Safeguarding

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Nursery & Pre-Prep

A structured phonics programme puts a strong emphasis on reading and writing skills, ensuring that most pupils exceed the expectations.
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Prep

Beyond the curriculum we encourage our pupils to take on responsibility and they thrive on Leadership opportunities.
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Senior

At St Lawrence College we offer a supportive, caring and challenging environment, founded on traditional Christian values, where children are given every opportunity to fulfil their potential.
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Sixth Form

St Lawrence College aims for educational excellence, and nearly all of the Upper Sixth will continue to Higher Education at University.
Welcome to Sixth Form

Home | Safeguarding

St Lawrence College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people in its care, in both the Junior and Senior Schools. We expect all staff (teaching and non-teaching), Governors and volunteers to share this commitment.

We recognise the importance of pupils receiving the right help at the right time to address risks and prevent issues from escalating. This includes:

Acting promptly on early signs of abuse, neglect, or emerging mental health problems.

Keeping clear, accurate and secure records.

Listening to the views and experiences of pupils.

Reassessing concerns when situations do not improve.

Sharing information quickly with the appropriate agencies.

Challenging inaction to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every child.

We follow national statutory guidance — including Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and the updated July 2025 Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance ensuring that our curriculum, policies, and pastoral care equip pupils to stay safe both offline and online.

Safeguarding Response Flowchart

Safeguarding Team

Deputy Head Teacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead – Mr L Connolly, lc@slcuk.com
Deputy Head Teacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead – Dr N Robinson, njr@slcuk.com
Deputy Head of Junior School and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead – Mr C Brown, ceb@slcuk.com
Head of Upper School and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead – Dr K Barwell, kba@slcuk.com
Housemaster (Kirby) and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead – Mr J Scruby, jmsc@slcuk.com

Information and Advice for Parents

We encourage parents to talk to our safeguarding and pastoral teams if they have any concerns or suggestions about keeping children safe, whether in school, at home, or online. As part of our commitment to transparency, all RSHE curriculum materials can be viewed by parents on request, in line with the statutory guidance. We also work with parents to support conversations at home on age-appropriate safety, wellbeing, and relationships topics. Parents may find the following websites useful for resources and advice on online safety:

Internet Matters

Think U Know

Childnet – Supporting Young People Online

Parent Info

Childnet – Parents and Carers

UK Safer Internet Centre

NSPCC – Online Safety

SWGfL Social Media Checklists

Low-Level Safeguarding Concerns

What is a Low-Level Safeguarding Concern?

At St Lawrence College, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every pupil. This includes having clear processes for reporting low-level concerns about the behaviour of staff, volunteers, governors, or any adult connected to the College.

A low-level (or lower-level) safeguarding concern is any concern, doubt, or worry that an adult connected to the College may have acted in a way that conflicts with our standards, values, or Staff Code of Conduct — even if it does not meet the threshold for referral to the police or children’s services.

These concerns may relate to behaviour inside or outside of work and do not have to directly involve children.

Examples include:

Inadvertent or thoughtless actions.

Behaviour that might be considered inappropriate depending on the circumstances.

Conduct which could potentially enable abuse.

Specific examples could include:

Being over-friendly with children or showing “favouritism.”

Taking photographs of pupils on a personal mobile phone.

Spending unnecessary one-to-one time with a pupil in a secluded area or behind a closed door.
Humiliating or belittling pupils.

Why is it important to report?

Prevention: Addressing low-level concerns early helps prevent poor practice from escalating into more serious misconduct or abuse.

Culture: Reporting reinforces our safeguarding culture, where professional boundaries are respected and the safety of children is always prioritised.

Training: Low-level concerns may highlight the need for further training, guidance, or changes to working practices.

Every concern — no matter how small — is important. By reporting, you help to protect children, maintain professional integrity, and ensure we address any behaviour that falls short of expectations.

How to Report a Low-Level Concern

If you have a low-level concern about the conduct of any adult connected to St Lawrence College, please report it as soon as possible.

You can:

Speak directly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or any member of the Safeguarding Team.

Submit your concern via our secure online form (confidential and monitored by the Safeguarding Team).

Nursery & Pre-Prep

Prep

Senior

Sixth Form