Keeping our pupils safe – ‘Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, every day’.

At CFS, our first and foremost priority is to keep our pupils safe and healthy. All members of staff share the responsibility for this and are guided by the Designated Safeguarding Leads – Mrs Cathryn Halton (Strategic Safeguarding Lead & DSL for the Primary Phase) and Mrs Alanya Russell (DSL for the Secondary Phase). As Executive Principal, Mr James Garner takes overall responsibility for the safety and welfare of all pupils and staff in the School. If you have an urgent safeguarding concern regarding a pupil then please telephone the school on 01243 792690 and ask to speak to a DSL. Alternatively, if the safeguarding concern is not urgent then please email the DSL team at dsl@chichesterfreeschool.org.uk and one of the team will get back to you.

Under the new OFSTED framework safeguarding is a key indicator of what constitutes a good school. Keeping our pupils safe means:

  • Prioritising the health and safety of all our pupils
  • Making sure that the adults who work here have undergone safety and security checks
  • Protecting our pupils from deliberate harm
  • Being an anti-bullying school
  • Being proactive against racist and other prejudiced behaviour
  • Being proactive against attempts to indoctrinate our pupils into forms of extreme ideology through radicalisation, extremism or terrorism
  • Protecting our pupils from harassment and discrimination
  • Ensuring a positive approach to behaviour management
  • Meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions
  • Providing first aid
  • Protecting our pupils from drug and substance abuse
  • Ensuring pupils enjoy safe educational visits
  • Caring for pupils’ personal needs
  • Keeping our pupils safe when using the Internet and making sure they are aware of cyber bullying and e-safety
  • Making sure our school site is secure and safe
  • Ensuring pupils know who to go to in school if they have a problem
  • Being a “listening school”
  • Maintaining an attitude of “it could happen here”

The safety, health and wellbeing of all our pupils is our number one priority – if you are concerned about a child please contact the Designated Safeguarding Leads or a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.