On Monday, January 13th, we held a whole-school assembly with a focus on Safeguarding, centred around one of our Golden Rules: To Be Safe. Together, the children and I explored what it truly means to feel safe and how that compares to feeling unsafe.
We started by discussing the meaning of the word safe and the physical and emotional sensations we experience when we feel unsafe. The children’s descriptions were outstanding; “beating hearts”, “tense limbs”, “fizzy toes,” and “worms in our tummies” were just a few of the creative and insightful ways they described these feelings.
We then reflected on how we, as a school community, work hard to ensure that everyone feels safe. The children were brilliant in identifying many positive and effective practices we have in place, such as:
Another child also raised the importance of staying safe online. They reminded everyone to be cautious and to report anything that doesn’t look or feel right when using the internet. This led to a discussion about online safety and the importance of talking to trusted adults if something feels wrong, whether in person or in the digital world.
We also highlighted the use of coloured lanyards as a visible way to ensure all adults on our premises are known, have completed relevant safeguarding checks, and have been invited onto school grounds. The children have been tasked with the responsibility of notifying a trusted adult if they see someone without a lanyard.
This assembly was a wonderful reminder of how our school works together to create a safe and supportive environment for everyone. I encourage you to ask your children about the assembly; see if they can share what they learned about staying safe, both at school and beyond the school gates. It’s a vital conversation to continue at home, particularly around online safety, and will support in helping us ensure that safety remains at the heart of our school community.
For further support and resources on safeguarding and online safety, I recommend visiting the following: