DURBAN HIGH SCHOOL is a pastoral school based on values as opposed to a discipline school based on rules.
Obviously, as in all societies, rules are present for the protection of every individual within that society. If the values system of a school is strong and behaviour is driven by the values, the code of conduct becomes almost obsolete for the majority of the boys. There will always be a few that need more guidance than others.
When any aspect of a school is placed above the wellbeing of its people the risk of abuse grows considerably. At DHS we always place our people first and are constantly looking at ways to ensure that we can safeguard every member of our school community from inappropriate behaviours. Everyone connected to the school should know how to keep the members of the school community safe and away from harm. They should develop and maintain the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude required to keep people safe and prevent non-accidental harm.
Safeguarding is a term used to explain measures taken to protect the health, wellbeing and human rights of individuals. Safeguarding is what we do to proactively protect children and vulnerable adults from harm such as abuse, grooming, harassment, neglect and sexual exploitation. Safeguarding ensures that children grow up with the best life chances and that all individuals are given safe and effective care. Child protection is reactive and is what we do to protect children who have already experienced abuse, grooming, harassment, neglect and sexual exploitation, or have otherwise been harmed.
With all of this in mind, DHS has partnered with The Guardian to ensure that we remain proactive in the safeguarding space. There are a number of new initiatives that will be introduced during 2022 to ensure that a DHS boy can feel safe in his school environment and that he has the resources to reach out to a responsible adult should the need ever arise. This will be a major part of the whole school conference on 5 and 6 April 2022 where the theme for the boys will be: Breaking the Barriers of Silence and Strengthening the Bonds of Brotherhood.
G Goodwin
Deputy Head Master
