Safeguarding Statement

At Laleham Gap School, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all staff, governors, and volunteers to share this commitment. We are fully dedicated to ensuring that consistent, effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support children, their families, and our school staff.

Safeguarding and Pastoral Support are weekly agenda items for our Senior Leadership, Extended Leadership, and the Wellbeing and Therapies Team. We also carry out our own Termly Safeguarding Audit and join local networks to support our knowledge and safeguarding audits.

Our governing body is active and play a key role in offering appropriate challenge to leaders in the school. Governors complete a rota of visits each academic year to support effective processes and safeguarding. To support their effective challenge is broad and testing, the topics Governors focus on varies from visit to visit.

Safer Recruitment

Laleham Gap School takes its recruitment processes very seriously. Any person applying for a job with us must complete a standardised application form and undergo an Enhanced DBS Check. In line with KCSIE guidance, the school will also carry out online searches on shortlisted candidates to identify any publicly available information that might affect their suitability to work with children.

In addition, all of our Senior Leaders, Resource Managers, and other key members of staff possess Safer Recruitment Training. At least one of these trained members of staff will sit on every interview panel and will scrutinise applications for employment gaps and any worrying inconsistencies.

Please note: You must not knowingly apply for a job at Laleham Gap if you have been barred from working with children. It is a criminal offence to do so, and we will liaise with the necessary agencies to keep our children safe.

We also carry out overseas checks for foreign applicants and any applicants who have been living abroad. Applicants who refuse to support this process will not be successful.

Staff Training

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. All members of staff at Laleham Gap School receive regular safeguarding and child protection training, which includes comprehensive guidance on online safety. All members of staff are also required to read Part One of the Department for Education's Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance annually.

New members of staff undergo an Enhanced DBS check and participate in our intensive induction programme. In addition to their induction day and basic training, we expect all new members of staff to complete our 'Induction and Foundations' programme. This is a 10-week programme equipping staff with the knowledge and skills to support the children in our specialist setting. This includes completing Prevent Duty training and receiving an in-depth introduction to online safety, contextual safeguarding, and the risks of grooming. Successfully completing this training programme is one of our requirements for staff to be successful during their probationary period.

In addition, all members of staff:

• Have access to, and are assigned, additional training via our National College Portal.

• Attend a minimum of 11 additional training sessions a year (for support staff), while teachers meet weekly to discuss key topics and concerns.

Whistleblowing and Low-Level Concerns

We foster a culture of vigilance and openness and encourage all staff to act as 'critical friends', calling out or challenging any behaviours which do not align with the values and ethos of our school.

All staff are encouraged and expected to report any concerns they may have about the behaviour or conduct of other adults in the school, no matter how small. Our Low-Level Concerns policy ensures that any inappropriate, unprofessional, or concerning behaviour is recorded and addressed immediately by the Headteacher to prevent escalation.

Reporting a Concern

If you have any concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child, please ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or a Deputy DSL.

• These members of staff all hold specific, advanced child protection training.

• The Deputy DSLs are trained to the same rigorous standard as the Lead DSL.

• You can speak with any DSL, who will be able to offer advice and discuss your concerns sensitively and with the appropriate degree of confidentiality.

Working with Families and External Agencies

Usually, if a member of staff has a concern about a child, we will aim to discuss this with parents or carers in the first instance. However, this process changes if the concern is serious and we have reason to believe a child has suffered, or is at risk of suffering, significant harm.

Under statutory guidance, it is our legal duty to inform Children's Social Care (or the relevant local safeguarding partners) immediately to ensure the child's safety.

Operation Encompass and the Child Centred Policing Team

Laleham Gap is an Operation Encompass school. Our Lead DSL and Head of Therapies securely receive police reports of domestic violence and abuse, enabling us to monitor and support children living in environments where domestic abuse has occurred. If you or someone in your family is a victim of domestic abuse, please reach out to us, we can help you.

In addition, Laleham Gap has a link officer with the Child Centred Policing Team. We maintain a close working relationship with them. They support our curriculum and visit the school regularly in full uniform. This provides our children with an additional 'safe person' they can talk to, and allows us to liaise effectively when we have concerns. The school may also assist the police with information for intelligence reports to help keep our children and families safe. This may include extra-familial issues within the community relating to local concerns such as County Lines or knife crime.

Attendance

Attendance is a key factor in safeguarding children and young people. It is a parent or carer's responsibility to contact the school if their child is absent. Failure to contact us will result in the school trying to reach you to find out why your child is absent.

Children who are absent without explanation, are unseen for more than two days, or are withdrawn from school will be considered missing from education. If we cannot make contact with you, this may lead to the school carrying out door-to-door welfare checks, as well as liaising with our partner agencies such as Children's Integrated Services and Kent Police. Persistent non-attendance that is not related to health or the child's need will also result in discussions with Kent PRU and Attendance Service (KPAS) for support and guidance.

Attendance is a critical factor in keeping children safe. Where attendance is poor, other issues such as domestic abuse, mental health crises, or financial difficulties are often present. The NSPCC recently reported that in 51% of Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (formerly Serious Case Reviews), poor attendance was a key factor alongside other common safeguarding concerns such as domestic abuse.

Child-on-Child Abuse

Laleham Gap School has a zero-tolerance approach to child-on-child abuse, including bullying, sexual violence, and sexual harassment. We recognise that children can abuse other children, and we ensure that all staff are trained to identify these behaviours and never dismiss them as 'just banter' or 'part of growing up'. We have robust systems in place to support victims and manage perpetrators sensitively and safely.

Online Safety, Filtering and Monitoring

In accordance with KCSIE, we recognise that online safety is a vital part of safeguarding. Laleham Gap School utilises appropriate and robust filtering and monitoring systems on all school devices and networks to protect students from harmful online content. Staff remain vigilant to the risks of the online world, and we actively teach our students how to navigate the internet safely.

Our systems actively track sensitive key words and internet searches which generate alerts for the Lead DSL and School Network Manager to review.

We are registered with internet providers who actively block harmful content, including abuse material, and use the SWGdL filtering and monitoring test at least annually. Our last test successfully passed on Friday 5th June 2026. This check was carried out by the Lead DSL.

Other Safeguarding Factors

At Laleham Gap, we employ a qualified social worker, and our Lead DSL works closely with the Kent Safeguarding Children Multi-Agency Partnership. Our Wellbeing and Therapies Team is a multidisciplinary team of safeguarding professionals, pastoral workers, psychologists, therapists, and colleagues from the NHS. We have a wide range of experience and expertise, and we share important information with each other to ensure the safeguarding and wellbeing of every child in our care.

To find out more about our child protection procedures and key policies, please visit our policies page: lgs.kent.sch.uk/policies/