SAFEGUARDING
Safeguarding at Hexham First School
What is Safeguarding?
At Hexham First School we consider the safeguarding of children to be our most important priority. Children need to feel safe, cared for and valued in order to learn and thrive. In our school we follow the guidance set out in ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ which states that schools must ensure they:
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Protect children from maltreatment
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Prevent the impairment of children’s health or development
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Ensure children grow up in safe and effective care
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Take action to ensure children achieve the best outcomes
Who is Responsible for Safeguarding?
Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play in safeguarding children. Staff are made aware that any safeguarding issues need to be reported through the correct routes to the designated safeguarding leads. When staff are recruited we follow the procedures set out in our ‘School Safer Recruitment Policy’. Also on-going safeguarding measures are in place for staff currently employed i.e. through training and DBS re-checks.
The following staff have received required Child Protection Training for Safeguarding Leads in School:
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Mrs Justine Overton SAFEGUARDING LEAD
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MISS Elizabeth Barton DEPUTY SAFEGUARDING LEAD
Our named governor for safeguarding is Mrs Fiona Armstrong
In addition, all staff complete annual safeguarding training. All staff receive weekly safeguarding updates. All staff who are new to Hexham First School receive safeguarding training as part of their induction package in order to ensure they can recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and report using our agreed procedures.
Where national issues come to the fore, whole school staff training is put in place, for example around the sexual violence and harassment agenda, PREVENT agenda, online safety.
Staff attend pertinent training throughout the year, for example – domestic violence, child bereavement, drug and alcohol abuse, adverse childhood experiences
Safeguarding updates are shared regular with our parents through Class Dojo and specific safeguarding newsletters. All visitors to Hexham First are provided with our safeguarding leaflet.
KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY
If you live in Northumberland, these are the numbers that you can ring for advice and to make a referral:
- During office hours (8.30am – 5pm Monday to Thursday, 4.30pm on Friday) call Children’s Social Services Initial Contact Point on 01670 536400
- At all other times, Social Services Emergency Duty Team on 0345 6005252
- If you have reason to believe that a child is at IMMEDIATE RISK OF HARM, contact the police on 999
- To report a concern about an adult’s behaviour towards a child, please contact the Local Authority designated officer,
REPORT ABUSE
We have a policy that ‘it could happen here’ and no concern is too small to report to a DSL. If anyone has concern that a child is being harmed as a result of abuse or neglect, they have a duty to share concerns.
What are the Areas of Safeguarding?
Child protection – ensuring that staff respond appropriately to any significant change in a child’s behaviour, report to the Designated Lead any unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse, any unexplained behaviour changes, any deterioration in a child’s well being, are trained to know signs of neglect and respond appropriately to comments children make that cause concern. Please remember that when the school refers a concern about a child to the Social Services Department, it is not accusing the parents of abuse but requesting that further investigation takes place to establish whether a child is at risk.
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Our Child Protection Policy is reviewed annually and is available below.
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Training – ensuring that staff have access to quality training in aspects of safeguarding so they can recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and record/respond using the correct procedures
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Reporting systems - robust systems are in place to report safeguarding concerns - CPOMs and SENSO
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Buildings and grounds – ensuring we offer a safe learning environment for children to thrive, completing risk assessments and regular checks of the building and grounds. Acting promptly on any concerns.
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Outside learning – completing risk assessments prior to trips and visits for the establishment along with safe transport. We have two members of staff who have completed the Evolve Risk Assessment training.
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Recruitment
We carefully check that all staff and volunteers are safe to work with our children. A number of checks are made including DBS checks, references, ID and employment history. We keep a Single Central Record of all this information and this is regularly monitored.
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Visitors – checking DBS forms and qualifications and logging them on our Single Central Register where they become more permanent visitors. All visitors are given our safeguarding information leaflet. Visitors and volunteers are rigorously checked in much the same way as staff, before they can have access to our children. All adults in school wear an ID badge. Visitors and Volunteers are carefully screened to ensure that we are satisfied that they are suitable to work with our pupils.
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Behaviour– promoting positive behaviours towards each other to create a safe, caring environment through the Hexham Way and school rules. Risk assessing those children with significant needs
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Parents/carers/families – offering a welcoming school and develop home/school links. Having safe procedures in place for parents entering the building for events and meetings
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Curriculum – ensuring that our curriculum offers a wide range of opportunities for children to learn about safety and they have chances to talk and ask questions
Our Designated Safeguarding Leads receive termly training to ensure that their knowledge of local and national safeguarding issues remains current.