Keeping our children and staff safe and happy is our first priority.

Our school site is safe 

Our school is a secure site;  children are greeted by their teachers on the school yard and are led into school by school staff only.   Visitors to school enter the main reception, their identification is checked by administrative staff before they may enter the school premises. Only safe adults are allowed to work in school following rigorous checks.

Well-trained staff

Staff have very regular updates on all aspects of safeguarding.  We consider national and contextual safeguarding issues together on a weekly basis, and discuss how we may strengthen our safeguarding provision, for our children at school and in our community. 

We are vigilant.

Staff understand that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and  'It could happen here.' We are knowledgeable and vigilant in looking for signs of concern due to abuse in any form. Any concern, no matter how small is reported so that designated Safeguarding Leads have a full picture of any concerns for every child. Teachers know the children very well and are alert to any signs of change.  Teachers are vigilant in noticing any changes in behaviour so that appropriate support can be put in place for children swiftly and effectively.  

We listen to what the children say.

Being able to know children feel safe and happy at school and at home is essential, so we monitor the wellbeing of all children and are alert to any changes.  Children have opportunity to talk about how they are feeling.

At key stage one, regular 'circle times' enable them to talk about important aspects of their life, what makes them happy and what makes them feel sad or scared.

At key stage two, children write private 'Tell me' notes to their teacher every week.  Most children tell us their news, or their ideas, but importantly, it also offers children the chance to let us know if anything is worrying them or for them to ask for help.   This is a valued and well-embedded feature of our safeguarding culture. All children can say the name of at least one trusted adult to whom they would report any concerns. All children are empowered to speak up, and safeguarding issues are regularly discussed as part of the Heartsmart, Relationship, Sex and Health Education lessons.

All safeguarding concerns are addressed at the earliest opportunity by the Headteacher as Designated Safeguarding Lead, or  Mrs Telling as the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Nurture Manager.

Looked After Children (LAC) and Previously Looked After Children (PLAC)

We understand that we can make a difference to the life chances of looked after children and preciously looked after children by ensuring they have all the support needed to thrive emotionally, socially and academically. The Headteacher is the Designated Teacher for LAC and PLAC pupils and is a strong advocate for them, recognising each child's unique talents and circumstances.  We  offer them safety and stability, whilst developing trusting relationships and nurturing, individual care. We liaise with the Virtual School to ensure we  offer our LAC and PLAC pupils the best educational provision possible.

Good mental health and well-being matters.

We value the importance of good mental health for all in our school community.  We understand that each of us has ups and downs, and that challenging life experiences can make us vulnerable.  We understand that the way in which we are all treated, makes a difference and we aim for school to be a place where we can all be the best we can be on any day.  We recognise we each have a role to play in looking out for each other. and two staff are trained as mental health first aiders.

All staff are first-aid trained

We value having staff who are confident and skilled at managing basic first aid.  Additionally, several staff are trained in managing the health care needs of pupils with Health Care Plans.

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023

Working Together to Safeguard Children 

The current safeguarding policy is in the key information section, under policies in the safeguarding folder.