Caxton College has a safeguarding policy that reflects our priority to protect and promote the wellbeing of our students. We aim to provide a safe environment where they feel listened to, respected and valued at all times, but particularly when they have a problem, whether minor or serious. For this reason, we have six Designated Safeguarding Leads, three in Primary (Barbara Stenhouse, John Fraser and Silvia Sanchís) and three in Secondary (Jonathan Best, Emma Andrews and Cristina Pérez), who are in charge of overseeing all measures and actions to be taken to ensure the proper safeguarding of our young people.

This policy is under revision at all times since the dangers facing pupils change constantly and new social situations that pose a risk to them arise. All of our teaching and non-teaching staff receive safeguarding training to ensure that they know how to act if any signs of alarm appear and that they are able to provide effective support for any student who requires it.

Our safeguarding policy stipulates that prevention is the best tool, which is why we place emphasis on detecting any issues before they become serious. Once a month in Secondary, we ask students to complete a wellbeing questionnaire where they evaluate how they are feeling. If there are any concerns, a protocol is activated starting with a one-to-one meeting between the student and tutor.

In addition, Primary pupils in Year 4, 5 and 6 and all Secondary students complete a PASS (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School) questionnaire during the first term to assess their social and emotional wellbeing. If any concerns arise with a Secondary student, a meeting is called with both the psychologist and tutor to provide immediate guidance and address any problems or areas the student may be worried about. In the case of a Primary pupil, depending on the nature of the concern, different strategies may be used with a whole class, a particular group or a single student.

We are conscious that happy students are the most resilient ones, achieve better academic results and in future will become more successful adults. At Caxton College, we believe in the importance of both the academic and emotional aspects of our students’ development.