Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is a shared responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with our students, their families and carers plays an important role in keeping children safe. At St Peter’s, all staff are trained to take a child‑centred approach, ensuring that the best interests of the child are at the heart of every decision.
No single professional can hold a complete picture of a child’s circumstances. Effective safeguarding relies on timely identification of concerns and appropriate information‑sharing on a strictly ‘need to know’ basis. Our safeguarding team ensures that all information is managed, recorded and acted upon appropriately.
Designated safeguarding leads
The following staff members hold key safeguarding responsibilities and are trained as Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs):
- Mrs Anni Matthew – Designated Safeguarding Lead amatthew@stpetershuntingdon.org
- Mrs Jose Cox – Lead for Safeguarding and Child Protection / Prevent Lead jcox@stpetershuntingdon.org
- Mrs Nicky O’Connell – Safeguarding Officer noconnell@stpetershuntingdon.org
Operation encompass
St Peter’s works in partnership with Cambridgeshire Police and Cambridgeshire County Council through Operation Encompass, a scheme designed to support pupils who may have experienced domestic abuse. The Education Safeguarding Team shares relevant police information with the school’s DSLs and Domestic Abuse Lead when a student has been present at an incident.
On receiving this information, the DSL team identifies the most appropriate support for the child. All Operation Encompass records are stored securely and handled in line with safeguarding and child protection procedures, following the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Joint Agency Protocol for Domestic Abuse – Notifications to Schools, Colleges and Early Years Settings.
Prevent and radicalisation
To support families in understanding the risks of radicalisation and extremism, we recommend the Government’s Educate Against Hate website, which provides practical advice and resources developed with organisations such as the NSPCC and Childnet.
The Department for Education also operates a helpline and email service for concerns relating to extremism: Tel: 0207 340 7264 Email: counter.extremism@education.gsi.gov.uk