last updated: January 2025
1. Introduction
Wolsey Hall Oxford is the world’s most experienced home study and homeschooling
online provider. We are committed to ensuring safeguarding and safe working
practices are at the heart of what we do. Our aim is to provide a high-quality, safe, and
welcoming learning experience where every child and adult is valued and respected.
We respond appropriately to any concerns of abuse or neglect, ensuring all children
have a right to a childhood free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
1.1 Definition of safeguarding
- Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. It involves promoting the welfare of
children and protecting them from harm. This includes: - Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems
emerge. - Protecting children from maltreatment, both online and offline.
- Preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development.
- Ensuring children grow up in safe and effective care.
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
1.2 Definition of child protection
Child protection is the activity to protect specific children who are suffering, or are
likely to suffer, significant harm. It is a specific element of safeguarding focused on
protecting children from harm.
2. Contextual issues
Potential contextual areas of risk include online safety, children missing from
education, and international safeguarding issues. Mitigation strategies include regular
contact with students and families, online safety training, and awareness of
international cultures and contexts.
3. Our safeguarding role and responsibilities
Safeguarding is everybody's responsibility. All staff must:
- Read and understand the Department for Education’s statutory safeguarding
guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education. - Complete safeguarding training as part of their induction and annual refresher
training. - Be aware of the signs of different types of abuse, neglect, and extremism.
- Know what to do if a child discloses abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
- Recognise that some children may be at increased risk of abuse.
4. Referrals
Safeguarding referrals should be made to the DSL. If a young person discloses abuse,
Wolsey Hall staff must follow the procedures outlined in Appendix 1.
5. Safeguarding lead procedures
- A log will be created when a concern is raised using an online form.
- All communications, concerns, and actions will be recorded and stored securely.
- The DSL will monitor the situation and seek advice from relevant authorities if
necessary.
6. Record keeping, confidentiality, and information sharing
In line with data protection guidance, all safeguarding records will be kept securely and
shared confidentially with those who need to know.
7. Safeguarding information requests from schools
When a child leaves or joins a school, safeguarding information will be passed on
securely. Staff should pass any requests for safeguarding information to the DSL.
8. The 4 categories of abuse
- Physical Abuse: Hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm.
- Emotional Abuse: Persistent emotional maltreatment causing severe effects on emotional development.
- Sexual Abuse: Forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, including physical contact and non-contact activities.
- Neglect: Persistent failure to meet a child’s basic needs, resulting in serious impairment of health or development.
9. Child-on-child abuse
Children can abuse other children, both inside and outside of school, and online. Staff
should be aware of the signs and know how to respond to reports of child-on-child
abuse.
10. Child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE)
Both CCE and CSE involve coercing, manipulating, or deceiving a child into taking part
in criminal or sexual activity. This can include transporting drugs, working in illegal
activities, or being involved in sexual exploitation.
11. Domestic abuse
Children can be victims of domestic abuse, which can have a long-term impact on their
health, wellbeing, and development.
12. Female genital mutilation (FGM)
If a member of staff discovers that FGM has been carried out on a girl under 18, they
must report it to the police.
13. Mental health
Mental health problems can be an indicator of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Staff
should be aware of changes in behaviour that suggest potential mental health
problems
14. Serious violence
Indicators of serious violence include increased absence from school, changes in
friendships, decline in educational performance, signs of self-harm, and unexplained
gifts or possessions.
15. Radicalisation
Radicalisation is the process through which a person comes to support extremist
ideologies. Staff should be alert to changes in behaviour that may indicate radicalisation.
16. Online safety
We provide age-appropriate guidance to students and parents about keeping safe
online.
Updating this policy
We will review this policy annually to make any changes required to comply with legal or other requirements and will publish all changes on our website. Next review date is January 2026.
Contact us
Safeguarding Lead: Olivia Dixon
Deputy Safeguarding Leads: Charlotte English, Michaela Pignotti, Charlotte Casey
For more information or to report a concern, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Olivia Dixon, or one of our Deputy Safeguarding Leads.