Safeguarding and the Curriculum

At the City of Birmingham school safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. Staff are trained to deliver a broad curriculum that gives all pupils opportunities to experience life in all its diversity, to acquire knowledge, understanding and skills that significantly impact on their personal development, behaviour & welfare and equips every pupil with the knowledge and skills required for personal safeguarding.

We consistently challenge children to think deeply about safeguarding matters and their own personal, physical and mental wellbeing. We value pupils’ questions and give them space for their own thoughts, ideas and concerns. We give them opportunities across the curriculum to explore values, personal rights, responsibilities and equal opportunities that develop moral concepts that impact positively on safeguarding, promote British values and prevent radicalisation and extremism.  As a school we utilsie the many opportunities that are available to explore safeguarding issues with our pupils.

We have developed an open and safe learning environment in which pupils express their views, seek help, help others and ultimately are able to share their concerns with staff. The promotion of equality of opportunity and diversity, for pupils and staff, helps to reduce forms of direct or indirect discriminatory behaviour. Our children learn to not tolerate any prejudiced behaviour. Where there are such incidents, swift actions are put into place to address the issues. Discriminatory behaviour is not tolerated and is dealt with quickly and effectively.

Pupil well being and Class times are opportunities for sharing ideas, addressing concerns and promoting important values. Assemblies are used to promote personal safeguarding matters and explore themes that are relevant to the pupils. For example, we talk about anti- bullying including cyber bullying and British values including how these values are promoted in our multi – faith society. Staff are quick to challenge stereotypes and the use of derogatory language in lessons and around school. Our school reflects the diversity of pupils’ experiences and provides pupils with a comprehensive understanding of people and communities beyond their immediate experience including the role of women in society and different family groups including same sex couples. Throughout the curriculum there are planned opportunities to promote all forms of equality and foster greater understanding of and respect for people off all faiths (and those with no faith), races, genders, ages, disability and sexual orientations, through their words, actions and in their influence. Opportunities are created in a variety of subjects to address areas of safeguarding, for example, themes are highlighted through novels in English lessons.

As a school we try to ensure that our pupils are aware of how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations and have a good understanding of the challenges they face growing up in modern Britain.