St Tiernan’s College - Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment
Child Safeguarding Statement
St Tiernan’s College is a post-primary school providing post-primary education to pupils from First Year to Leaving Certificate Year.
In accordance with the requirements of the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017, the Addendum to Children First (2019), the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 and Tusla Guidance on the preparation of Child Safeguarding Statements, the Board of Management of St Tiernan’s College has agreed the Child Safeguarding Statement set out in this document.
The school will:
The school will also adhere to the above principles in relation to any adult pupil with a special vulnerability.
Note: The above is not intended as an exhaustive list. Individual Boards of Management shall also include in this section such other procedures/measures that are of relevance to the school in question.
This Child Safeguarding Statement was adopted by the Board of Management on .
This Child Safeguarding Statement was reviewed by the Board of Management on .
Signed: _________________________ Signed: ____________________________
Chairperson of Board of Management Principal/Secretary to the Board of Management
Date: __________________________ Date: ___________________
Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment
Written Assessment of Risk of St Tiernan’s College
In accordance with section 11 of the Children First Act 2015 and with the requirement of Chapter 8 of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017, the following is the Written Risk Assessment of St Tiernan’s College.
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Online teaching and learning is now only used if necessary during possible school closures for an extended period of time, due to extreme weather alerts, national health warnings i.e COVID etc. At times teachers may do classes for exam revision purposes outside of school hours.
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Risk of harm to students if wrong medication provided to students or withheld from students.
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At morning drop off, buses drop off inside school gates or in marked bus bays just outside gates. Parents/guardians requested to drop off outside school gates to minimise risk of accident /injury. Students must remain inside school grounds until their buses arrive. Those walking home or going by car must exit pedestrian gates carefully. The gate area is monitored by two staff members at end of day.
The school has a supervision schedule for morning arrival, breaks, lunchtimes and evening dismissal.
All teachers are qualified members of The Teaching Council. All have completed Children First training, are Garda vetted and are aware of their responsibilities towards their students.
All teachers are qualified members of The Teaching Council. All have completed Children First training, are garda vetted and are aware of their responsibilities towards their students. Protocol for One -to one teaching is adhered to, a room with a glass panel. If in a room without a glass panel, door to be left open / ajar.
All teachers are qualified members of The Teaching Council. All have completed Children First training, are Garda vetted and are aware of their responsibilities towards their students. Teachers are qualifies in Learning Support where possible. If not they are overseen and supported by the SEN co-ordinator and offered CPD whenever it arises.
Counselling of students is only undertaken by the Guidance Counsellor and only within the parameters that his training outlines. The school refers to relevant outside agencies when deemed necessary.
Teaching of P.E carried by a qualified P.E teacher following the P.E curriculum in the absence of access to a sports hall. If a teacher other than the P.E teacher is taking the class , low level sports activities i.e soccer game, basketball to take place. If other teaching activities i.e Art are taking place, the teacher notifies the office and remains with students throughout.
The School’s Remote Teaching and Learning Policy to be adhered to. The Remote T&L Policy published on the school’s website, class TEAMS and made available to all staff , parents/guardians and students. So too the School AU Policy. All procedure around maintaining GDPR also adhered to. MSLETB kept informed of any Data Protection breaches. MSLETB platforms used for remote T&L, MS Office. Staff have been trained in MS Office use and upskilling is routinely provided or. The school’s Principal, Deputy Principal /ICT Co-ordinator provide support. Teachers will inform the Principal of their intention to carry out online classes if not a whole school approach. They will also contact parents/guardians to inform them of same.
Students transported to and from activities by bus. School policy on number of staff accompanying groups/ teams to be followed at all times. Health and Safety procedures followed. School policy is that at least two members of staff accompany any groups travelling. This number increases for every 10 students travelling i.e 30+ students = 3 staff members. When student groups are mixed, staff will include male and female staff members.
When staff members are coaching teams after school on a voluntary basis all
Students transported to and from activities by bus. School policy on number of staff accompanying groups/ teams to be followed at all times, please see above . Health and Safety procedures followed.
The school has developed a Schools Trips Policy which includes overnight stays and foreign travel. This is made available to all members of the school community and adhered to at all times. This policy is to be reviewed annually.
School Sports Day is organised by the Sports Co-ordinator and all relevant staff. All activities are supervised by members of staff taking any H&S risks into consideration. Transport is provided if necessary. If walking to and from the sports hall , all students are supervised by school staff.
If fundraising in the community, students are accompanied by teachers and/or other members of staff. All procedures on fundraising i.e licence from the Gardaí are followed. If fundraising in school, students have a link teacher to oversee procedures.
Students will be supervised by qualified members of staff who have completed Children First training and are Garda vetted. Teachers are members of The Teaching Council. If outside instructors are in attendance they are to be Garda vetted through MSLETB. Signed permission notes are needed from Parents/Guardians if students are U-18. School insurance is in place.
School transport for trips and outings is organised by following MSLETB procurement procedures. The School Trips Policy is to be adhered to during trips and outings.
All teachers are qualified members of The Teaching Council. All have completed Children First training, are Garda vetted and are aware of their responsibilities towards their students. Special Needs Assistants are qualified and have completed Children First training and are Garda vetted. SNAs assist students who have been granted access to an SNA or they have been identified as needing a fulltime SNA.
Lunches provided by a supplier , Fresh Today who employs a member of staff who is recognised and holds all necessary qualifications in the preparation and provision of the food supplied.
The only medication administered has been prescribed by a doctor and is accompanied by written instructions and permission by parent/ guardian. This is also verified by a face to face meeting with parent/ guardian and reviewed when necessary. Epi-pens are stored by the school for students who have been prescribed them in case of emergency. First Aid trained staff will administer them if necessary.
A number of staff have been fully trained in First Aid including the use of the defibrillator. A list of qualified personnel is visible throughout the school building. Training is reviewed regularly to allow for additional staff being trained and/or ensuring training is still valid.
All years have SPHE classes from 1st Yr to 6th Yr including all necessary RSE modules and Stay Safe Programme. There is an SPHE Co-ordinator who amongst other duties informs and ensures that all relevant teachers have completed all CPD. The school has an SPHE and RSE policy.
St Tiernan’s College has adopted Bí Cineálta , the new guidelines on Anti-bullying Behaviour This is provided to all school personnel and communicated to all students and parents/ guardians. It is published on our school website and visible though out the school building. These procedures will be reinforced through SPHE classes and day to day
All school personnel have completed Children First training. All staff are provided with access to the schools Safe Guarding Statement and Child Protection Guidelines 2017. Staff members on the BOM are given additional training in child protection matters relevant to their roles on the BOM. Principal and Deputy Principal provided with refresher training on Child Protection Guidelines. All school personnel are Garda vetted. Any updates to Child Protection Guidelines including training will be carried out by all staff.
If external personnel are visiting once off speakers , instructors etc. they will sign in as visitors, and are provided with a visitor’s lanyard. This was suspended during COVID19. Lanyards are now optional. The school has a policy on visiting personnel that they are supervised in the classroom by the class teacher. As part of the school policy they must give an outline of the content they intend to provide so it can be checked for appropriateness. If outside instructors providing classes, sessions over a period of time i.e. 6 weeks they must be Garda vetted as per the MSLETB procedures.
Please refer to the Code of Behaviour and Bí Cineálta which also commits to the continuous education of students , staff, parents/guardians by providing access to visiting speakers, online talks, information provided by outside agencies and links created through the HSCL, Guidance Counsellor , SCP Project Worker. We take part in a variety of extra-curricular and co- curricular activities to raise awareness of bullying, LGBTI+bullying i.e Stand Up Week, Well-being Week , Internet Safety Day. Amber Flag participation etc. In line with the ETHOS of ETBI we strive to continue to educate ourselves as staff and our pupils to follow our ethos as a multi-denominational school with respect for all faiths, to respect all etc.
As we are under the auspices of MSLETB all procedures in identifying needs, advertising ,interviewing and vetting etc. is overseen and carried out by them in consultation with the principal when appropriate. All DEY, The Teaching Council and ETBI guidelines and procedures are carried out. All Garda vetting procedures carried out. Continuous CPD and any other relevant training is encouraged and provided when appropriate.
The Bí Cineálta guidelines together with the Mobile Phone and Electronic Device Policy, AUP Policy, SPHE curriculum and policy address these issues. The ongoing education of school personnel , students, parents/guardians through guest speakers, information evenings, access to online talks and seminars. Access to Pastoral Care system including HSCL, Guidance Counsellor and SCP Project worker.
The school has developed Code of Behaviour, Mobile Phone and Electronic Device Policy which are reviewed and amended if needed. These are provided to all members of school personnel as well as students, parents/guardians. These are developed following consultation with all stakeholders. They are also published on our school’s website.
After School detention is supervised by a teacher with another staff member present in the school.
TY students participate in work experience one day a week. 5th Year students participate in one week of work experience as part of their LCVP programme. They source the work experience themselves. The school requires details of employers which are kept on file, this includes contact details. Parents/ Guardians are informed of all aspects of the work experience. The school provides the students with an insurance letter including access to the insurance policy which is required by their employer. This outlines any job which is not covered by the insurance policy as they are deemed too dangerous.
Potential student teachers make contact under the guidance of their college assigned guidance officer / tutor etc. All contact is formal. They must have completed Children First training and must be Garda vetted. They will also meet with the Principal and provided with the Schools Safeguarding Statement and all relevant policies. They will be provided with a school e mail address and granted access to VS Ware and MS office which is the only platform permitted for contact with students. They will also have a supporting teacher within their relevant department who will provide guidance and support.
All parents / guardians of students under the age of 18 , on enrolment are provided with a data release from which allows the school to use recordings and photographs of their son/daughter for the purpose of school promotion on social media , website, school brochure, promotional videos etc. Students over the age of 18 can sign for themselves if they so decide. The school adheres to Data Protection and GDPR procedures. AU Policy is also relevant.
St Tiernan’s College is a venue for Music Generation. Music Generation is also under the auspices of MSLETB and therefore follow all policies and procedures developed by MSLETB for its staff. They provide music lessons for children of Primary and Post Primary schools. Please refer to their policies and procedures.
The school is sometimes used by the HSE to provide vaccinations. These are carried out by qualified doctors and nurses who follow all appropriate procedures in relation to contact and obtaining permission from parents/guardians. They are all Garda vetted and trained in Child Protection procedures and are mandated persons. There is a member of staff on hand to help with the supervision of students as they prepare to have their vaccinations and afterwards.
When Breakfast Club is provided it is supervised by available staff member This is reviewed annually
Homework club is supervised by staff member.
Evening study is provided twice weekly to JC &LC students predominantly but when can also be offered students in other year groups and is supervised by a teacher and the Principal.
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Important Note: It should be noted that risk in the context of this risk assessment is the risk of “harm” as defined in the Children First Act 2015 and not general health and safety risk. The definition of harm is set out in Chapter 4 of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post- Primary Schools 2017 |
In undertaking this risk assessment, the board of management has endeavoured to identify as far as possible the risks of harm that are relevant to this school and to ensure that adequate procedures are in place to manage all risks identified. While it is not possible to foresee and remove all risk of harm, the school has in place the procedures listed in this risk assessment to manage and reduce risk to the greatest possible extent.
Examples of activities, risks and procedures
The examples listed in this document are provided to assist schools in undertaking their risk assessment under the Children First Act, 2015. Schools should note that this list of examples is not intended to be exhaustive. It is the responsibility of each school to ensure, as far as possible, that any other risks and procedures that are relevant to its own particular circumstances are identified and specified in the written risk assessment and that adequate procedures are in place to address all risks identified.
It is acknowledged that schools already have in place a range of policies, practices and procedures to mitigate the risk of harm to children while they are participating in the activities of the school and that some school activities will carry low or minimal risks of harm compared to others. In the context of the risk assessment that must be undertaken by schools, the Children First Act, 2015 refers to risk as “any potential for harm”. Therefore, it is important that, as part of its risk assessment process, each school lists and reviews all of its various activities (which shall include identifying those that may carry low risk of harm as well as those that carry higher risks of harm). Doing so will help the school to (1) identify, as required under the Children First Act, 2015, any risks of harm that may exist in respect of the school’s activities, (2) identify and assess the adequacy of the various procedures already in place to manage those risks of harm and (3) identify and put in place any such additional procedures as are considered necessary to manage any risk identified.
The Addendum to Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children published in January 2019 clarifies that organisations providing relevant services to children should consider the specific issue of online safety when carrying out their risk assessment and preparing their Child Safeguarding Statement.
The Guidance on Continuity of Schooling for primary and post-primary schools (April 2020) advises of the importance of teachers maintaining the safe and ethical use of the internet during distance learning and assisting parents and guardians to be aware of their role also. Schools should ensure that their Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) informs and guides remote or distance learning activity.
Important Note: It should be noted that risk in the context of this risk assessment is the risk of “harm” as defined in the Children First Act, 2015 and not general health and safety risk. The definition of harm is set out in chapter 4 of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017.
Examples of School Activities
Examples of Risks of Harm
Examples of Procedures to address risks of harm
This Child Safeguarding Statement was adopted by the Board of Management on __24/09/2025____ (Date).
Signed: _Michael Loftus________________________ Signed: Brenda O' Malley____________________
Chairperson of Board of Management Principal/Secretary to the Board of Management
Date: 24/09/2025
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