come to the school’s attention. This is in accordance with Hertfordshire’s Child Protection Procedures.
Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School has a Child Protection Policy and a copy of Hertfordshire Area Child Protection Procedures, both of which are available for parents/ carers to see. Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School also operates safe recruitment procedures in keeping with DfE guidelines
Mr Dudley is the Designated Safeguarding Lead with Mrs Jackson, Mrs Alliott and Mrs Dayton as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads. They will be happy to discuss any questions or concerns parents/carers may have about Child Protection policies and practice.
Mr Dudley
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Jackson
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Alliott
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Dayton
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Online Safety
- I will only use school IT equipment for school purposes.
- I will not download or install software on school IT equipment.
- I will only log on to the school network, other school systems and resources using my own school user name and password.
- I will not reveal my passwords to anyone other than a parent/carer.
- I will not use my personal email address or other personal accounts on school IT equipment.
- I will make sure that all my electronic communications are responsible and sensible.
- I understand that everything I search for, access, post or receive online can be traced now and in the future. My activity can be monitored and logged and if necessary shared with teachers, parents/carers and the police if necessary. I know it is essential that I build a good online reputation.
- I will not browse, download, upload or forward material that could be considered offensive or illegal. If I accidentally come across any such material I will report it immediately, to a member of staff if I am in school or parent/carer if I am not in school.
- I will not give out my own or others’ personal information, including: name, phone number, home address, interests, schools or clubs or any personal image. I will report immediately any request for personal information, to a member of staff if I am in school or parent/carer if I am not in school.
- I should never post photographs, videos or livestream without the permission of all parties involved.
- I will not upload any images, videos, sounds or words that could upset, now or in the future, any member of the school community, as this is cyberbullying.
- I will be respectful to everyone online; I will treat everyone the way that I want to be treated. I will ensure that all my online activity, both in and outside school, will not cause distress to anyone in the school community or bring the school into disrepute.
- I will not respond to hurtful behaviour online but will report it. I have the right to block and will say no to any inappropriate or upsetting request.
- I will respect the privacy and ownership of others’ work on-line and will adhere to copyright at all times.
- I will not attempt to bypass the internet filtering system in school.
- I will not assume that new technologies can be brought into school and will check with staff before bringing in any device.
- I will not lie about my age in order to sign up for age inappropriate games, apps or social networks.
- I understand that not everything I see or hear online is true, accurate or genuine. I also know that some people on the internet are not who they say they are and may have ulterior motives for assuming another identity that will put me at risk. I will gain permission from parents/carers before arranging to meet someone I only know on the internet.
- I understand that these rules are designed to keep me safe now and in the future. If I break the rules, teachers will investigate, I may be disciplined and my parents/carers may be contacted. If I break the law the police may be informed.
Prevent Strategy
Prevent is one of the four elements of CONTEST, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
The Prevent Strategy:
Responds to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those that promote these views;
Provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensures they are given appropriate advice and support;
Works with a wide range of sectors (including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, online and health) where there are risks to radicalisation that we need to deal with
Please click on the link below for the full Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School Prevent Strategy:
Further Information
For further information on our Child Protection, Online Safety and Safer Recruitment policies, please refer to our Policies page.
Parents /carers can also use the Families First portal to access information, advice, guidance and support on a range of issues. It also signposts local and national support services, many of which are free for families to access.
CEOP is a law enforcement agency and is here to keep children and young people safe from sexual exploitation and abuse. To start your report to one of CEOP’s Child Protection Advisors, please access the CEOP site by clicking the logo below:
Welwyn Garden City & Hatfield Schools Partnership is here to help improve outcomes for children and young people across the Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield area, and to help make it easier for parents to support their children with their learning.
Some of the difficulties they can help with include:
- Parenting strategies: e.g. managing challenging behaviour or sleep patterns
- Assisting parents of children with additional needs
- Changing schools (transition)
- Loss or bereavement
- Financial concerns
- Smoking, drugs and alcohol misuse
- Family breakdown
- Being in an abusive relationship
Please access the WGCHSP site by clicking the logo below:
For information on keeping your child safe on line, please take a look at Herts for Learning’s Newsletter below.
Children do everything online, from learning to socialising, gaming to shopping these days. For teens, learning how to recognise the risks and protect themselves is a life skill they’ll need for years to come.
The first step to keeping teens safe online is to know what your child is actually doing online. Rather than banning it, you need to engage with it. Even if they’ve told you what apps they’re on, it can easily go over your head if you’re not in the know. Here’s a run-down of the main online platforms that teens are using at the moment.
