Safeguarding & Child Protection
Safeguarding – key Principles
- Safeguarding is not just a policy - it’s a culture
- Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
- It can happen here and often does; it is the response which matters most.
- If you have a concern, report it and if a child’s safety is at immediate risk speak to the DSL/ DDSL
- You are never alone in safeguarding with support and advise available
What we do
Whilst there is a dedicated team of staff at Okehampton College who have extra training to deal with safeguarding and welfare, safeguarding is also part of every member of staff’s duty as well. We put the safety and well-being of all those within our community at the heart of our work, seeing safeguarding as being everyone's responsibility. All people have the right to be free from: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Domestic Violence and Abuse, Discriminatory Abuse, Neglect, and we all have a responsibility to report or pass on any concerns.
All staff here have training every year to support them to support students with their safeguarding and welfare. Where things are going wrong for a child then we work hard with families and other agencies to improve things for that child. We also focus on educating students about how to keep themselves safe, and hold assemblies on different aspects of safety at least once a term. This year students have had assemblies on Online Safety and Exploitation and Radicalisation. We also have outside speakers and theatre companies who come and deliver to students on a range of topics, the most recent being a focus on County Lines for Year 9 students. We can offer or signpost extra support for students who are young carers, who have experienced trauma or bereavement or who are in Care. We can also support families through the ‘Early Help’ framework, where additional services or support are required.
Safeguarding Training
At Okehampton College, the safety and well-being of our students are our top priorities. All staff undergo comprehensive statutory safeguarding training in accordance with our Trust's Safeguarding Policy and the latest guidance from Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE). This ensures that every member of our team is equipped to identify, respond to, and support students facing safeguarding concerns.
As part of the September staff training, safeguarding training takes precedence with the DSL leading updates to KCSiE and provide a refresher on the importance of vigilance and professional curiosity to recognise the signs of child abuse.
Through ongoing professional development, we maintain the highest standards of care, creating a secure and supportive environment where every student can thrive. Safeguarding is a shared responsibility, and our commitment to best practices ensures that students receive the protection and guidance they deserve.
The following compulsory training for all staff takes place online via completing nationally recognised courses on Educare. Additional to this, advanced training is completed by the safeguarding team using the NSPCC or similar.
- Child protection in Education - Annually
- Safeguarding young people - 3 yearly
- The Prevent duty - 2 yearly
- Online safety - Annually
What you can do
Encourage your child to talk to you about things that worry them as part of your normal family routine. Monitor their use of the internet and social media. Report things that concern you – all social media sites have a reporting option. Encourage healthy sleeping, eating and exercise routines. Take your child to the GP if you have concerns over mental health as well as physical health. Seek advice online – there are lots of really helpful websites that tackle many of the common issues that pre-teen and teenagers go through. Visit our #ThriveHive for all signposting to external support.
Tor Support Services (Charity No 1163407)
Tor Support is an independent charity relying on grant funding and donations, who provide free and confidential counselling to children and young people aged 5 – 25 years. This is available to any young person who lives in the Okehampton area plus the surrounding parishes, regardless of which school they attend. Their counselling rooms are based in our school and their aims are to ‘alleviate emotional and psychological distress through professional counselling; improve quality of life, self-esteem, happiness and relationships; and help improve life chances and foster more positive adult lives’. Anyone can make a referral including the young person themselves. To make a referral please use this LINK. For further information please visit www.torsupport.org.uk or email office@torsupportservices.org.uk
Who to contact
If you believe that a child or young person is at immediate risk, you should treat this as an emergency and call 999.
You may wish to contact the College:
Designated Safeguarding Lead ● Ross Corkell ● 01837650910 Ext 232 ● rcorkell@okehamptoncollege.devon.sch.uk
Parents may contact us using the details provided in the 'Contact Us' section of this website. Our students may speak directly with a member of staff (Tutor, Head of Year, or member of our Safeguarding team), or contact us via the 'Need to Talk' email address (our safeguarding team will monitor and triage any communications received via this route to ensure appropriate support is provided). We also consider discrimination as defined by the Equality Act 2010 to be a safeguarding concern and encourage any student who is experiencing any form of discrimination to report such to us (please see the 'Reporting Discrimination' section of the 'Equality & Diversity' page of our website).
In the rare event of none of the above staff being available, please contact Devon Front Door services on 0345 155 1071 or through Make a request for support or report a child safety concern - Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership, giving as much information as you can. Local offices are open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and from 9am to 4pm on Friday. If you need to make contact with outside office hours, at weekends and public holidays, please contact the Emergency Duty Service on 0345 600 0388.
Whisper reporting – Your safe space to speak up.
- Student voice matters. That’s why we’re using Whisper – a safe, anonymous way for you to report any concerns you might have
- Whether it's about reporting offensive language, online safety, bullying, or something personal that's worrying you, Whisper lets you speak up without fear. You can send a message online or by text, and your concerns will go straight to someone who can help in the safeguarding team.
- Remember – you're never alone, and support is always here when you need it.
The Equality Act 2010
At Okehampton College, we believe in promoting equality, valuing diversity, and working inclusively. We adhere to the Equality Act 2010 by not discriminating against students, staff, volunteers or anyone else who works with or is involved with the school. And we do not tolerate bullying, harassment or victimisation of any kind. We are vehement in our determination to uphold the law, as defined by the Equality Act 2010 — which places both general and specific duties upon all public bodies, including schools and academies — and ensure that there is no discrimination against anyone because of the following 'protected characteristics', and moreover that there is no discrimination against anyone who is associated with someone who has a protected characteristic (for example, a family member or friend):
- Age.
- Gender reassignment.
- Being married or in a civil partnership.
- Being pregnant or on maternity leave.
- Disability.
- Race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin.
- Religion or belief.
- Sex.
- Sexual orientation.
Reporting Discrimination
We strongly encourage anyone to report any incident of discrimination that they may have experienced, witnessed or are aware of. Remember, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of the protected characteristics specified above. Moreover, we strongly encourage anyone to inform us if they experience any discrimination in our College so that we may provide support and take action accordingly. Under the Public Sector Equality Duty, we will act if we are aware of the use of racist language or other prejudiced language that targets students or school staff because of a protected characteristic.
If you believe a crime has been committed against someone because of their disability, transgender-identity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation, then this should be reported to the police as a hate crime. Hate crimes can be reported online here, or of course, if a hate crime is in progress or if someone is in immediate danger you should call 999.
Celebrating Diversity with our students
Inclusion underpins our values and those of our Trust, and together we celebrate both that which we have in common and that which makes us different. By promoting equality, diversity and inclusion we create greater opportunities for our students to fulfil their potential, irrespective of their background or circumstances. We are committed to working with our students to drive change and ensure that we create a learning environment that is accessible, reflects the diversity of the modern world, and that provides pathways for all. By raising awareness of all aspects of diversity, of how we can eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations, we are preparing our students to become socially responsible global citizens, and to appreciate and celebrate the diverse society in which we live. As such, we aim to help all students feel included and represented, providing opportunities for students to consider how they treat others who they perceive to be different, by celebrating diversity and inclusion through our curriculum and through the extra curricular opportunities we provide
Whistleblowing
Anyone with any concern around adults who are working with children should immediately raise this concern with Gareth Smith, Principal.
Useful Links
Safeguarding / Child Protection Policy