"The protection of our children must be our first priority. They are the future." — Nelson Mandela
Dear Parents and Students,
This week has been the Times Educational Supplement Safeguarding Awareness week from 18-22 May. We have used this opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of child protection and safeguarding as our overall commitment to our value of safety. Children in both primary and secondary explored these topics in their wellbeing lessons this week.
When families choose an international school, they often speak of academic excellence, global citizenship, and diverse cultural experiences. While these are vital components of who we are, they all rest upon one non-negotiable foundation: the safety and well-being of our children.
In an international school setting, child protection and safeguarding take on an even deeper significance. Our community is beautifully diverse, bringing together families and team members from all corners of the globe. This unique environment requires us to be hyper-vigilant. We must ensure that our school is a sanctuary—a predictable, secure, and nurturing environment where every child feels seen, heard, and protected.
Safeguarding is not a checkbox exercise; it is the lens through which we view every decision we make. We employ a transparent and rigorous, multi-layered framework to keep our students safe.
We adhere to the highest international standards before any adult is permitted to work with our students.
Police and Sexual Crimes Checks: Every single colleague—from teachers to administrative and support team members—must clear rigorous background and criminal record checks from their home countries and any previous countries of residence.
Strict Credentialing: We conduct thorough identity verifications and comprehensive professional reference checks to ensure that anyone joining our team shares our absolute commitment to student welfare.
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Every team member undergoes mandatory annual safeguarding and child protection training. We also organised in the last couple of weeks, online training on digital safety for all our teachers with an external expert trainer. These professional development opportunities ensure that our team members are expertly equipped to recognise the signs of distress or abuse, understand the latest digital threats, and know exactly how to respond and report concerns correctly.
Furthermore, our campus must remain a safe haven. To maintain this, we enforce a strict visitor policy:
No unchecked adults are permitted to roam our campus.
All visitors, contractors, and guests must sign in, wear a designated badge, and remain fully accompanied by a staff member at all times.
We do not presume we are perfect, however. Our dedicated Safeguarding Committee meets every single month to review our practices, audit our logs, and update our policies. This ensures our procedures evolve alongside international best practices and that any potential risks are proactively managed.
We have excellent relationships with the local police and the welfare agencies who support us when we have to tackle difficult situations, and as we strive to keep all members of our community safe.
Finally, true protection involves giving children the tools to protect themselves. Through our age-appropriate curriculum, we actively teach our students how to navigate the world safely:
Online Safety: Regular digital citizenship lessons teach students how to spot online dangers, protect their privacy, and report cyberbullying or inappropriate content.
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE): Our carefully tailored RSE lessons, following the approved Ministry of Education curriculum, empower students with an understanding of personal boundaries, consent, healthy relationships, and bodily autonomy.
Safeguarding is a partnership between the school and the home. We encourage you to speak openly with your children about their safety both physically and online, and to reach out to us immediately if you ever have a concern. Thank you for your continued trust and partnership as we work together to keep our school a safe, happy, and thriving environment for every student.
Also, this week, MYP 3 enjoyed a trip to Omodos village organised by the English faculty. All Montessori children have enjoyed a wonderful day out at the Camel Park today, linked to this term’s topic and explorations on the natural world. DP1 students began their end-of-year examinations, and Primary children have been completing their GL assessments. So, daily life is as busy as ever at The Island School.