Our Pastoral Team
Safeguarding & Pastoral Vision Statement
At Gorse Covert the safety, wellbeing, and personal development of every child is our highest priority.
We believe that all children have the right to feel safe, valued, included, and supported — both in school and beyond.
Our Safeguarding and Pastoral Vision is to create a culture of vigilance, care, and collaboration, where every child is known well, supported holistically, and empowered to thrive.
Our commitment to children
We aim to build an environment where:
- Children are listened to, believed, and supported without judgement.
- Every pupil feels a strong sense of belonging, knows they matter, and has trusted adults they can talk to.
- Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, make positive choices, and seek help when they need it.
Our safeguarding culture
We are committed to:
- Maintaining a culture of vigilance where staff are proactive and confident in identifying, recording, and responding to concerns.
- Ensuring all staff receive robust, regular training so safeguarding practice is consistent, effective, and aligned with KCSIE.
- Working transparently with parents, carers, governors, and safeguarding partners to ensure our approaches meet — and go beyond — statutory requirements.
Our pastoral approach
Our pastoral work ensures that:
- Information is triangulated across staff, families, pastoral leads, and external agencies so nothing is missed.
- Support is coordinated and holistic, considering the academic, social, emotional, and safeguarding needs of each child.
- Early help is prioritised, with interventions monitored carefully to ensure the right support at the right time.
- No child ever “slips through the net” — concerns are identified early and followed up promptly.
- Partnerships with families are strong, open, and built on trust.
Our vision in practice
Safeguarding and pastoral care at Gorse Covert work hand-in-hand to:
- Provide a joined-up, whole-child approach
- Build resilience, confidence, and emotional literacy
- Promote high aspirations through consistent, nurturing relationships
- Ensure every decision is made with the child’s best interests at heart
Keeping Children Safe
If you believe the child is at immediate risk of harm, call 999
If you're a victim of abuse, or you're concerned that a child, young person, or a vulnerable adult is at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect, then you should report this straight away. Acting speedily will enable the appropriate services to take the proper actions to prevent harm.
If you're a child or young person worried about yourself or another young person, you can contact the Warrington MASH team, who will help you access support.
Alternatively, you can speak to someone at ChildLine on 0800 1111 - calls are free and confidential. You can also contact someone through the ChildLine website.
- Report any safeguarding concerns about a child or young person to Warrington's children's safeguarding and social work teams during office hours on 01925 443322, press option one followed by option one
- Outside of office hours call them on 01925 443322 and press option 2 to go through to their out of hours service
- If you believe a crime has been committed, contact the police on 101
We all have a responsibility to be alert to possible concerns and act to safeguard others in our families and communities who may be less able to protect themselves.
Our school is part of Operation Encompass which works with the police so we are informed if there is a police incident which one of our children is in attendance. This ensures we can support the child when they arrive in school after an upsetting incident.
DSL: Gill Poole Deputy DSL: Rob Gibson Tel: 01925 825070
Safeguarding Governor: Natalie Rose
Prevent Officer: Andy McIntyre 01606 365239 andrew.mcintyre@cheshire.pnn.police.uk
SPOC for Warington: Michelle Heritage 01925 443322 mheritage@warrington.gov.uk
Safeguarding procedures can also be found online through Warrington Safeguarding Partnership Procedures using Procedures Online.
For school policies, please see our policy section.
Safeguarding in the Curriculum
At Gorse Covert, safeguarding is at the heart of our curriculum. We believe that helping children to understand how to keep themselves and others safe is an essential part of their education and personal development.
Through our carefully planned curriculum — particularly within PSHE (Jigsaw), Relationships and Health Education, Computing, PE, and assemblies — pupils learn how to:
- Recognise unsafe situations and personal boundaries
- Build healthy, respectful relationships
- Stay safe online and use technology responsibly
- Understand and manage feelings and emotions
- Recognise and challenge discrimination, bullying, and peer pressure
- Make informed choices to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing
- Know who to talk to and how to get help if they are worried or feel unsafe
Our Jigsaw PSHE scheme ensures full coverage of statutory Relationships and Health Education, while safeguarding themes are embedded across all subjects and year groups. Staff are trained to deliver sensitive topics confidently and to respond appropriately to any disclosures or concerns that arise.
We work closely with parents, carers, and external agencies to ensure pupils are equipped with the knowledge, understanding, and confidence to lead safe, happy, and healthy lives — both now and in the future.