Safeguarding & Child Protection

The Safeguarding Team:

GUY HOLLOWAY – Head of Upper School
020 8614 0850
gh@hchnet.co.uk

ELIANA, LADY HOUSTOUN-BOSWALL – Head of Lower School
020 8614 0851
ehb@hchnet.co.uk

JOSE MARIA ALVAREZ-CAMPOS – Head of Pastoral Care
020 8614 0850
jac@hchnet.co.uk

The safeguarding of children is the responsibility of everyone within the Hampton Court House community. We ask if anyone sees or witnesses anything which compromises our commitment to safeguarding children that this be brought swiftly to the attention of a member of The Safeguarding Team (see above).

We recognise that the impact of abuse (whether emotional, neglect, physical or sexual) can have lifelong consequences in terms of an individual’s self-esteem and/or the ability to form trust-filled relationships in later life. We actively promote an ethos which places a culture of child protection at the very heart of Hampton Court House.

The School will therefore:

Establish and maintain an ethos where all children feel secure and are encouraged to talk and are always listened to
Ensure that all children know there is an adult in the school whom they can approach if they are worried or in difficulty
Include across the curriculum (and through PSHE / Life Skills / Perspectives Tutorials and Assemblies) opportunities which equip our children with the skills they need to stay safe from harm and to know whom they should turn to for help.

All teachers are trained in child protection on a regular basis (at least once a year via an external agency). In addition, awareness training takes place throughout each term on a rolling programme. The Safeguarding Team receive higher levels of training to support their role in decision-making and liaising with outside agencies, including children’s services and the police. Senior staff are also trained in safeguarding relating to safer recruitment.

If you are concerned about a child’s welfare, please record your concern, and any observations or conversation heard, and report to a member of the Safeguarding Team as soon as possible the same day. Do NOT conduct your own investigation.

If your concerns relate to the actions or behaviour of a member of staff (which could suggest that s/he is unsuitable to work with children) then you should report this in confidence to the Headmaster (or to the Chair of Governors if the concern relates to the Headmaster) who will consider what action to take.