The management of Chrisland Schools has said it is reinforcing its safety and child protection architecture across its campuses, urging pupils to speak out whenever they experience bullying, abuse or any situation that makes them feel unsafe.

Officials noted that child protection must go beyond security personnel and physical barriers to become a daily culture in which pupils and staff know what constitutes a risk, whom to report to and what happens after a concern is raised.

The Executive Head of School, Region A, Segun Ogunsola, who stated this while addressing reporters as part of activities commemorating its Safeguarding Week, said the school owes every child in its care a duty of protection.

Ogunsola said the objective is not simply to teach safety rules, but to make safe behaviour instinctive among learners and staff.

Ogunsola explained that the school conducts risk assessments for all activities and maintains a unified calendar for safety and safeguarding programmes, while staff are regularly trained and students are taught how to identify unsafe situations and seek help.

He said external experts are invited for seminars and awareness sessions, and parents are brought into the process through engagement and feedback mechanisms.

Divisional Head, Risks, Compliance, Safeguarding and Child Protection, Kemi Fajemirokun, said the school has established student safety and safeguarding ambassadors who have been sensitised on bullying and general safeguarding measures.

She disclosed that the school is building a system to ensure that every concern raised by a child is heard and acted upon.

Fajemirokun noted that many children find it difficult to report bullying for fear of facing revenge from peers, saying multiple confidential reporting channels have been created to allow learners to disclose incidents without fear of exposure.

She explained that the strengthened safeguarding system is aimed at giving pupils safe avenues to report bullying, abuse and other uncomfortable experiences.

Already, she noted that Chrisland is working to embed a whole-school safety culture that influences learners’ character formation and everyday behaviour.

She said the school’s safeguarding model is anchored on a triangle of responsibility, with learners, parents and staff each having defined roles.

“The children are focused on what they should do; the parents are focused on what they should do; and the teaching and non-teaching staff are also focused on what they should do,” she explained.

Fajemirokun said the goal is to instil a safety mindset in every member of the school community, so that both learners and staff can recognise situations that could put them or others at risk.

Fajemirokun said pupils are being taught that bullying has no place in the school environment and that silence should not be the default response when something goes wrong, adding that the school’s “see something, say something” philosophy encourages learners to report concerns to designated officers with assurance of confidentiality.

On reporting and follow-up, officials said the school operates a whistleblowing mechanism that allows parents to raise complaints via a dedicated email, with an emphasis on immediate reporting and escalation within 24 hours to prevent concerns from being buried in bureaucracy.