East Haddon CEVC Primary School

Safeguarding

At East Haddon CE Primary School we take our Safeguarding responsibilities very seriously. This means that we ensure that everyone working in our school has appropriate clearances and up-to-date training.

We have staff members who are specifically trained to deal with safeguarding issues. Mrs Claire Truslove is the Designated Safeguarding Lead and Mrs Celine Gibbins and Mrs Pickles are the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads. Our lead governor for safeguarding is Mrs Claire Underwood. Therefore, if you have any issues regarding the safety of your or other children please report to the members of staff mentioned above.

All other members of staff receive annual Level 1 Safeguarding training to support effective procedures in school.

By working closely together as a staff and with our partner agencies, we firmly believe that we will continue to offer a safe learning environment for all our children.

Click here to view our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and here to view our Online Safety policy.

Our Children Missing Education Policy should also be read in conjunction with out Safeguarding policies. Click here to view.

Child Protection Information

Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175/157) schools must "make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children".

We will endeavor to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.

The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.

Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child's welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The school should make parent/carers aware that records of welfare concerns may be kept about their child. They should be informed that the school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them including referrals to other agencies. However, in situations where the child is suspected to be at risk of harm, the law says that schools may take advice from other agencies without informing parents/carers.

In accordance with local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service.

Schools will seek advice from Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (known as the Designated Person for Child Protection) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.

Under section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, schools or any person who has care of a child "may...do what is reasonable in all circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the child's welfare". This means that on rare occasions, a school may need to "hold" a child in school whilst Social Care and the police investigate any concerns further.

Prevent Strategy

As part of school's commitment to safeguarding and child protection we fully support the government's Prevent Strategy. The Prevent strategy is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming radicalised, supporting terrorism, fundamentalism or extremist behaviours. We recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability. All schools are required to have a Prevent Action Plan.

prevent-duty-departmental-advice-v6.pdf

E-Safety

E-Safety is an important part of keeping children safe at our school . We have security measures in place in school, which are monitored to help safeguard pupils from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Any e-Safety incidents are managed in accordance with our E-Safety Policy. E-Safety is taught to all pupils explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online.

All our staff and governors sign an 'Acceptable Use of IT Agreement' to maintain good standards of safe practice.

We can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the e-Safety message is consistent. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.

It’s essential to be realistic - banning the internet or technology will not work and it often makes a child less likely to report a problem. Education around safe use is essential.

CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the real and ‘e’ world. By clicking on the CEOP link, young people and parents can get advice on a range of issues such as viruses, hacking and dealing with bullying online.