The focus on the blog today is on making sure all of our pupils are safe and well. This was an issue which cropped up during the school inspection and as a result of feedback from the inspectors there are a few things we need to tighten up on, three of which I have highlighted below;
- Absences: We need to be better at ensuring we know people are safe if they are not in school. Parents can help a lot in this respect:
- if your child is off school let us know so we can enter it in our system
- when a child is not in class we will let you know by group call (as we do at present)
- the message we send will ask you to make contact with us urgently to let us know the child is safe
- if we do not hear back promptly we will seek to make contact again in order to get an answer
- if we are unable to get an answer within a reasonably short period of time we will seek to get our home school liaison officer or the police to visit the house to establish the child is safe
The arrangement above place greater urgency on our previous approach and I hope parents will work with us to ensure that we know children are safe and well
2. Car park: The inspectors were concerned at the open nature of our site and the fact pupils were entering and leaving the building through an area where there are moving vehicles. We will therefore be ‘closing’ the front car park with cones on entrances at times through the day. This should offer pupils greater safety as they enter and leave the building. We will also put up temporary signs to confirm the one way system for cars at the front (in at the Holburn Junction end and out at the Queens Cross side). We will continue to work with the Council to find a safe long term solution to this issue but ask parents and pupils to work with us to keep children safe by respecting the interim measures we are putting in place.
3. General behaviour: Please continue to emphasise to our young people that their general behaviour has to show; respect for people, respect for learning and respect for community. We are constantly asking pupils to take off outdoor jackets in the building – this is so they are easily identifiable as school pupils rather than unwanted intruders. We are concerned about them pushing each other in corridors and on stairs so will be emphasising safety messages such as; ‘keep to the left’, ‘hands to yourselves’, ‘walk quietly’ as they move round school. We also want them to be safe on their journey to and from school; “stay on the pavement”, “wear suitable winter clothing” and “take care crossing the roads”
We are a busy city centre school and whilst this has a great many advantages it also poses certain challenges and risks. As we move into the winter months we all need to take steps to reduce the risks and help all of our pupils to feel safe and well whilst at the school.