Safeguarding Statement

KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN OUR SCHOOL

 

• Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) 2022
• Information Sharing - GDPR

Sholden 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. 

You can contact or speak to your child’s class teacher after school or before school or speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team  or DSL all of whom are happy to talk though any concerns or worries you may have.

All parents/carers are asked to sign an 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.  When children reach Years 5 and 6 and are walking home they may wish to bring a mobile to school, they are required to sign a Mobile Device Agreement and hand the device to the classteacher. 

Safeguarding

Emergency Contact Details: 

• In case of a safeguarding issue please call:  - 01304 374852 (ask for the Headteacher/DSL) or email headteacher@sholdenprimary.org.uk 
• During School Closures contact can be made on the school mobile 07944592344  (Safeguarding) or by emailing headteacher@sholdenprimary.org.uk 
• In case of any SENCO related issues, please use the above numbers and the SENCO will be informed and return your call, or email senco@sholdenprimary.org.uk

Child Line: 0800 11 11

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.

Every member of staff takes part in current Safeguarding Child Protection Training. They are trained in recognising signs of abuse and know exactly what to do if they have concerns about any child in school.  Annual update happens to cover any changes during our staff training days.

At Sholden CEP School our safeguarding Leads are:

                   

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.

All visitors to the school are made aware of the basic procedures for referring any concerns and who the DSLs are.

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.

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.

During any recruitment process the panel will follow the Safer Recruitment Policy and in doing so will ensure at least one member of the panel is trained in Safer Recruitment.

All successful candidates at interview stage must complete a DBS check and at least two references will be sought in which specific questions relating to safeguarding and suitability of working with children will be asked.  

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 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. There are posters displayed around the school regarding adults pupils can talk to and Childline.

Physical Security on the School Site

At certain times of the year pathways can be 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 on the website or via our winter 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.

Gates will remain locked during the day, except when deliveries are happening and at this point they will be supervised by a member of staff. Gates are opened by a member of staff in the morning and at the end of the day and are always manned. The main building is locked during times when parents/ carers/ members of the public are on the playground and parents/ carers are asked to use the front of the building to gain access to the office.

In order to keep staff and children safe classrooms are not to be entered by any member of the public or any parents/carer in the mornings except with specific permission from the classteacher or Headteacher.                  

E-Safety

E-Safety is fundamental in our quest to keep children safe – at home and school. E-Safety is an integral part of the curriculum. Our school gives out regular information regarding E-Safety, how children should use the internet and other types of media safely and the risks if children have unrestricted access to sites they are too young for. 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 E-Safety Rules.

If you would like further information regarding keeping your children safe on the internet, please see the E-Safety section of our website and our school’s E-Safety Policy.

Online safety is something we at Sholden take very seriously. Please find a link to the National Online Safety website, which has useful guides on how to stay safe online including: online gaming, Minecraft etc. It is free to register.  https://nationalonlinesafety.com/guides

 

Bringing and Collecting your Child from School

The school opens at 8.00am for Breakfast Club and we would expect parents/carers to wait until Breakfast Club opens. The school gates open at 8:35am and children go directly into their classrooms.

At the end of the school day, parents/carers collect their children from the playground. 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 or Club Cuckoo.

We would anticipate that pupils may start walking home on their own from Year 5; however we must have written permission from you to allow this to happen.

Bikes/Scooters to School

We have a bicycle/scooter area where pupils can store their bicycles/scooter during the school day - we recommend bikes/scooters are locked. We would expect all pupils from EYFS – Year 4 to be accompanied on their bikes and expect cycling helmets to be worn by all children cycling to and from school. The school provides opportunities for bike safety training, when available,and we expect our parents/carers to spend time talking to their own children about safety issues if they are allowing their child to ride to school. No bikes or scooters are to be ridden on the school site.

Our aim is to ensure our children are safe and happy, which will in turn enable them to soar to success at Sholden CEP School.

 

The NSPCC have a vast library of useful material for parents, pupils and staff. 

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/