PASTORAL CARE, SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION AT BATTLE ABBEY SCHOOL
At Battle Abbey School, the welfare, wellbeing, and safety of our students are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating a nurturing, compassionate, and inclusive environment where every child feels valued, supported and safe.
PASTORAL CARE
Pastoral care is a cornerstone of life at the Abbey. We believe that emotional well-being and academic success go hand in hand, and we are dedicated to fostering a culture where students feel heard, respected, and cared for as unique individuals.
Our approach emphasises character development alongside academic achievement. We actively nurture values such as honesty, moral integrity, independence, and respect for difference. This dual focus helps prepare our students not just for exams, but for life beyond school.
Every student is assigned a daily tutor, who acts as their first point of contact. Support is further reinforced through a wide network that includes Heads of Year, the Boarding team, teachers, the Inclusion team, the Senior Leadership Team, the school counsellor, Surgery staff, and trained peer mentors: the list is endless! We also have senior students trained in child protection, online safety, anti-bullying and exploitation who act as role models and offer peer-level support. We aim to be proactive, educating pupils on emotional well-being, relationships, safety, and mental health to help them navigate adolescence with confidence and resilience. Our pastoral care is strengthened by an ethos that inspires students to stay connected with the school long after they leave, reflecting the deep bonds formed here.
SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION
Safeguarding is a whole-school responsibility, underpinned by statutory legislation and a commitment to best practice as outlined in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), Working Together to Safeguard Children, and The Prevent Duty. This is set out for us as a setting in our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy.
Safeguarding at Battle Abbey School means:
- providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
- protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
- preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
- ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
- taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
Our safeguarding provision encompasses a wide range of areas including child protection, mental health care plans, health and safety, site security, online safety, and anti-bullying measures. We use a multi-layered reporting and monitoring system, supported by staff trained in safeguarding procedures and led by a team of Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) across all phases of the school.
We maintain transparent procedures, rigorous vetting of visitors and contractors, safer recruitment practices, regular staff training, and a culture of vigilance and accountability. All concerns, including low-level ones, are logged, reviewed, and escalated as necessary through appropriate channels, including MyConcern and Confide software.
Our students are regularly reminded that all staff are trusted adults and are signposted to designated safeguarding personnel. Anonymous reporting systems such as ‘Whisper’ are also available for students who wish to raise concerns discreetly.
A WHOLE-SCHOOL COMMITMENT
At Battle Abbey School, pastoral care and safeguarding are not standalone functions—they are woven into the fabric of school life. Regular safeguarding discussions take place in staff meetings, INSET training, SLT meetings, governor updates, and pupil review forums. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is reviewed annually and shared widely with all staff and stakeholders.
We are proud of our strong safeguarding culture and the meaningful relationships we foster with and among our students. Through our integrated approach to pastoral care, safeguarding and welfare, we strive to create a safe and supportive community where every student can flourish.
ONLINE SAFETY
In our increasingly connected world, online safety is a critical component of our safeguarding provision at Battle Abbey School. We are proud to be recognised as a National Online Safety (NOS) accredited school, demonstrating our commitment to educating and protecting our students in the digital age.
Online safety is embedded across our bespoke PSHE curriculum, as well as within our IT and Computing curriculum. It is reinforced through regular assemblies, form time discussions, themed awareness weeks, and digital citizenship initiatives.
We have a team of Online Safety Leads working across the site, ensuring a consistent and proactive approach to online safety education, response, and policy. These leads work closely with our DSLs, tutors, and subject teachers to promote safe, responsible, and respectful online behaviour.
Our pupils are encouraged to become critical thinkers and responsible digital citizens. Topics such as digital footprints, online relationships, cyberbullying, media literacy, privacy settings, and emerging online risks are explored regularly, using age-appropriate and engaging resources.
We also support parents and carers through access to the NOS platform, offering up-to-date guidance, webinars, and training on key issues including gaming, social media, and screen time management.
Online safety at Battle Abbey is not a one-off lesson—it is a whole-school ethos that prepares our students to thrive in the digital world with awareness, confidence, and care.
