Safeguarding at Thornden School

At Thornden School, the safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. We are committed to providing a school where every child not only feels safe, but is safe through robust, proactive and responsive safeguarding systems. Our approach goes beyond reacting to concerns; it is rooted in anticipating need, educating students and creating a culture where safeguarding is understood and lived by everyone in the community.

Safeguarding at Thornden is underpinned by a strong preventative approach. Our Personal Development curriculum sits at the heart of this, ensuring that students are explicitly taught how to recognise risk, build healthy relationships, manage their wellbeing and seek help confidently. These messages are reinforced through assemblies, tutor time and daily school life, meaning safeguarding is something students regularly revisit and apply, rather than something taught in isolation.

Safeguarding is led by our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mr A Thomas, supported by Deputy DSL Mrs S Kingsley-Smith, as part of a wider, distributed team of 16 trained DSLs across the school. This model ensures that safeguarding expertise is embedded across all areas of the school, allowing concerns to be identified quickly and acted upon effectively, while ensuring students have access to multiple trusted adults.

Mr Thomas undertakes regular and ongoing safeguarding training and maintains strong links with local and national safeguarding networks, including the HISP Trust, the Chandlers Ford safeguarding network and Hampshire safeguarding partners. These connections ensure that our practice remains current, informed by emerging risks and aligned with the latest guidance.

All staff receive regular and ongoing safeguarding training, including annual statutory training and frequent updates throughout the year. Training is carefully planned and adapted in response to emerging needs, ensuring that staff remain confident in recognising and responding to concerns. We actively review staff understanding and provide targeted support where needed, maintaining a high level of vigilance across the school.

Our safeguarding approach is also highly responsive and informed by evidence. Leaders carry out half-termly analysis of safeguarding data, including patterns of concern, student voice, attendance and behaviour. This allows us to identify trends, respond proactively and adapt both our curriculum and wider support systems. As a result, safeguarding at Thornden is dynamic and continually evolving to meet the needs of our students.

We work hard to create a culture where students feel confident to speak up. Students can raise concerns in a variety of ways, including speaking directly to staff, using the ‘Report a Concern’ link on the school website, and completing weekly check-ins via Satchel. Reporting systems are also embedded into student communications and school devices, ensuring that help is always accessible. Every concern is taken seriously and handled sensitively and confidentially.

Student voice demonstrates that pupils feel safe at Thornden and are able to explain how the school helps them to stay safe. They are confident in identifying risks, seeking help and know how to report concerns, as well as who to go to for support.

Safeguarding is a shared responsibility, and we value the partnership we have with parents and carers. If you have any concerns about the safety or wellbeing of your child or another student, we encourage you to contact us immediately. You can speak to your child’s Head of Year, contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mr A Thomas (a.thomas@thornden.hants.sch.uk), or our Deputy DSL, Mrs S Kingsley-Smith (s.kingsley-smith@thornden.hants.sch.uk). Concerns can also be reported via the ‘Report a Concern’ link on the school website.

At Thornden, safeguarding is not just a system; it is a culture. Through strong leadership, ongoing staff training, a preventative curriculum and a responsive, data-led approach, we ensure that every student is supported, protected and empowered to stay safe.