Wellbeing

Safeguarding in Action:

• Our Community: Every staff member, from teachers to volunteers, is responsible for safeguarding, fostering a culture where child protection is paramount. To achieve this, all receive comprehensive training covering child protection, online safety, abuse recognition, and specific issues like county lines, radicalisation, female genital mutilation, and domestic abuse. Crucially, they are trained to respond appropriately when a child expresses concerns. Role specific refresher training ensures up to date knowledge. We also recognise that children themselves are vital contributors to our safeguarding culture. We actively encourage them to speak up if they feel unsafe or witness harm. We teach them that reporting concerns is an important contribution to the wellbeing of the school community, ensuring everyone feels safe and protected. We provide various avenues for them to report concerns, including talking to trusted adults, using designated reporting systems, or contacting external helplines. We emphasise that their voices matter and that we will take their concerns seriously. By empowering children to report harm, we create a more open and supportive environment where everyone feels safe and protected.
• Our Team: Mr. Glover, our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), and Deputy DSLs provide expert support and training. They collaborate with external agencies and regularly review procedures to ensure that children and their families receive the most appropriate support as early as possible.
• Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy: This detailed policy outlines procedures for identifying, reporting, and addressing child welfare concerns. It includes guidance on responding to disclosures, record-keeping, and inter-agency collaboration. It also addresses staff conduct, safe recruitment, and information sharing. This policy and all other school policies can be found here.
• Our Safeguarding Education: Our curriculum incorporates safeguarding education throughout, with dedicated PSHE lessons that address topics such as healthy relationships, online safety, and help seeking strategies. These issues are presented in an age appropriate format, ensuring children understand and can apply the information relevant to their developmental stage.
• Online Safety: We know how important online safety is, so we teach our students how to be responsible online citizens. We talk about things like cyberbullying, privacy settings, the dangers of talking to strangers online (including grooming and exposure to harmful content), and how to report anything that makes them uncomfortable. We also have strong filters and monitoring systems in place to keep children safe when they're using school computers and the internet, and we regularly check and update these systems as technology changes. We also offer advice to parents on how to help keep their children safe online at home
• Our Recruitment: Our rigorous hiring process includes background checks, reference checks, and safeguarding focused interviews. All new staff receive initial safeguarding training.
• External Partnerships: We maintain strong partnerships with external agencies like social services and the police. We participate in multi-agency meetings and share information to ensure comprehensive child protection.
• Our Families: We value a strong partnership with families in safeguarding our children. We encourage open communication and provide regular opportunities for parents to discuss any concerns they may have. Westbourne offers workshops and resources to support parents in understanding safeguarding issues and keeping their children safe. We take a strengths based approach to supporting families who are finding things difficult, focusing on building upon their existing resources and resilience. It is our firm belief that working together, school and families can create a safe and supportive environment for all children.

At Westbourne, pastoral care is robust, focusing on pupil well-being through strong support systems, pupil voice and collaboration with external agencies.

We are committed to providing excellent pastoral support for all our Junior School pupils.

Our school’s pastoral care is deeply personalised to meet the unique needs of each child, ensuring they feel supported, valued, and understood. We take the time to get to know every student, building strong relationships with them to understand their individual strengths, challenges, and aspirations. Our staff works closely with each child, offering tailored guidance and support, whether academically, socially, or emotionally. By creating a nurturing environment, we empower students to grow confidently, knowing they have a dedicated team behind them every step of the way.

We also maintain close relationships with external agencies to provide tailored support when needed.

Our aim is to create a supportive and nurturing environment where all students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Pupil voice is at the forefront here at Westbourne. We prioritise ensuring all pupils feel heard and valued. This is achieved through regular pupil surveys, a ‘worry box’ and pupil voice box. These channels encourage open communication and allow pupils to express concerns about themselves or others, ensuring their voices are heard and addressed. It also enables them with the opportunity to provide suggestions to how they would like their school to be run.The school council team looks at how we can action suggestions/concerns and the outcomes are then fed back to the students.

At Westbourne School, nurture is more than just support, it’s the foundation of our community. By prioritising wellbeing, personalised care, and pupil voice, we create an environment where every child feels valued, heard, and empowered to thrive.

At Westbourne, pastoral care is robust, focusing on pupil well-being through strong support systems, pupil voice, PSHE lessons and tailored interventions.

We are committed to providing excellent pastoral support for all our junior school pupils.

Our pastoral system is built around a strong sense of community fostered through Vertical Tutor Groups, which allow students to build relationships with peers across year groups (Years 7-11). Daily form times and weekly assemblies provide opportunities for reflection, celebration, and the sharing of important information.

Our Wellbeing Office operates with an open-door policy, ensuring easy access to support and guidance for all pupils. It provides a safe and welcoming space where pupils can seek assistance and, when needed, receive personalised pastoral support through one-on-one sessions.

We also maintain close relationships with external agencies to provide tailored support when needed, and regular school nurse visits offer readily available access to healthcare support.

Our aim is to create a supportive and nurturing environment where all students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Pupil voice is paramount at Westbourne. We prioritise ensuring all pupils feel heard and valued. This is achieved through regular pupil surveys, a ‘worry box’ email address and a physical post box located in both senior school and junior school. These channels encourage open communication and allow pupils to express concerns about themselves or others, ensuring their voices are heard and addressed.

The school council team looks at how we can action suggestions/concerns and the outcomes are then fed back to the students.