Safeguarding Policy 2024-2025
In alignment with PPS’s vision and mission, Philadelphia Private School is dedicated to creating a safe and secure environment for all learners and visitors. We aim to foster an atmosphere where both children and adults feel confident in sharing any concerns they may have regarding their safety or the well-being of others. Our commitment is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children by:
- Protecting them from maltreatment
- Preventing any harm to their health or development
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with safe and nurturing care
Policy Aims
1. Identify the responsible individuals within the school and clarify the purpose of their roles:
- We have established a dedicated Safeguarding Team, including a Designated Safeguarding Officer and all directors of sections to oversee safeguarding within our school.
- Our Safeguarding Team members have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, ensuring that all staff members understand their duties in recognizing, reporting, and responding to safeguarding concerns.
- We have developed a structured procedure for reporting safeguarding concerns, complete with a clear reporting mechanism and designated contact points, including the Safeguarding Officer.
- We have a defined process for escalating concerns to relevant external agencies, as needed, in full compliance with local regulations.
- We maintain a consistent and secure system for safeguarding records, which includes concerns, reports, and actions taken.
- We have established clear policies and procedures for child protection, both within and outside the classroom. These cover areas such as supervision, behavior management, and communication with parents or guardians.
- Our policies are subject to regular review and updates to ensure they reflect the latest best practices and legal requirements.
- We maintain a monitoring and review framework for the safeguarding policy, which includes regular audits and evaluations.
- A responsible authority, such as the Safeguarding Officer, oversees the monitoring process and reports findings to school leadership and governing bodies.
- The monitoring process helps us identify areas for improvement, and we implement necessary changes in policies, procedures, and staff training.
Behavior Policy Responsibilities and Immediate Action
Ensuring the safety of children in our school is the collective responsibility of our entire school community. All adults working at this school are obligated to report any instances of suspected or actual child abuse or neglect to the Head of Student Affairs and the Health and Safety Officer, who are members of the school’s management team. When an individual concern or incident arises, these individuals will assess whether it should be reported to relevant agencies as a safeguarding issue. Types of Child Abuse and Neglect: Child abuse can take various forms, including:
- Physical abuse: Involves harming a child physically through actions like hitting, shaking, or poisoning.
- Emotional abuse: Persists in emotional maltreatment that negatively impacts a child’s development.
- Neglect: Refers to the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical or psychological needs.
- Sexual abuse: Involves any non-consensual sexual activity or exploitation inflicted upon a child, causing physical or psychological harm.
Mobile Phone Policy
At Philadelphia Private School, mobile phones are not allowed on school premises. It is strongly advised that students leave their phones at home to avoid any disruptions to the learning environment.
If parents choose to send a mobile phone with their child, they should be aware of the following consequences if the phone is seen in the student’s possession:
1. First Offense: The phone will be confiscated for one week.
2. Second Offense: The phone will be confiscated for one month.
3. Third Offense: The phone will be confiscated for the entire academic year.
Safety in the School
- Classroom doors will not be locked when students are present.
- School premises will be under 24/7 security surveillance and video monitoring.
- Authorized visitors will be logged in and out of the premises.
- Any intruders or suspicious individuals approaching the school or students will be reported to the Dubai Police.
Curriculum
The school recognizes the curriculum’s role in preventing abuse and preparing students for adult life. Heads of Departments are expected to identify opportunities within their areas of responsibility to promote student welfare and safety. The curriculum will teach students to:
- Recognize and manage risks responsibly.
- Distinguish acceptable and unacceptable physical contact.
- Identify when pressure from others threatens their safety and how to seek help.
- Use assertiveness techniques to resist undue pressure.
- Cultivating a school environment that encourages healthy living
- Utilizing the curriculum to instill safe and healthy habits
- Offering nutritious food and beverages
- Providing quality Physical Education and sports opportunities
- Promoting lifelong health and well-being awareness through holistic education
Working in Partnership with Parents
We are committed to collaborating with parents to ensure the best outcomes for our children. We will:
- Communicate our school’s objectives clearly
- Keep parents informed on matters concerning their children
- Encourage parental input and involvement in decision-making processes
