Safeguarding
Should you have any safeguarding concerns, please contact one of our safeguarding leads who will be able to help and advise.
Justine Watkins – Designated Safeguarding Lead
Hannah Crook – Deputy Designating Safeguarding Lead
Emma Cash – Nominated Governor
We believe each child has the right to a fulfilling and happy childhood. We are aware of the need to prepare each child for his/her future. We see our school as a ‘launch-pad’, developing firm foundations in learning and encouraging aspirations. We do not believe this should be at the expense of the here and now.
In our work with families, we aim to:
- ensure safe and effective care for our pupils
- promote each child’s physical, spiritual, moral and emotional development
- protect children from maltreatment
- prevent impairment of children’s health or development
- enable all children to have the best life chances.
In order to achieve our aims we put the child at the centre of everything we do.
Safeguarding is not just about protecting children from deliberate harm. It also relates to aspects of school life, including:
- health and safety
- behaviour management
- medical conditions
- first aid
- educational visits
- intimate care
- online safety
- school security, taking into account the local context
- attendance
Safeguarding also involves a range of potential issues such as:
- bullying, including cyber bullying (by text message, on social networking sites, and so on) and prejudice-based bullying
- racist, disability and homophobic or transphobic abuse
- faith abuse
- radicalisation and extremist behaviour
- child sexual exploitation
- trafficking
- fabricated or induced illnesses
- sexting
- substance misuse
- mental health
- gang activity and youth violence (issues that may be specific to a local area or population)
- domestic violence, sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation and forced marriage
- gender-based violence/ sexual assaults
- so called ‘honour-based violence’
- upskirting
Behaviour linked to the likes of drug taking, alcohol abuse, truanting and sexting put children in danger. Safeguarding issues can manifest themselves via peer on peer abuse. This is most likely to include but is not limited to a range of potential issues such as:
- bullying, including cyber bullying (by text message, on social networking sites, and so on) and prejudice-based bullying
- gender-based violence/ sexual assaults
- sexting
The Designated Safeguarding Lead is a senior member of staff designated to take lead responsibility for:
- managing all child protection issues (Headteacher leads on allegations against staff)
- keep secure child protection plans, write records and reports
Child Protection Policy and procedures: lead in evaluation, review and revision, ensure available to staff and parents induction of staff and volunteers/staff training/ensure staff are aware of safeguarding policy and procedures providing advice, information and support to other staff/adults in the school and with other pastoral staff to pupils on safeguarding issues understand (and participate in) early help assessments and process for early help liaising with the local authority and local safeguarding children board working in partnership with other agencies; referrals and support; information sharing ensure a culture of listening to children and taking account of their wishes and feelings.
To see all the relevant Safeguarding policies please go to the Policies section of the website.
***Please note we do not collect or use any pupil’s biometric information ***