Page 18 - Doveland Schools Yearbook 2018

MESSAGES DOVELAND STARS

WORKING TOGETHER TO ENSURE A SAFER SCHOOL

For most children, a ending schools can be a very happy
experience. Some got their first taste of socialisa on in their
life from the school environment. It is not surprising that
memories of school years rank among the fondest for many
adults today. However, in recent years, there has been a
growing concern to parents, teachers, counselors, and
administrators on how to provide a safe environment for
children and young people in the school. To many of us,
this can seem like a daun ng task, especially when we
consider the rising cases of insecurity, accidents, injuries
and even deaths recorded in recent mes.

Obviously, ensuring a much safer school environment
has never been the sole task of the school management.
A collabora ve measure has been found to be most
effec ve. Both the school and the community, which
includes the parents, pupils, students, relevant law
enforcement agents and the neighbours have their stakes
in this all important task. Much has been achieved in this
regard as the school regularly involves all these stakeholders
through our open door policy to ideas and sugges ons.

Ensuring a constantly improved physical environment also
relates well to a safer school. As much as possible, we make
sure that our pupils and staff are protected from the most TEMITOPE AFOWOWE
likely poten al threats like intruders or other unwelcome DEPUTY HEAD OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
visitors. The overall quality of the physical environment has a
significant impact on how pupils feel at school, which trainings
influences how they behave. Seemingly insignificant issues that make them fully effec ve in understanding
like ligh ng, colours used for school walls, offices and
classrooms are not overlooked. We ensure that all common issues like cyber bullying and rela onal aggression and how
spaces are clean, sterile and pupil-friendly, containing plants, to intervene effec vely when they do no ce the more
student art, projects, and awards and all that will make the pervasive forms of bullying and who to report to. These
environment a rac ve to pupils. rela onships not only improve the climate of the school and
pupils' sense of connec on to it, they become the gateways
Increasingly, schools are seeing pupils as allies, and pupils use to report informa on about fights, weapons, or
suppor ng them to be social change agents to address school other poten al harm to people or property.
safety and climate. In line with this, we have organised
Gender Assembly and other similar programmes where our Since parents significantly influence pupils' opinions, values
pupils are trained beyond the classroom on how to deal with and interac on skills, parent understanding and support is
personal and social issues. We believe that pupils who have essen al for any school safety and climate plan to be
the observa on skills to no ce the exclusion, put-downs, successful.
teasing, rela onal aggression, bullying, harassment and other We constantly find ways to connect with parents through our
forms of mistreatment that usually go unno ced by adults organised ac vi es like Parent Teaching Day, Pupil Led
are be er able to deal with such when they arrive. Pupils Conference, Walk for Life and a host of other programmes
trained in non-violent communica on and interven on skills solely for parents. It is believed that educa ng more parents
interact with their peers to prevent and stop bullying and about the changing nature of bullying and other related
harassment when and where it happens – in the bus, in the issues can go a long way to having a safer and high thriving
yard, at lunch, in the locker rooms and bathrooms, in the school.
halls and on the fields.
Temitope Afowowe
All our staff, whether they are classroom teachers or bus Deputy Head of School, Administra on
drivers, regularly undergoes professional development

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