Parent Safeguarding Information
To Care – To Learn – To Achieve
If you have a concern that a child is being harmed or is at risk of harm, you must contact the school as soon as possible to speak to our Designated Safeguarding Lead.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Bedford High School is: Rebecca Ramsden (r.ramsden@bedford.wigan.sch.uk)
If a child is in immediate harm or in need of emergency medical attention call the emergency services on 999
Bedford High School takes the safeguarding of our students extremely seriously. As such, attendance and safeguarding are at the heart of everything we do. We have robust systems in place to ensure students are well cared for and supported. When additional support is needed, we work very closely with external agencies to ensure the right level of intervention is in place.
Every member of staff at Bedford High School receives annual safeguarding training. This means your child can speak to any adult, confident in the knowledge that they will be listened to and their concerns will be taken seriously.
Our pastoral team are dedicated to ensuring the welfare and safety of our students. The pastoral team are on duty during all non-structured times, ensuring they are available for students to speak to them, and deliver various interventions throughout each day.
Meet the team:
| Assistant Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead | Mrs Ramsden r.ramsden@bedford.wigan.sch.uk |
| Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (If Mrs Ramsden is not available) | Mrs Moss, Mr McCaffery |
| Safeguarding Mentor | Mrs Critchley |
| Pastoral Guidance Officers (PGO) Lead PGO | Year 7 – Mrs Haselden Year 8 – Mrs Walsh Year 9 – Miss Darbyshire Year 10 – Mrs Smith Year 11 – Mrs Aaron Mrs Green |
| Pastoral Managers | Year 7 – Mr Lycett Year 8 – Mrs Duffy Year 9 – Mr Rowe Year 10 – Mrs Duffy Year 11 – Mrs Anders |
| Your child’s form Teacher | |
| Wider Safeguarding and Welfare Support: | |
| Attendance Manager | Mrs Ainscough |
| Attendance Assistant | Miss Marsh Mrs Smith |
| The Aspirations Centre – Staff deliver pastoral and safeguarding interventions to students and help reduce barriers to learning | |
| Child Action North West – External support for students in need emotional and wellbeing interventions | |
| Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) – Delivering mental health and wellbeing support to students on a one-to-one basis | |
| School Counsellor – One-to-one intervention for students who have suffered trauma or bereavement | |
| School Nurse – ConfidentialWeekly drop in sessions for students, PDE support and support for individual families as required. |
Safeguarding Policies
Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy – Shortened Version
Working with External Agencies
We work closely with our safeguarding partners and other support agencies. We will refer to such agencies for additional support for families. There are also agencies that families can self-refer to.
| Wigan Social Care Team | 01942 828300 |
| Childline / NSPCC | 0800 1111 www.childline.org.uk |
| CAMHS | www.gmmh.nhs.uk/wigan-camhs |
| Police | 101 / 999 www.police.uk |
| CEOP | www.ceop.police.uk |
| Wigan and Leigh Young Carers | 01942 697885 www.wlcccarers.com |
| Winston’s Wish (bereavement support) | 08088 020021 www.winstonswish.org.uk |
Online Safety
As a parent or guardian you play a vital role in helping your child to stay safe online. Although it is sometimes daunting, there is support available to help you to navigate how to keep your child stay safe online.
As children transition to high school, they usually become more independent and more curious. It’s not unusual for parents to give their children their first mobile phone as they move to high school. This helps with safe travel to and from school and also support learning through apps and educational internet sites, but also comes with its own level of risk.
Young people often use the internet to communicate, explore and express themselves through social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook (to name but a few!)
The websites below are fantastic resources for parents and guardians. They offer invaluable advice and guidance on how to keep your child safe, digital resilience, privacy settings and the latest apps.
Think U Know – www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Safer Internet – www.saferinternet.org.uk
Internet Matters – www.internetmatters.org.uk
NSPCC – www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/#guides