Child Protection: Safeguarding children – Information for Parents
Our school feels it is of the utmost importance to have good systems for protecting children and safeguarding their welfare, throughout all the activities which the school undertakes. This means that staff and volunteers must be alert to possible concerns about every pupil, and to report these in a proper fashion. The school has a safeguarding and child protection policy which can be found on the school website.
It is important for parents to be aware that:
Staff and volunteers in the school have a duty to report concerns about a child, whether this means the child may be in need of additional support or help of some kind or whether it is thought that a child may have been abused or be at risk of abuse.
There are four categories of abuse: physical, sexual, emotional, neglect. We also have a duty to be aware of peer to peer abuse, sexting, children missing from education, child sexual exploitation, so-called ‘honour based’ violence, private fostering arrangements and those vulnerable to extremism and radicalisation
In some cases the school is obliged to refer children to children’s social care team, the PREVENT team or local safeguarding team, for children to be assessed for their needs or if an investigation into possible child abuse is required. In many cases there will already have been discussions between school staff and the parents of the child, and the situation and concerns will not be a surprise to the parents. However, parents may not be told that the school has referred their child to children’s social care if it is thought that this might put the child at risk.
Children’s social care tries to carry out its enquiries in a sensitive fashion. It has to gather information and generally it can be open with parents about the steps being taken.
If you think your child may have been abused you should contact the children’s social care office. If you think the abuse may have happened in school, contact Mrs Lucy Anderson, the Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead or one of our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads, Mr Will Baylis (Deputy Headteacher) and Miss Daniella Fitzpatick (Class teacher – Nov 2023). If you think your child has been hurt, arrange to visit your doctor or take them to the nearest outpatients immediately. Comfort and reassure your child.
If school staff need to express concerns about a child or refer a child to children’s social care, it is understood that this can cause distress or anger for the child’s parents.
For parents’ enquiries please contact: Mrs Lucy Anderson, Headteacher
Further policies relating to Safeguarding can be found on our policies page.
Who can I talk to?
Children
You can talk to your class teacher or teaching assistant if you feel worried or unsafe. If you feel that you can’t talk to them, then you can speak to Mr Roddy, Mrs Edwards , or any other teacher you feel safe with. Everyone at school wants you to feel happy and safe.
There is a free* telephone advice service called Childline where you can talk to someone in confidence about your worries. The number is 0800 1111.
*the service is free on landlines and mobile networks
Parents
If you have any concerns about your child’s welfare, please make an appointment with the class teacher in the first instance. Remember, they will take any issue or concern you have seriously, and are committed to helping your child feel safe at school. Most issues are resolved satisfactorily at this stage.
If you or the teacher feels that the issue cannot be resolved at this level, a meeting can be arranged with the headteacher to take this issue further.
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