Child Protection and Safeguarding
Protecting and keeping children safe from harm is very important to us and we take this aspect of our work very seriously.
We have a range of policies and procedures in place that anyone working with our children must follow. This is overseen by our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Welsman, the Head of School.
In the absence of Mrs Welsman, the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mr Wiiliams. Mr Hawrylak, our executive Headteacher, is also an experienced and trained Designated Safeguarding Lead.
The school operates Safer Recruitment Procedures. This means the school checks that each candidate applying to work in the school is suitable for working with children. All other adults including volunteers working regularly with our children have also been fully vetted to and have undergone appropriate police checks.
Sadly, some children experience harm in their home setting. Where there is suspicion that a child is suffering harm, this becomes a Child Protection matter. Abuse can be in many forms including neglect or emotional abuse for example and all staff receive regular and updated training to spot the signs that indicate a child may be experiencing harm. Schools have a legal duty to respond to child protection concerns and must follow agreed policies. This may involve reporting concerns to the police or Social Care.
Parents or carers may also wish to report any suspicions in confidence to one of our Safeguarding Leads.
Health and Safety and Site Safety
Our work in keeping children safe also includes how we keep children safe in school. The health and safety of children on the school premises is paramount and every member of staff has a duty to identify any risks and minimise the risk of harm.
Visitors
We ask that all visitors act in a responsible and safe way. No member of the public is allowed to wander into the school. They must report to the school office and sign in. Visitors who have not been fully vetted will be escorted by a member of staff whilst onsite.
It is the school’s policy to ensure that regular parent volunteers or helpers are referred to the Disclose and Barring Service to ensure they are able to work with children.
Volunteers or helpers who are awaiting checks or who are only visiting on a ‘one off’ basis are supervised at all times and are unable to work on their own with children.
Pre-appointment checks
All staff and regular helpers undergo a number of checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children. This includes criminal record checks (DBS checks) from the Disclosure and Barring Service. Teachers are also checked to see if they are prohibited from teaching.
All staff receive child protection training at least once a year and are aware that they have a personal responsibility to ensure they report and record any events that indicate a child might be at risk of abuse.
Suspected Child Abuse
Where the school perceives there is a risk of a child being abused, the school has a statutory duty of care to inform the relevant authority. This will involve a referral to Essex County Council. In many cases this will initiate involvement from Social Care.
If a parent suspects another child is being abused, the parent may wish to make a direct referral but may wish to seek advice from the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead. This is the Headteacher.
It is important that parents understand that the school has a statutory duty regarding suspected child abuse even if it occurs outside the school and in a child’s home.
When dealing with Child Protection matters, confidentiality is paramount.
Information comes from many sources and needs to be handled sensitively and discreetly. Limiting the spread of information to the minimum number of people can help prevent this from happening.
In the interest of the child and to protect evidence, details of Child Protection matters are only shared with appropriate people i.e. Designated Safeguarding Lead, Headteacher. Other members of staff should only be given information on a “need-to-know” basis in order for the child to receive the correct level of monitoring, support and care.
It is the responsibility of all members of staff and other adults working in the school to protect and safeguard the welfare of children in our care. This means promoting a culture where children’s safety is paramount.
Safeguarding is not just about protecting children from deliberate harm (abuse). It includes : bullying, discrimination, meeting the needs of pupils with medical needs, intimate care, site security, physical intervention etc.
Where there is suspicion that a child is being abused, this becomes a Child Protection matter.
Abuse can be : sexual, physical, emotional and neglect.
Staff will report any signs or suspicions of abuse to the Headteacher. All staff are trained in identifying potential signs of child abuse.
Racism
Racism and other extremist views that are detrimental to the well-being of individuals is not tolerated.
The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report defines a racist incident as :
“Any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person”.
According to the Home Office Code of Practice, this definition should be used by all agencies, including schools. It includes physical assault, intimidation, verbal abuse, inappropriate remarks, jokes, graffiti, written comments, ostracism and damage to personal property.
All racist incidents are reported to the Headteacher, investigated and appropriate action is taken if necessary.
Administering First Aid or Medication
Some children may feel unwell or have an accident or injury at school that requires First Aid treatment. We have a whole school approach regarding the administration of First Aid and dealing with children who are unwell. These can be seen within our Policy Document : Children with Medical Needs and Administering First Aid.
The Executive Headteacher and Head of School ensures that an appropriate number of staff have received recent or updated First Aid training.
Emergency Arrangements (potentially more serious injuries)
Upon being summoned in the event of an accident, the first aider/appointed person takes charge of the first aid administration/emergency treatment commensurate with their training.
Following their assessment of the injured person, they administer appropriate First Aid and make a balanced judgement as to whether there is a requirement to call an ambulance or to contact the child’s parents or emergency contacts and advise them to take their child to Accident and Emergency at the local hospital. In this case, the closest hospital would be Broomfield, Chelmsford.
Hygiene Infection Control
All staff take precautions to avoid infection and must follow basic hygiene procedures. Staff have access to single use disposable gloves and hand washing facilities, and should take care when dealing with blood or other body fluids and disposing of dressings or equipment.
Children Requiring Daily Long Term Medication
Some pupils with a long term condition requiring regular medication.
This category also includes pupils who, because of an existing medical condition, might have an emergency episode which could put their life at risk and so would demand immediate attention. The main groups here would be those with severe epilepsy, diabetes and anaphylaxis due to allergies.
Depending on the severity of their condition these children might require a Care Plan, which itself may reveal the need for some school staff to have further information about a medical condition or specific training in administering a particular type of medication or in dealing with emergencies. Staff will never give medication without consent of the parent/carer.
Confidentiality and Data Protection
Adults working in the school are asked not to give any personal information to any pupil, for example their own address, telephone number, mobile number or e-mail address. This includes social networking sites e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat, Instagram etc.
Adults working in the school are asked not to accept or respond to a pupil attempting to give them personal information, for example their address, telephone number, mobile number or e-mail address. This includes social networking sites.
Adults working in the school are asked not to pass on confidential information including phone numbers, addresses, or details regarding a child’s educational attainment to any other parents or visitors.
Adults working in the school are aware that any physical contact with children should be the result of carrying out professional responsibilities e.g. administering first aid, assisting them with learning a new skill, comforting a distressed child etc.
When a child needs to be washed or changed, where possible a second adult is informed and where possible they are asked to be present.
Teachers ensure that all voluntary ‘helpers’ have understood the safe practice procedures in this leaflet and help parents to adhere to them.
Adults working in the school are aware that professional dialogue may be overheard by pupils, be misinterpreted and be passed onto adults or other children outside school.
Risk Assessments
All school trips and visits off-site undergo thorough risk assessments. The organiser is responsible for these and completed risk assessment forms are approved by the Headteacher.
Teaching staff and group leaders are responsible for identifying risks and control measures and completing Risk Assessment Forms. These must be approved by the Headteacher.
Any events run by the parent association also undergo risk assessments which need to be approved by the headteacher.
Parents/carers
All parents are asked to inform the Office before 9am if their child is to be absent. If a child is absent and the school has not been informed, the school follow up this absence with a phone call. We need to check why a child is not in school because a child might be at risk of significant harm or abuse in their home environment or on the way to school.
If a parent is late picking up their child at the end of the day, the child should not go home with another adult/parent unless the school has been informed.
Photographs or videos of children are occasionally taken to support the curriculum or to celebrate children’s success. Parents are asked to sign a permission form when their child starts school. This is because some children might be at risk of significant harm and abuse and do not wish to expose their potential whereabouts to a former abuser.
Parents, volunteers and staff who offer transport for after school events and trips, are asked to provide the Office with a copy of their fully comprehensive car insurance. No child is permitted to be transported using a lap belt.
Booster seats must be used for children under 135cm.
Children weighing more than 22kg and taller than 125cm may use a backless booster seat.
All other children must use a high back booster seat.
Radicalisation
The Prevent duty is the duty in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 on specified authorities, in the exercise of their functions, to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
In order for schools and childcare providers to fulfil the Prevent duty, it is essential that staff are able to identify children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, and know what to do when they are identified. Protecting children from the risk of radicalisation should be seen as part of schools’ and childcare providers’ wider safeguarding duties, and is similar in nature to protecting children from other harms (e.g. drugs, gangs, neglect, sexual exploitation), whether these come from within their family or are the product of outside influences.
Schools and childcare providers can also build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling them to challenge extremist views. It is important to emphasise that the Prevent duty is not intended to stop pupils debating controversial issues. On the contrary, schools should provide a safe space in which children, young people and staff can understand the risks associated with terrorism and develop the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge extremist arguments.
If a member of staff in a school has a concern about a particular pupil they should follow the school’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, and where deemed necessary, with children’s social care.
General
All staff endeavour to promote an ethos and culture where children, parents, staff and visitors feel at ease to raise a concern regarding the safety and welfare of the children.
All staff or volunteers should be aware of their duty to raise concerns about the attitude or actions of colleagues towards children. If necessary, they should speak to the Headteacher, Head’s Deputy or Chair of Directors regarding their concerns.
All issues, concerns or referrals are recorded in line with the school’s Safeguarding Children and Child Protection Policy.
The school has a responsibility through the Designated Safeguarding Lead to communicate with partner agencies in relation to safeguarding children e.g. the Education Welfare Officer, school nurse, Police etc.