Child Protection (Safeguarding)

Keeping children safe in education is our priority.

At Snaith Primary School, the health, safety and welfare of our children are of paramount importance to us. We respect our pupils and want to provide them with a stimulating and safe environment that encourages them to do their best.

In order to keep our children safe at school, we: 

•  Ensure that all our staff (through their induction and ongoing training) have a clear understanding of their responsibilities towards safeguarding.
•  Make sure that we have clear and up-to-date policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety and protection of our pupils in all aspects of school life
•  Ensure that we teach pupils how to keep themselves healthy and safe both in and out of school.

The Children Act 1989 places a responsibility on schools to ensure they work together with other agencies to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of all children.  Our School recognises the contribution it can make to protect and support pupils.  Any person employed to work with children in our school is expected to be cleared by a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS).

Values

The term ‘safeguarding’ encompasses the whole range of issues. It starts with the values that we instil in our pupils. Values such as kindness and respect. We have an open and honest atmosphere at school, where children are nurtured and taught that they are able to confide in any adult if they have any worries.

Behaviour

We have very clear expectations of our children’s behaviour and these are regularly discussed in class and in whole school, key stage and class assemblies. In addition to this, at the beginning of each year, children discuss with their Class teachers their own classroom rules and create a class mission statement. 

Inclusion And Equality

The school has a commitment to equality and accessibility for all and we believe that everyone should be treated with care and respect. Our children are explicitly taught that any form of discrimination is wrong. In Jigsaw lessons (PSHE), RE and assemblies we explore different ideas, cultures, faiths and beliefs to broaden our pupil’s awareness of the world and we teach tolerance and mutual respect.

Teaching And Learning

In addition to teaching our children about behaviour and attitudes, we also equip them with a range of practical learning via the curriculum to help keep them safe and healthy throughout their lives.  In addition to the Jigsaw programme for PSHE and RSE, from early years foundation stage, our children are taught about the importance of staying safe online. We have clear E-safety guidelines for both staff and children. As this is a constantly changing world, we try to provide children and parents with as much up-to-date information as we can about practical ways to stay safe on the Internet and E-safety teaching is incorporated regularly into computing lessons.

Our Staff

All staff at Snaith Primary School are expected to act as role models at all times. All members of staff, both teaching and non-teaching, have been recruited following safer recruitment procedures. Application forms are carefully scrutinised and any education or employment gaps are queried. References and all necessary DBS checks are undertaken as a matter of course and we keep an up-to-date single central record on our employees.

When a new member of staff (or governor) joins our school, they receive an induction and up-to-date information on safeguarding, child protection and health and safety. We also ensure that staff and governors they have read part one of the Government’s guidelines on Keeping Children Safe in Education. Our safeguarding and child protection policy clearly sets out the school and our staff’s responsibilities towards ensuring that all children are kept safe and protected from harm. All our staff and governors undertake regular safeguarding and child protection training.

Further information can be found in our safeguarding policy. 

First Aid and Medical Needs

In addition to safeguarding and child protection training, a number of our teachers and teaching assistants have first aid and paediatric first aid qualifications.

Several members of staff have also completed mental health first aid training. 

Volunteers And Visitors

We also make sure that any volunteer or visitor to school, including staff who run before and after school clubs, visits the School office to sign in. Volunteers and visitors are not left unsupervised with children at any time unless they are regular volunteers who have completed a DBS check. They also receive induction information regarding the schools safeguarding policy and practices. As a parent, if you would like to know more about volunteering, please come into the School Office.

Site Safety

Ensuring that the school site is safe and risk assessed is the responsibility of our School Business Manager and Headteacher. We have a comprehensive Health and Safety policy to ensure that our premises are safe for all. This includes undertaking risk assessments for all school activities and educational visits using the Evolve visits online tool, as well as undertaking risk assessments for aspects of the site.

Staff with key safeguarding responsibilities

Our designated safeguarding lead is: Miss Timney

Our deputy safeguarding lead is: Mrs Calpin 

 Our Chair of Governors - Chris Emsen, is the governor responsible for overseeing this and makes regular site visits and checks. 

Operation Encompass

Our school takes part in a project that runs in partnership with North Yorkshire Police as well as Humberside Police and the safeguarding and partnership hub (SaPh). The project provides early reporting to schools of any domestic abuse incidents that occur outside of school but which might have an impact on a child attending school the following day.

Domestic abuse impacts on children in a number of ways. Children are at increased risk of physical injury during an incident, either by accident or because they attempt to intervene. Even when not directly injured, children are greatly distressed by witnessing the physical and emotional suffering of a parent. Operation Encompass has been created to address this situation. The aim of sharing information with local schools is to allow key adults the opportunity of engaging with the child and to provide access to support as needed, including emotional support through the school’s ELSA (emotional literacy support assistant) and staff with mental health first aid training.

Following the report of an incident of domestic abuse, the school’s key adults will be informed that the child or young person has been involved in a domestic incident. This knowledge, given to schools through Operation Encompass, allows the provision of immediate early intervention. This information remains confidential and is shared only on a ‘need to know’ basis.

Nominated members of school staff, known as key adults, are trained to liaise with the police. At Snaith Primary School, our key adults are Miss Timney and Mrs Calpin. They will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the school is able to support children and their families. Information will be shared where it is identified that a child or young person was present, witnessed or was involved in a domestic abuse incident.

We always endeavour to offer the best support possible to our pupils and believe that Operation Encompass is beneficial and supportive for all concerned children and families. 

 

The schools Child Protection Lead Teacher is Miss Lorraine Timney.

The schools Deputy Child Protection Lead Teacher is Mrs Helen Calpin.

The schools Governor for Safeguarding - Child Protection is Chris Emsen.

 

If you have any concerns please come in to discuss or alternatively you can call Children's social care contact team on 01482 395500.

Safeguarding Addendum 

If you require any advice or information, particularly in respect of online safety please see the following links. 

• Internet matters - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online  
• NSPCC - for support for parents and careers from the NSPCC  
• Parent info - for support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online  
• Thinkuknow- for advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online  
• UK Safer Internet Centre - advice for parents and carers  

   See related Policies under School Information - Policies