Safeguarding
& Online Safety

The school has established robust policies and procedures for online safety and is dedicated to continuous improvement
— Online Safety Assesor

Safeguarding and Online Safety at Hilden Oaks—Key Staff

Safeguarding and Online Safety are taken very seriously at Hilden Oaks. All staff have a responsibility to help keep others safe and there are also specific responsibilities for nominated individuals. The Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) are:

  • Mrs Wade (Headteacher; DSL with ultimate lead responsibility)

  • Mr Hardwick (Deputy Head; DSL with Online Safety responsibility)

  • Mrs Forrest (Manager of Nursery; Early Years DSL)

  • Mrs Wenham (Deputy Manager of Nursery; Early Years DSL)

  • Miss Bean (Preschool Room Lead; Early Years DSL)

  • Miss Kirk (Kindergarten Room Lead; Early Years DSL)

  • Mr Makey (School Online Safety Officer)

  • Mr Swainson (Trustee responsible for Safeguarding and Online Safety)

The School’s safeguarding policy can be viewed here. The Prevent strategy is a government initiative that is designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes, and it forms a mandatory element of our safeguarding policies and strategies.

All schools have a responsibility to ensure that this strategy is reflected in their teaching and learning in curriculum areas such as PSHEE, RE, SMSC and their teaching of Fundamental British Values.

As a school we are very aware of our responsibility to protect our pupils from the malign influence of those who would seek to promote extremist religious or political views of any nature, and to use those views as a justification for discriminatory attitudes and behaviours.

Within our teaching and learning we seek to promote values of respect, tolerance and individual liberty. Furthermore we teach and encourage practices that keep children safe on-line through any teaching that involves use of IT and access to the internet.

Hilden Oaks is an accredited Values-based Education school and these positive mindsets, attitudes and behaviours are integral to the culture of the school; they underpin everything that we do and help to ensure that our pupils’ academic, social and moral development is not compromised by any of the undesirable influences that might otherwise offer them a distorted view of the world.


In an ever-evolving digital world, where new threats emerge every day, we are delighted to announce that we have been awarded an Online Safety Mark. The assessor enthused about the "carefully planned curriculum where messages resonate with children" and that "the School has a positive take on technology, which is important for their (the children's) journey as digital citizens."

Download the report


Online Safety at Hilden Oaks—Parental Information

There are many websites that provide information and help on online safety. Here is a selection of useful sites: