Head’s Newsletter – Friday 5th June 2026
05.06.2026
If you would like to get in touch with the safeguarding team, please email safeguarding@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk.
Safeguarding
Child Protection and Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at Tiffin.
We believe that Safeguarding and the promotion of children’s welfare is everyone’s responsibility and all our staff are trained in recognising and raising safeguarding concerns to our qualified team of Designated Safeguarding Leads.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children refers to the process of protecting children from maltreatment, 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 and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
At Tiffin, we work hard to create a culture of safeguarding – a safe, welcoming and vigilant environment for children where they feel valued and are respected. We are able to play a significant part in the prevention of harm to our children by providing them with good lines of communication with trusted adults, supportive friends and an ethos of protection.
Prior to employment all staff (paid or voluntary) are checked against the government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for their suitability to work with children and young people. Safeguarding forms part of our recruitment process and all interview panels include staff qualified in “safer recruitment” and include elements to further test candidates suitability to work with children.
Safeguarding is an important part of our staff induction process and all of our staff complete regular Safeguarding training and refreshers throughout each year. This training includes an overview of responsibilities, signs and symptoms as well as advice and guidance about what to do in the event of a concern.
| Our Child Protection Team | |
|---|---|
 |
Mrs H O’Sullivan
Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head |
 |
Miss A Stone
Safeguarding Manager and Mental Health Lead, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead |
 |
Mr R Shaw
Teacher of Chemistry, Wellbeing Lead, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead for KS3 and KS4 |
 |
Miss L Hughes
Head of Sixth Form, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead for Sixth Form |
The Safeguarding Link Governors are Mrs Jones and Mrs Roper.
If you need to get in touch with the Safeguarding Team, please email safeguarding@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk
The Safeguarding and Child Protection policy, and other relevant policies, can be found here.
Raising Concerns About Students
Local Authority - Kingston upon Thames: Achieving for Children
We work collaboratively with multiple local authorities due to our students coming from multiple areas. As Tiffin is located in Kingston-Upon-Thames, our local authority Child Protection service is Achieving for Children (AfC). We are regularly in contact with AfC in order to improve our school’s safeguarding systems as well as keeping up to date with training and local offers.
Child Protection and Early Help Services
Early Help
Tiffin work closely with the local authority, Achieving for Children, and other local authorities’ Early Help services to improve the outcomes for our students and their families. We recognise the importance of early intervention so that emerging needs are met, risks do not escalate, and the family is supported holistically. All Early Help referrals will be made with your consent, plus you can also self-refer through your own local authority if you would prefer this. Click here to understand why Early Help is important and what it is.
AfC’s Early Help referrals are completed via the Single Point of Access (SPA).
Safeguarding
The school works closely with families and the local authority social services to ensure families receive the support and advice that they need.
AfC’s Safeguarding referrals are completed via:
Kingston and Richmond Single Point of Access (SPA): 020 8547 5008
Anti-bullying
In line with our values of belonging, learning and giving, Tiffin has a clear Anti-bullying policy on our website and an Anti-bullying Pledge shared by both staff and students.
Raising Concerns About Staff
If you have a concern about a member of staff, please raise this with the Headteacher. Alternatively, you can contact our Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). Please click here for more information.
e-Safety
As technology continues to grow, Tiffin fosters an open environment where we encourage our students to speak and learn about the benefits and risks of the online world. We also have our own E-Safety measures in place on and offsite. All school computers and Chromebooks provided by Tiffin are managed and monitored by the school. If your child types anything of concern, the safeguarding team will be made aware of this and respond accordingly. For more information on our Filtering and Monitoring, please see the rationale here.
It is important that parents and guardians are also aware of the risks that their children are exposed to online.Parents are encouraged to make use of the GoGuardian parent app to utilise parental controls on their child’s Chromebook at home. As a school, we ask parents and guardians to work together with us by also putting systems and parental controls in place at home to ensure their child’s safety and well-being. We know this is not always easy so have provided some useful links below.
Parent E-Safety Links
Reporting Online Concerns
Any concerns you have about your child’s online safety, please report to your child’s form tutor, head of year or the safeguarding team.
You can also report any concerns to the company or app where concerns have arisen. Please click here for more information.
Wellbeing and Mental Health
Student wellbeing and good mental health is a priority for us at Tiffin School. Our students can access our Mental Health page using their Tiffin login. We also provide support for children and families outside of school, details of which can be found on the Parent Pastoral support site via the Head’s Newsletter. If you have concerns about a Tiffin student’s mental health, please do not hesitate to get in touch with their Form Tutor, Head of Year of the Safeguarding Team.
Achieving for Children (AfC0) Mental Health Support Team (MHST)
In Secondary Schools, the MHST works directly with young people with mild to moderate anxiety or low mood. They run targeted groups around topics such as exam anxiety, improving low mood, emotional distress tolerance and emotional regulation.
If your child/young person would like to make a self-referral for their emotional needs to be discussed with their secondary school in a consultation, please ask them to fill in this self-referral form.
Promoting British Values
We take seriously our duty to promote fundamental British values at Tiffin School. Our positive promotion of British Values is embedded in our school curriculum, our pastoral programmes, extra-curricular opportunities, the Sixth Form Enrichment program and our timetabled lessons of “21st Century Life” which is delivered in discreet lessons throughout Key Stage 3 and 4.
The government defined British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and the Prevent Duty Guidance from 2015:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
Our staff seek to model these values in all they do. We understand that discrimination or harassment for any reason are unacceptable, especially if linked to protected characteristics such as faith, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexuality or disability. Similarly, no group or individual should suffer intimidation by those wishing to unduly or illegally influence them.
The school is also committed to equipping students with the tools they need to keep themselves safe outside school and preparing our students for adult life. Students are actively encouraged to make choices and take responsibility for their decisions, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment with clear boundaries.
Our students are given regular opportunities to discuss and understand their rights and personal freedoms and given advice on how to exercise these safely through e-safety sessions, through the 21st Century Life curriculum, through form group tutorials and assemblies and through their participation in the wider opportunities and House system provided at Tiffin. Our students are provided with numerous opportunities to develop and exercise respect for others, a sense of community and leadership.
'Helping Teens With...' Webinars for Parents
Achieving for Children’s Mental Health Support Teams are delivering a series of webinars for parents of secondary aged children and young people (CYP). The ‘Helping teens with …’ series of webinars will cover a range of common difficulties experienced by CYP and will aim to share evidence-based strategies to help parents and carers support their CYP with these difficulties. For more information and a list of upcoming webinars, please click here and here.
Operation Encompass
Tiffin is part of Operation Encompass, a national partnership between police and education that supports children and young people affected by Domestic Violence and Abuse. This initiative is present in all police forces in England and Wales.
Under the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act, children are recognised as victims in their own right. Operation Encompass allows the police to share information about domestic abuse incidents involving Tiffin students before the next school day. This typically involves a phone call or email from the First Response team to inform the school of an incident and the student’s name, but not additional details.
By being informed, the school can better support and understand the student’s needs and behaviours. Information is shared on a need-to-know basis with relevant staff, such as the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSLs).
To find out more information, please visit operationencompass.org.