Safeguarding at MIS

Myanmar International School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, governors and volunteers to share this commitment. We believe that our school should provide a safe, caring, positive, and stimulating environment in which pupils can learn and which promotes the social, physical and emotional wellbeing of each individual pupil.

We believe that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all and strive to ensure our students are safe at school, at home, online and in the wider community.

To fulfill this commitment, a number of safeguarding arrangements are in place.

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment
• Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
• Ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.

Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm. Effective child protection is essential as part of a wider work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. However, all agencies and individuals should aim to proactively safeguard and promote the welfare of children so that the need for action to protect children from harm is reduced. Schools play an essential role in protecting children from abuse. They have regular contact with children and young people so are in a strong position to identify signs of abuse and neglect. International schools have a moral as well as legal duty tp safeguard the welfare of our students, as well as those children using our facilities or involved with our programs and activities.

We safeguard children at MIS by:

• Creating a safe environment for children and young people through robust safeguarding practices
• Ensuring that adults who work in the school, including volunteers, don’t pose a risk to children
• Making sure staff are trained, know how to respond to concerns and keep up to date with policy and practice
• Teaching children and young people about how to stay safe
• Maintaining an environment where children feel confident to approach any member of staff if they have a worry or a problem.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

The school has a trained designated safeguarding lead who supports pupils across the whole school. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead can be contacted at safeguarding@mis-edu.com.

The staff member with responsibility for child protection is Mr. James Oldfield.

Training

All eligible staff and volunteers are required to undertake relevant safeguarding training and this is regularly reviewed to ensure it is up to date. Staff and volunteers are provided with guidance to follow when they suspect a child may be experiencing abuse or is at risk of harm.

We ensure that our concerns about our students are discussed with parents/carers at the earliest appropriate opportunity, and work in partnership with them and other agencies to improve outcomes.

If any parents, families or visitors have concerns about the welfare or safety of any children from MIS, please contact any of our Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay.