Safeguarding

At St Mary's, we strive for every child to have the very best experiences and to thrive during their time with us.

We are dedicated to ensuring that every child feels safe, valued and supported, because we know that this is when children can truly embrace opportunities and achieve their full potential. We actively promote a culture where children and adults show courage and confidence in speaking out, secure in the knowledge that their concerns will be listened to and taken seriously.

At St Mary’s, safeguarding is not just a procedure, it is central to our ethos and underpins every decision we make.

Our Safeguarding Team:

Email: smt-safeguarding@sgmail.org.uk

Phone: 01454 866760

Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding and Child protection Policy 2026-27

Operation Encompass

At St Mary's, we are dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students. As part of our commitment to safeguarding, we participate in Operation Encompass. This initiative is a partnership between schools and local police forces, designed to provide early support to children who have been exposed to domestic abuse. When the police attend an incident of domestic abuse, they notify the school before the start of the next school day. This timely information allows us to offer immediate and appropriate support to affected children, ensuring their emotional and educational needs are met from the moment they arrive at school.  

Operation Encompass ensures that every school involved in the project has a member of staff (known as the key adult) who is trained to liaise with the police, when required, whilst ensuring support is available to the child. Our Key Adult is Mrs Jane Cowell. She is also our Designated Safeguarding Lead.

As a school, we are committed to providing the best possible care and support for all our pupils and this is one way in which we can do this. You can find out more about Operation Encompass on the following link:

https://www.operationencompass.org/

For safeguarding concerns during the holidays and school closure

• Email Mrs Cowell SMT-Safeguarding@sgmail.org.uk
• Contact the ART team 01454 866000 if you live in South Gloucestershire
• Contact First Response 0117 9036444 if you live in Bristol
• In case of emergency contact the police on 999
• NSPCC: 0800 800 5000

Governor Responsible for Safeguarding:

The Governor with responsibility for Safeguarding is, Jonathan Craig

Email: jonathan.craig1@sgmail.org.uk

Phone: 01454 866760

Useful Safeguarding Contacts and Links:

Access and  Response Team – 01454 86 6000

Emergency duty team – 01454 615165 (out of hours) 

Police – 101 for non-urgent issues and 999 if urgent and an immediate response is needed.

Domestic Abuse Concerns: 

Next Link South Glos domestic abuse telephone help lines are open: 

• 8:30am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday and can be contacted on 0800 4700 280

• 9:30am – 1:00pm on Saturday and can be contacted on 0800 4700 280

Mental health support: 

If you are concerned that you are not able to keep your child safe or they are not able to keep themselves safe then take them to the Accident & Emergency Department at Bristol Children’s hospital or call for an ambulance.

CHILDLINE: 

www.childline.org.uk  For confidential help and advice, call 0800 1111 

Samaritans:

For confidential help and advice, call 116 123