Introduction
In order to ensure the safety of all children in our care, we are required to follow the child protection procedures as agreed by the local education authority. We will endeavour to share with parents/guardians any concerns we may have regarding any injuries noted or other specific issues regarding the welfare of their child. We will keep a record of any concerns raised and will share them with the parents/guardians if it is appropriate to do so.
We do have a duty to refer to social care if we suspect a child is at risk of significant harm. If we make a referral to social care, we will inform the parents/guardians concerned; unless to do so would place the child at increased risk of significant harm. Our first concern will always be the welfare of the child.
We will also advise the designated officer of the local education authority (LADO) if there were concerns about the actions of an adult in a position of trust. (Please note that, in some areas, this role has been renamed to Designated Officer For Allegations, or DOFA)
Safeguarding
Designated Safeguarding Leads
The designated safeguarding lead is responsible for promoting a safe environment for children and young people. They are the first point of contact for all staff and volunteers to go to for advice if they are concerned about a child. This may also need to be available out of hours, so staff and volunteers always know how to contact them, or alternatively a deputy can be appointed. The designated safeguarding lead has a higher level of safeguarding training and knowledge than the rest of the staff and should have completed Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People. Their role includes supporting staff to assist in information regarding concerns and support decision making about whether staff concerns are sufficient enough to notify children’s social work services or whether other courses of action are more appropriate, such as the completion of an Early Help Approach. (CSWS)
It is not the designated safeguarding officer's responsibility to decide whether a child has been abused or not. That is the responsibility of investigative statutory agencies such as children’s social work services or the police. However, keeping children safe is everybody’s business, and all staff should know who to go to and how to report any concerns they may have about a child being harmed or at risk of being harmed.
There is a copy of the Swindon Child Protection Procedures and Guidance in the school office if you wish to see it.
Haydon Wick Safeguarding Team
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Mrs Elly Rushen-Gough | Headteacher/DSL |
| Claire Kent | Inclusion Lead/DDSL |
| Helen Fowler | Co-opted Local Governor - Safeguarding (Chair) |
| Dan Nicholls | CEO |
Code Word
As part of our policies and procedures to ensure that we can keep your child safe, we are introducing our child collection procedure. If you, the parent or guardian, are not collecting your child from school, then whoever you have given permission to will need to give a code word to the class teacher. The code word will also be needed if a supply teacher is dismissing children as they will not know who the child’s parents/guardians are.
You will choose the code word. It can be anything from a colour to a name to an animal or even a film. Just make sure it’s something you will remember.
Prevent Duty & Educate Against Hate
As a parent, you may be worried about how extremism and radicalisation might affect your child.
Messages of hate can take many forms. Extremist groups use them to recruit young people. There is a website where you will find information to help parents, teachers, and school leaders to understand the issues and protect children in our community.
For practical advice and information on protecting children from extremism and radicalisation, please visit Educate Against Hate.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to procedures that intentionally alter, mutilate, or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is medically unnecessary and can have serious health consequences, both at the time it is carried out and in later life.
FGM is prevalent in 28 African countries and areas of the Middle and Far East, but it is increasingly practiced in the U.K. in communities with larger populations of first-generation immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
FGM is deeply embedded in some communities and is performed for cultural and social reasons. It is usually carried out on girls before they reach puberty, but in some cases it is performed on newborn infants or on women before marriage or pregnancy. It is often justified by the belief that it is beneficial for the girl or woman, but FGM is an extremely harmful practice which violates basic human rights.
The most significant risk factor for girls and young women is coming from a community where FGM is known to be practised and/or where a mother, sister, or other female family member has been subjected to FGM. Practitioners should be aware of this and provide families with advice and information which makes it clear that FGM is illegal.
Please visit the FGM resource pack for more information and guidance.
If you are ever concerned about the safety or wellbeing of any child, please speak directly to:
- One of the named safeguarding leads above, in the first instance, Mr Chris Neal as the safeguarding lead.
- Any member of Haydon Wick’s School staff team. They will ensure your concerns are passed onto a member of the safeguarding team.
- A member of the NSPCC safeguarding helpline by calling 0808 800 5000.
- A member of Swindon's Family Contact Point on 01793 466903.
The Wider Context of Safeguarding at Haydon Wick School
We have a number of staff trained in First aid at school who receive paediatric first aid training regularly, emergency at work first aid training and mental health training. We also work closely with our school nurse team to ensure all staff’s knowledge is up-to-date for any children in school we have to administer medication for.
Health and Safety
A dedicated team of Estates staff works hard to keep our premises safe and secure. We undertake fire drills regularly and we also have an emergency plan. Alongside the fire drills, we also practice lockdown drills. The purpose of a lockdown drill is to protect the children and staff in the building from a potential emergency such as an unwanted member of the public on the school site. Our school staff are also responsible for ensuring that all trips that the children attend are properly risk assessed.
Visitors
When on site, all visitors are expected to sign in and out using the school ipad and sign the school code of conduct, meaning they agree to follow procedures set out for their time in school. All visitors must wear a Haydon Wick School identification badge. Red for no DBS who must be accompanied at all times on the school site, Amber for visitors who are DBS checked, green WHF badges for members of staff and Governors of the White Horse Federation.
Safer Recruitment
We expect all staff and volunteers to share our commitment to safeguarding. All staff and volunteers are expected to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We also carry out identity, professional qualification and disqualification by association checks before any person undertakes any role within our school. At least 1 member of interview panels are safer recruitment trained, if not two. All references received or written should be completed by the current or previous head teacher.
Online Safety
All internet use by children is overseen by a member of staff. We actively teach online safety in our first term with this reviewed through each term and each lesson across the year. Through the South West Grid for Learning, we apply strong filters and safety systems on all our school computers and tablets.
How do we Keep Children Safe?
To keep up-to-date with local and national statutory guidance, training, serious case reviews and best practice, the White Horse Federation employs the services of an independent safeguarding consultant, Sarah Turner as well as the training provided by Swindon Safeguarding Partnership. Sarah supports the school through an annual, external review of the schools safeguarding and current practices, to ensure that the school is providing the best care it can for its pupils. She has also provided outstanding, bespoke training for the safeguarding leads such as peer on peer abuse, managing allegations and level 1 safeguarding training.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and therefore, all staff members receive annual update training from the safeguarding lead. This is updated through termly update training based on the contextual needs of the school and wider safeguarding needs.
Training
- All members of staff receive Level 1 safeguarding training annually at the beginning of the year in September.
- Every member of staff is expected to read and understand Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education as well as Annex A.
- All members of staff are expected to undertake online Prevent Duty training
- All members of staff are expected to read and follow Safer Working Practice guidance
- All safeguarding leads have achieved Level 3 DSL training from Swindon Safeguarding Partnership.
-In staff meetings, we regularly review safeguarding scenarios and share termly safeguarding updates from Swindon Safeguarding Partnership, Family Contact Point and Sarah Turner Consulting.
- Termly updates and staff training have been mapped out and a focus for staff training for each term is identified on the schools annual training map.
Domestic Violence and Encompass
Haydon Wick Primary School is part of a project that runs jointly between schools and Wiltshire Police: ENCOMPASS. This is the way in which Wiltshire Police will send reports to schools, by the next school day, when a child or young person has affected by a domestic incident.
ENCOMPASS will ensure that information will be shared in confidence, to the DSL, while ensuring that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have been involved in, affected or exposed to a domestic abuse incident.
At Haydon Wick Primary School, we are keen to offer the best support possible to all our children and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
Domestic Abuse Quick links
Always call 999 in an emergency and/or 101 to log an incident.
Remember it's important to share information and report any domestic abuse incidents to the police.
Child Abuse Investigation Team
Any situation that puts children at risk of any kind of harm be it from sexual, physical, emotional, psychological abuse or neglect is a crime and should be reported. If someone tells you about a Domestic Violence and Abuse incident there are several places you can signpost the victim to. These are as follows:
- National Domestic Violence Helpline - encourage the victim to call the Freephone 24-hour helpline on 0808 2000 247. Male victims can call 0808 801 0327.
- Swindon Women's Aid - they operates a free and confidential 24-hour helpline to anyone, male or female living in Swindon, who is or has experienced domestic abuse. Their 24-hour helpline for Swindon is: 01793 610610.
- Wiltshire Council Out of Hours Support Service - Wiltshire Council supply an out of hours contact number weekdays after 5pm and on weekends 01225 712880.
- Splitz - If you live in Wiltshire and need help, you can also call Splitz on 01225 775276 during the week 9am-5pm. The 24-hour helpline 01793 610610 can also be used by Wiltshire residents after weekday hours.
- The NSPCC - Children and young people can also call The NSPCC who have a FREE 24-hour helpline 0808 800 5000. They can also call Childline any time FREE on 0800 1111.
Protected Characteristics
At Haydon Wick Primary School we believe that it is important that all children gain an understanding of the world they are growing up in, and learn how to live alongside, and show respect for, a diverse range of people.
In so doing we promote equality and pupils’ understanding of the protected characteristics.
We work to ensure that our children understand that:
- There are no outsiders at Haydon Wick Primary School
- Everyone is different
- We celebrate our differences
- We are all equal in our differences
The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone in Britain is protected. This is because the Equality Act protects people against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have.
Under the Equality Act, there are nine Protected Characteristics:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Marriage or civil partnership
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy and maternity
The 9 Protected Characteristics are actively promoted in school through:
- Our school ethos, SDP, and SEF
- Our school core values of respect, resilience and responsibility
- Our school behaviour policy
- Conscious role modelling by all adults in the school community
- Collective assemblies
- Promotion of British Values across the school
- Discussion within curriculum subjects, taking a cross-curricular approach
- Promoting articulation by building appropriate language and a coherent vocabulary across all subject areas
- Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) sessions, Religious Education (RE) lessons, RSE lessons
- Sporting competitions, festivals and opportunities
- Art and Cultural activities
- Pupil Voice e.g. School Councillors, Diversity Champions, and House Captains
- Educational visits
- Real-life learning outside the classroom
- Guest speakers and visitors from the wider community
- Extra-curricular activities, after-school clubs, and work within the local community
We firmly believe that embedding Protected Characteristics into the whole school ethos at Haydon Wick promotes:
- Self-esteem, self-knowledge and self-confidence of everyone in our school community
- Respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process will be raised
- Acceptance of responsibility for their own behaviour
- Respect for their own and other cultures
- Understanding of how people can contribute positively to school and home life and to the lives of those living and working in the local community and beyond
- An understanding of Equality, Human Rights and Protected Characteristics
- An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
- An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety of all
- An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
- An acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
- An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination
At Haydon Wick Primary School we believe that everyone is valued, respected and welcome to thrive within our community.
Web Links and Safeguarding Posters for Parents and Carers:
NSPCC | The UK children's charity | NSPCC
NSPCC Pants - The Underwear Rule
Think U Know - a guide for parents about online safety
Parent Zone | At the heart of digital family life
Keep Children Safe Online: Information, Advice, Support - Internet Matters
natterhub home online safety lessons for five to eleven year olds
Eliminating Child Sexual Abuse Online - Internet Watch Foundation IWF
Online Safety - just like in real life, children need our help to stay safe online. Teach your child to be #ShareAware with @NSPCC and @O2 by clicking this link.