Pastoral care and safeguarding

Safety first, always

The first thing parents ask, before curriculum and fees, is whether their child will be safe and looked after. At Bees Circle Academy, the safety and wellbeing of every child is paramount — not as a slogan but as the practical foundation of every other thing we do. Our premises are CCTV-monitored with backup security alarm systems, and children are supervised at all gates during drop-off and pick-up.

Our pastoral philosophy

We are a Christian school, and our pastoral programme is built on biblical values lived out every day. We take character education seriously — we teach children what kindness, honesty, responsibility, and respect actually look like in practice, and we hold ourselves and them to those standards. Pastoral care at BCA is not a separate thing happening in a counsellor's office; it is the texture of how the school speaks to children, resolves conflict between them, and looks after them when they are struggling.

Smallness helps. In a school where classes hold under 20 children in kindergarten and under 25 in primary, the adults know quickly when a child is having a hard time. A worry rarely gets lost in the crowd because the crowd does not exist. We notice, we ask, we follow up.

We also have a strong commitment to listening to the views, wishes, and experiences of all our children. Children's voices shape how we run the school day, what we do at break, and how we resolve disagreements.

The values we teach

Our character programme is built around values we name explicitly and live out daily:

• Respect — Treating every person — peer, teacher, parent, stranger — with the dignity God gives them.
• Honesty — Telling the truth, especially when it is harder than the alternative.
• Obedience — Listening carefully, following guidance, and trusting the wisdom of those who care for us.
• Gratitude — Noticing what we have, saying it out loud, and returning the grace we are given.
• Forgiveness — Letting go of wrongs done to us, and asking forgiveness when we have done wrong.
• Courage — Doing what is right even when it is harder than what is easy.
• Diligence — Working steadily at what is hard, and seeing it through.
• Self-control — Choosing our actions instead of being chosen by our impulses.
• Compassion — Caring for others with empathy, especially when they are struggling.

Safeguarding — our commitment

Bees Circle Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child in our care. This is reflected in:

• Our Safer Recruitment policy and procedure, ensuring every adult who works with children is appropriately checked and trained.
• Our Child Protection policy, setting out how concerns are raised, recorded, and acted on.
• Our Anti-Bullying policy and clear procedures for any bullying incident.
• Our Missing Child procedure and other operational safeguarding tools.
• A named Designated Safeguarding Lead who staff and families can speak to.
• Regular safeguarding training for all staff.

Raising a concern

If you have a safeguarding concern about a child at the school, please contact the school office on 0734 860 317 or info@beescircleschool.com — your message will be routed to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the Head of School straight away. We treat every concern seriously and act quickly.

Our open-door policy means parents do not need to wait for a formal meeting to raise a worry. Friday afternoons are dedicated parent-meeting time, but anything urgent can be flagged at any time through the office.

Policies

Our full set of safeguarding policies is available from the school office on request:

• Safeguarding policy
• Child Protection policy
• Anti-Bullying policy
• Safer Recruitment policy
• Missing Child procedure
• Allegations Against Staff procedure
• Student Wellbeing policy