Safeguarding

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility.

Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. School staff are in a position to identify concerns early, provide help for children, promote children’s welfare, prevent concerns from escalating, and educate children on how they can keep themselves and others safe. 

United Learning is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. An enhanced DBS (previously CRB) check is required for all staff. 

If you have any concerns about the safety of any child, please speak to a member of staff who you feel comfortable with. Alternatively, if your concerns are about the use of digital media, you can report incidents to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre. 

Mrs. Claire Ferens (Executive Principal) and Mrs. Rorich (Head of School) are the school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads. Mrs. Rachel Ealey-Bennett, Ms. Sally Moore (Welfare Leads), and Miss Wakefield (School Business Manager) are deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL's). Our DSL's can be contacted on 01295 251205 or by emailing office@hillview-school.co.uk.

All our staff have been trained in dealing with the signs of abuse, and they understand the important role they must play in protecting our pupils from harm. We follow a clear set of procedures when concerns arise, and matters are dealt with sensitively. 

You can read our Safeguarding Policy and our Online Safety Policy policies on the Policies page. 

Operation Encompass

Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children. As part of this commitment, we take part in Operation Encompass, a national initiative that helps schools provide timely support for children who may have been affected by domestic abuse.

What is Operation Encompass?
Operation Encompass is a partnership between the police and schools. When the police attend a domestic abuse incident where a child is present, lives at the home, or may have been affected, they will send a secure, confidential notification to the school’s Designated 

Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

This allows us to offer understanding and support to the child right away.

What does this mean for our school?

• The information shared with us is very limited. It simply tells us that an incident has taken place.
• A notification does not mean that we will talk to you or your child about the incident, unless the child chooses to speak to us or we feel it is necessary for their safety.
• Instead, the information gives us an awareness so that we can provide indirect support and understand any changes in a child’s presentation, behaviour, or wellbeing.

How is the information handled?
Notifications are treated with the highest level of confidentiality and are shared only with staff who need to know in order to support the child appropriately.

Why is Operation Encompass important?
Knowing that something has happened helps us ensure that your child feels safe, supported, and understood in school. This might mean offering additional care, making small adjustments to their day, or simply being aware that they may need a little extra space or understanding.

If you would like more information about Operation Encompass, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead or visit the official Operation Encompass website.

Local Support

Please see the links below for information on our local safeguarding partnership and signposts to local support.