Safeguarding Statement
KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN OUR SCHOOLS
Northbourne Church of England Primary School is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of young people.
Our primary concern is to ensure your child feels happy and safe while in our care – they are then free to focus on their work and be successful in their learning journey through school.
We ask for your support with this by sharing information and telling us if there is something going on outside school that may have an effect on them during the school day. Please don’t ever feel like you’re making a fuss or think the issue is too small to tell us – effective communication is key to your child’s happiness and we are always willing to listen.
You can contact or speak to your child’s class teacher after school, speak to the SENCo or Headteacher, all of whom are happy to talk though any concerns or worries you may have
All parents/carers are asked to sign a Home/School and Acceptable IT Usage Agreement when their child starts school and it is expected that our parents and carers will uphold all of our school policies.
Information regarding Health and Safety, E-Safety and information regarding collection from school clubs etc. is regularly included in newsletters, leaflets and letters that are sent out from school. If you are unsure – just ask.
Security and Safety on the School Site
Every member of staff wears a photo I.D name card. Visitors and volunteers also wear visitor badges or logo visitor stickers to show they have followed the security checks at the reception. Everyone who visits the school during the day does so via the school office, where they sign in and can be greeted by a specific member of staff.
The importance of personal safety is emphasised through our curriculum, during assemblies and by inviting special guests into school to talk to our pupils. We always encourage pupils to speak to an adult if they are worried or upset and regularly remind children of where they can go to find support in school.
At certain times of the year the car park, road and pathways can be muddy and slippery; we need all parents, carers and visitors to take care when walking around our site, particularly in winter. Further information regarding inclement weather and school procedures regarding this can be found on the website or via our newsletters.
If anyone notices a Health and Safety issue they must report it to a member of staff immediately, who will take the necessary action to inform specific staff/address the issue.
We have many other procedures in school in relation to Health and Safety, please see specific school policies for information related to this issue.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks
Everyone who works with our pupils, including volunteers or Governors at our school who are involved in regulated activity (has regular contact with our children) has a DBS check. This means specific checks have been carried out to ensure their suitability to work with children.
Safeguarding
Our school adheres to ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ and Guidance for Safer Working Practice for Adults who work with Children and young People in Education Settings.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education
http://www.childrenengland.org.uk/upload/Guidance%20.pdf
Every member of staff receives regular Safeguarding Training . They are trained in recognising signs of abuse and know exactly what to do if they have concerns about any child in school – this training is renewed every year, however further extra training takes place at our school during this time. We have 4 Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) at our school, they ensure that information regarding Safeguarding is shared with staff, new staff are trained and Safeguarding remains of highest priority. Their training is updated every year. Our DSL’s are Mr Reynolds, Mrs Morrison, Miss Bradley and Miss Cooper.
As part of their induction, all members of staff and volunteers are provided with important information regarding Safeguarding. Supply teachers are also given information so anyone working with our pupils are aware of the school’s Safeguarding procedures.
Please see our school’s Safeguarding Policy and other areas of our website for further information. If you ever have concerns regarding a child’s welfare, do not hesitate to contact one of us.
Online-Safety
Online-Safety is fundamental in our quest to keep children safe – at home and in school. Online-Safety is an integral part of the curriculum. Our school gives out regular information regarding Online-Safety, how children should use the internet and other types of media safely and the risks if children have unrestricted access to sites for which they are too young. If a site has an age restriction, then it is there for the safety of all children. All of our pupils are expected to keep to our Online-Safety Rules.
It is not a school’s position to tell parents how to raise their children – we are obliged however, to advise and share concerns around internet use.
If you would like further information regarding keeping your children safe on the internet, please see the Online-Safety section of our website and our school’s Online-Safety Policy.
Bringing and Collecting your Child from School
The school gates open at 8.30 am and we expect parents/carers to wait at the gate until the school gate is opened. Pupils should not use playground equipment at this time. Registration takes place from 8:45 am.
At the end of the school day, parents/carers collect their children from their child’s class teacher at specific points around our school site. If parents/carers want their child to leave with anyone other than their named contacts they will need to let the office staff/class teacher know. We will not allow any child to go home with another adult without your permission. On the rare occasion that a parent/carer is going to be late picking their child up, they must contact the school office and collect their child from there.
Bikes/Scooters to School
Although we provide cycle training experience, usually in Year 6, very few children are able to cycle to our school. Should your child wish to cycle to school and you feel that they are safe to do so, please talk to Mr Reynolds about the storage of bikes and our expectations. No bikes or scooters are to be ridden on the school site.
Parking
We expect parents, carers and visitors to park safely and thoughtfully in the car park on our school site. The woodland opposite the school, which belongs to the Northbourne Estate, we use with their permission. However, we need to be mindful to respect the area and park as carefully as possible to maximise the use of this space. The designated drop off zone, which is available in the mornings, helps to reduce congestion. We strongly recommend that parents use this facility.
Operation encompass
At Northbourne Church of England Primary School we are working in partnership with Kent Police and Kent County Council to identify and provide appropriate support to pupils who have experienced domestic abuse in their household; this scheme is called Operation Encompass. In order to achieve this, Kent Police will assess and share information of all domestic abuse incidents where one of our pupils has been present or connected with the household with the Designated Safeguarding Lead(s). On receipt of any information, the Designated Safeguarding Lead will decide on the appropriate support the child requires, this could be silent or overt. All information sharing and resulting actions will be undertaken in accordance with the ‘Information Sharing Agreement’ between Kent Police and Kent County Council. We will record this information and store this information in line with our school safeguarding record keeping procedures.