Pastoral Care and Safeguarding

King Edward’s Witley starts from the premise that the welfare of the pupil is paramount. This is meticulously interwoven into all areas of school life; King Edward’s pastoral care approaches are extensive and rigorous.

To this end, we aim:

• to encourage vigilance and a sense of shared responsibility for the duty of care to protect all of our pupils
• to maintain a purposeful sense of openness and transparency within the school’s community
• to develop an aspirational approach to pastoral care, continuously delivering the highest standards of individual attention; and
• to never think pupil pastoral care and safeguarding is someone else’s job: pupils feel safe and supported because the whole school shares this commitment.

All members of School staff undertake safeguarding training and recognise that they all have a responsibility to uphold and maintain a safe environment for our pupils. We encourage all members of our community to raise their concerns no matter how minor they may perceive it to be. The School works with Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership which include third-parties such as social care, health services and the police.

In its broadest sense, safeguarding at our school encompasses;

• a safe environment both home and away for all activities;
• an appropriate and enriching curriculum beyond the classroom setting;
• PSHE programmes;
• behaviour management, including rewards and sanctions;
• attendance management;
• nutritious food, healthy lifestyles and medical care;
• quality of staff recruitment and their subsequent development and management, including: induction, professional training, support and conduct;
• child protection, children in need and early intervention protocols
• regularly updated operating procedures and policies;
• appropriate arrangements for visitors, speakers and volunteers;
• managing complaints and allegations appropriately; and
• whistleblowing procedures.

We have established an atmosphere where pupils feel secure, know that there are adults to whom they can talk to at all times and not just in times of difficulty and where positive steps are taken to build self-esteem and confidence. Our ethos is based on open communication and rapport between all members of the school community.