Safeguarding
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Mrs Anna-Marie Cheeseman
Our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are: Miss Rae Akehurst, Mrs Natalie Arnold and Mrs Kate (Katharine) Le Page
At The Wells Free School, the health, safety and well-being of every child is our paramount concern. We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. We ensure that staff are regularly trained so that they understand their responsibilities in keeping children safe.
At The Wells Free School, a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is on site every school day and can be contacted on 01892 739075 if you have any safeguarding concerns.
Alternatively you can contact a DSL, during office hours, by email: dsl@thewellsfreeschool.co.uk
Out of office hours and during school holidays, if you have any immediate safeguarding concerns, please contact the Kent Front Door on 03000 41 91 91.
If you think someone is in immediate danger, the best thing to do is call 999 for the emergency services.
We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection Policy which can be viewed in the Policies section of our website or by following the links below.
Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child's welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child's welfare.
We actively support the Government's Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.
At The Wells Free School we see online safety education as an integral part of our school curriculum. We promote online safety in school through regular assemblies and termly lessons, as well as embedding the key messages and themes throughout our pupils' learning. Our pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online; they know ways in which they can seek help if they are ever unsure about something they have seen or experienced online and they are learning how to be responsible online citizens.
If you have any concerns about behaviour or bullying please speak to your child's teacher in the first instance.
For more information about Safeguarding at The Wells Free School please see the following policies:
Safeguarding & Child Protection
BehaviourOperation Encompass
Operation Encompass is an information-sharing scheme between the police and relevant educational settings. The scheme enables territorial police forces in England and Wales to notify educational settings and, where relevant, local authorities about domestic abuse incidents they attend, including those attended via Rapid Video Response. Incidents are subject to an Operation Encompass notification where a child under 18 is a victim of domestic abuse. This includes children who are physically present at the incident, children who are not physically present during the incident, and situations where the child might reside in another household temporarily or permanently. The aim is to support educational settings to provide timely, informed support to children affected by domestic abuse in the environment where they spend most of their time, in line with their existing duties and responsibilities as set out in existing statutory guidance.
Here are some websites which you may find useful:
