At the Selworthy School we are committed to the continuous Safeguarding of our children and families and promote the ethos that;

Safeguarding is EVERYONE'S responsibility!

The purpose of our safeguarding policy is to provide clear guidance to staff and other community members and visiting professionals for the safeguarding of children and young people at Selworthy School.

At Selworthy we believe in progress, inclusion and entitlement and in order for this to be achieved all our pupils must feel safe and listened to. We believe in providing a secure environment for learning where our community of children and young people can thrive and develop to be their best selves.

We know that where children have been the victims of abuse their life chances are seriously affected adversely and in the most serious cases can lead to serious harm and even death. We want to prevent this from happening.

The children and young people at Selworthy are more at risk because of their complex needs and disabilities therefore we must be thoroughly vigilant. We have a range of support mechanisms at the school and through Somerset which can be deployed. Selworthy will make referrals to social care if we have concerns about a child’s welfare and safety.

Normally Parent Carers will be informed that we are making a referral, however, if we feel that the child is at serious risk of harm by letting the parent or carer know we are making a referral, then we will not inform the parent or carer. In these cases, we will take advice from social care on the next steps.

Our Safeguarding Policy is updated annually, and is available on the on The Oak Partnership website: Key Information>Policies.

The Safeguarding Team at Selworthy

If any members of the school or local community have concerns about the welfare of a child, they can pass it onto the Safeguarding Team here at the school.

The Designated Safeguarding Leads are Holly Phillips and Kirstie Ogilvie. They are responsible for receiving and acting upon concerns about the safety and wellbeing of children. In their absence, the individuals below can also be contacted for support:

Trina Morgan (Learner Services Manager)

Holly Phillips (Assistant Headteacher, Oakhill)

Chris Willcocks (Assistant Headteacher, Hazelbrook)

Kirstie Ogilvie (Assistant Headteacher, Hazelbrook)

Louisa Jessop (Lead Teacher of The Cove)

Louisa Blackmore (Trust Strategic Safeguarding Lead)

The safeguarding governor is Angela Cook.

You can speak to the safeguarding team in person, phone the school and request a call back or email office@selworthy.oak.education with FAO Safeguarding Team in the title. 

If you are worried about a child or young person who could be in danger please contact

• Children’s Social Care on 0300 123 2224
• by email at childrens@somerset.gov.uk
• or the police

You can contact the police directly by dialling 101 and they will discuss with Children’s Social Care what action should be taken. In an emergency always contact the police by dialling 999.

If you would like to speak to a social worker outside of office hours please phone the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0300 123 23 27

Our Chair of Governors is Caroline Wansbrough and can be contacted using the school contact details.

Governor attendance for 2021/22 can be found HERE