The child sits firmly at the centre of everything we do at Hiba Academy Shanghai. Through explicit safeguarding and child protection practices, we can demonstrate our commitment to building a culture of safety.We work with pupils, parents and the wider community to ensure the rights and safety of all pupils and to give them the very best start in life.
01 Safeguarding children and child protectionSafeguarding is the actions that are taken to promote the welfare of our pupils and protect them from harm. At Hiba Academy Shanghai this means that we have made a promise to protect our pupils from abuse and maltreatment and to prevent harm to their health or development.
Whilst every member of the Hiba Academy Shanghai team is responsible for the safeguarding of everyone on site, we have three identified members of the team who lead on safeguarding throughout the nursery. They are:
- Designated Safeguarding Lead: Vanessa Szucs-Hussain (Head of Hiba Nursery)
- Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads: Yuki Gong (Deputy Head of Hiba Nursery) and Christopher Haley (EY4 teacher)
When concerns are reported, or disclosures are made, it is vital that all information is kept strictly confidential. This is not only to safeguard the child, but to also safeguard the process, so that it can be carried out in the most professional manner.
As all team members are trained to understand this necessity we also ask for parental support in not discussing any information with other parents or on social media platforms.
02 The nursery environment and professional practice
We promote children's right to be strong, resilient and listened to by creating an environment in our nursery that encourages children to develop a positive self-image. No child is left alone with any member of staff in a one-to-one situation without being visible to others.
The CCTV in the learning area allows for constant supervision. We will not monitor the video in actual time, however for special cases, staff must submit a written application for approval to the Head of Early Years. We strictly protect the privacy and security of all teachers and pupils. Safeguarding curriculum We introduce key elements of keeping children safe into our curriculum to promote the personal, social and emotional development of all children, so that they may grow to be strong, resilient and listened to and so that they develop an understanding of how to keep safe from different sources of harm.
Confidentiality and ethics Teachers and staff working at Hiba Academy Shanghai will inevitably come into contact with confidential information as they work with children and their families. A strict code of ethics is essential and must be maintained to ensure the privacy of divulged information.
Staff are granted differing levels of access to pupil data, according to their role within the nursery. Should they require access for any particular reason, they cannot access confidential data without permission. Steps are taken to ensure children are not photographed or filmed on video for any other purpose than to record their development or their participation in events, which are organised by the nursery. We ask this of all team members, visitors and families.
Fire drillThe fire drill evacuation plan is displayed in each classroom. In the event of a fire alarm, pupils will be escorted to the nearest exit and make their way to the muster point. Teachers will complete the register and signal to the Head of Early Years. Lifts must not be used in emergency procedures, whether a drill or not.
03 Safer recruitment
During the interview, all candidates are asked questions about keeping children safe and explain their understanding of child protection. HR contact the Principals and Headmasters as previous employers for every candidate by email to conduct reference checks on their professionalism, work performance and child protection and safeguarding-related issues. We require a minimum of two references, and these are followed up by telephone conversations to confirm the validity of the email responses. All staff new to the nursery undertake a probation period to ensure suitability and a meeting of standards and expectations.
Our HR team are experienced in recruiting educational practitioners who are able to ensure safer employment practices by checking their suitability for the role. We adhere to the recommendations of the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) for its recruitment processes; applicants to the nursery must undergo rigorous background checks prior to appointment. Criminal record, barred lists and police checks are carried out for all staff prior to their employment offer being confirmed. The identity checks and vetting processes that have been completed ensure that no disqualified person or unsuitable person works at the nursery or has access to the pupils.
We follow a very comprehensive induction process to introduce new members of staff to the nursery, its routines, procedures, leadership and management structures, support mechanisms, educational ethos and teaching teams. This guides and supports new teachers into the nursery and their primary work within the classroom.
This is supported throughout the year for all members of the team with professional development and training opportunities. From the beginning of the new term to now, we have held 15 professional training sessions on safeguarding and child protection. The Educare, ELG, ICPA and nursery safeguarding teams have provided multiple training opportunities on child protection, safeguarding and basic counselling to academic and non-academic teams, and partner service companies.
This is to ensure that everyone understands the importance of safeguarding and child protection and was delivered through a combination of online sessions, formal lectures and practical case studies. All courses are certified and these form a valuable contribution to the individual staff professional development portfolios. Professional development and performance monitoring
Professional development is essential to maintain the highest level of performance from every team member. Hiba Academy Shanghai aims to provide the appropriate support for staff to continually develop their knowledge, skills and career opportunities through a comprehensive professional development programme.Professional development undertaken by members of staff contributes to improved teaching and learning, enhanced practices and career advancement. Formal CPD sessions are held regularly and are provided by a range of internal and external experts.
Throughout each academic year, a detailed portfolio of each staff member’s performance is compiled to ensure that Hiba Academy Shanghai’s high expectations are met.
Safeguarding and child protection is a long-term commitment. We will, as always, be relentless in our pursuit of creating a safe and secure environment from which to deliver our education provision.
The child sits firmly at the centre of everything we do at Hiba Academy Shanghai and will continue to do so always.
