Mill Hill County High School is absolutely committed to doing everything that we can to safeguard and promote student welfare. This is a priority for all members of staff within the school and we aim to provide an environment in which students feel safe and listened to.

As a school we actively work to:

• discourage abuse and bullying and to encourage disclosure where they occur
• provide a network of people who will respond appropriately to students' needs.
• ensure that teaching and other school programmes equip students with the skills they need to stay safe.

We work closely with local authorities and external providers to build effective relationships that benefit our students and provide opportunities for them. In addition to this we regularly access specialist training for our staff to ensure that we are not only compliant with our statutory obligations but also aware of current issues and examples of best practice.

The school pays full regard to DfE guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education'. We take stringent and appropriate measures in relation to our entire workforce to ensure that staff who our children perceive as a safe and trustworthy adult are vetted; this includes volunteers and staff employed by contractors.

The Safeguarding Team

The Safeguarding Team is led by the Designated Safeguarding Lead who is supported by a Deputy and three other members of staff. All have received Level 3 safeguarding training.

In addition to the Safeguarding Team the Heads of Year also play an important safeguarding role and they have all also received additional training which reflects this.

Reporting a Concern

If you have a concern about a student within the school then please contact a member of our safeguarding team. If you need to make an anonymous disclosure you can do this using the Whisper service. You can find more information about this here.

Outside of term-time you can make a referral directly to the Barnet Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) team via this link.

Online Safety

At Mill Hill County we are committed to educating students and parents alike about online safety and appropriate behaviours that will enable all of our students to stay safe. Students receive ongoing education on this as part of the PSHE curriculum and parents receive regular safeguarding updates.

The resources here are designed for parents and carers and can play an important role in helping to keep children safe online.

Reporting a Concern

To report harmful or illegal material online you can reach out to CEOP or the NSPCC.

CEOP is a law enforcement agency which can be used by anyone to make a report about online sexual abuse. It also offers advice and guidance to parents and carers about how to talk to your child and take action if you have concerns that online sexual abuse may be happening to them.

The NSPCC offers free advice and guidance to parents and carers with concerns via both its website and support line on 08088005000. You can also report online abuse. Finally, the NSPCC recently launched a ‘Report, Remove’ function to allow young people to report and have taken down inappropriate images that may have been posted online.

As ever, if you think a child is in immediate danger, please phone 999.

Resources