Safeguarding
What is Safeguarding?
The NSPCC describes safeguarding as the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. This is always at the forefront of everything we do here at Grange Infants School.
Safeguarding means:
- Preventing harm to children’s health or development,
- Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment,
- Ensuring that children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care,
- Taking action to ensure that all children and young people have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child. Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation applies to all children up to the age of 18.
Our Responsibility
All staff have a duty of care to report concerns when they immediately arise. Parents and carers will be informed of such concerns either by a phone call or a face-to-face meeting unless to do so would increase the risk to the child. A child’s voice is very important and therefore, a safeguarding lead will speak and listen to any child who voices a concern to a member of staff.
A written record of any concern will be kept on our safeguarding software CPOM’s and shared with other safeguarding professionals as and when necessary. CPOM’s records will be transferred to the child's new schools when they leave Grange Infants School. Copies will then not be kept on site.
At Grange Infants school we have a strong culture of safeguarding. We recognise the importance of educating children to be safe too. Each term we have a different safeguarding theme which is shared with parents and carers via a safeguarding newsletter. In addition to this, the children have a weekly safeguarding assembly through which they explore the themes including ways to keep safe and healthy.
Why have a Safeguarding Newsletter?
Having a school Safeguarding newsletter is important for several reasons:
- Children’s safety is our top priority
- We can give some support and advice in case you ever feel you would like it
- We want to be open and honest with you about what we do in school to support your children
- Working together is always better for the outcomes of our children
If there are any issues for themes that you would like to see in the newsletters, please do let us know. We also have a lot of policies and procedures in school that are in place to keep everyone safe. Do have a look at these on our website for more information.
To link with our safeguarding themes, we incorporate our values of respect, happiness, kindness, patience, resilience and independence into everything we do. Each term we have a different value which is shared with parents and carers via a values newsletter. The children are also taught this value in school during circle times and our PSHE lessons. In addition to this, they have a weekly values assembly through which they explore each value and how they can show this in school and the wider community.
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 responsibility, 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.
Grange Infant School Safeguarding Team
Mrs E Rushen-Gough - Principal, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Pupil Premium and PE Lead and PSHE Lead
Mrs E Rudman - Assistant Principal, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, English, Phase, Phonics Lead and Early Reading Lead, ECT Mentor, PGCE Mentor and DfE Literacy Specialist
Mrs F Ambrose - Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Senior Leadership and DfE Literacy Specialist & EYFS Joint Lead
Rachel Addis - Chair of Governors, Safeguarding Link Governor
The school has a safeguarding leaflet which all visitors read to ensure the safety of our children.
If you are ever concerned about the safety or wellbeing of any child, please speak directly to:
- One of the named safeguarding leaders above, in the first instance, Mrs E Rushen-Gough as the safeguarding lead.
- Any member of Grange Infants 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 Grange Infants School
All of our health and safety, medicine, first aid and intimate care policies can be found on our website: Policies & Procedures page
First Aid and Medicines
We have a dedicated team of First Aiders here at Grange Infants School who receive paediatric first aid training regularly, either the one or two day course, 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 they 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 a unwanted member of the public on the school site. Our Health and Safety team is 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 Grange Infants 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 of the White Horse Federation and burgundy for our school governors.
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 on the 4 areas of safeguarding.
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.
- Mrs E Rushen-Gough and Mrs Rudman have attended Safer Recruitment training from Swindon Safeguarding Partnership.
- Mrs E Rushen-Gough, Mrs Edgcumbe and Mrs Ambrose have attended Resilient Families training from Swindon Safeguarding Partnership.
- Mrs E Rushen-Gough, Mrs Rudman and Mrs Ambrose have attended Managing Allegations training from Swindon Safeguarding Partnership.
- Mrs E Rushen-Gough and Mrs Rudman have completed Level 1 'Train the Trainer' training with Sarah Turner Consulting.
- 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
Grange Infants 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 Grange Infants 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.
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
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.