What is safeguarding and who is responsible?

Everyone has a responsibility for safeguarding children and young people.

Within school, our Designated Safeguarding Lead for children is Mel Bracey and her DSL deputies are Claire Harrison, Jamie Joseph (SENDCo), Susan Wilkinson and Zeena Sunilbabu.

Schools must follow the Government guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education Sept 2022 (KCSIE) which says:

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

No single professional can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances. If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Children includes everyone under the age of 18.

In school we use the word 'Safeguarding' to cover a whole range of things including:

Child Protection; Health and Safety; behaviour and anti-bullying policies; recruitment procedures; staff conduct; e-safety and the use of technology; risk assessments for activities and trips and awareness of radicalisation or extremism; child on child abuse or harassment;  'so called' Honour based violence and of Female Genital Mutilation. This list is not exhaustive!

How we make sure your child is safe at our school.

All staff and Governors have read and been trained on Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022.

Safeguarding Governor - Mrs Steers holds us to account and we report to the Local Authority annually.

The Lead Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) can be contacted on 0208 770 4776 / LADO@sutton.gov.uk for safeguarding complaints against staff or volunteers.

Safe recruitment of staff – interview panel members are trained in this and all required DBS and other vetting checks and references are done.  We follow the Local Authority guidance for safer recruitment and always ensure references are sought and scrutinised and all statutory clearances have been completed before taking up of the post.

Training - all Staff and Governors receive regular training and updates are shared weekly. There is a dedicated Safeguarding notice board with key information and all guidance and documentation is shared with staff.   In addition to this, each term there are regular updates and reminders given through the staff meetings in order to ensure that staff are kept up to date with new initiatives and legislation.  

Every club leader has been DBS checked and this is compliant with the government's statutory guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022.

Site safety – this is regularly checked and reviewed. We have security cameras to monitor different areas, including who enters and exits through the car park, Western Road entrance and over sight of the playgrounds and entrances in Robin Hood Lane. The site is secured during the school day.

Health and Safety is rigorously monitored by the Site Supervisor and School Business Manager. There is a Governor who checks this termly.

First aid – the majority of our staff are trained first aiders, seven of them with an additional paediatric certificate. There are clear policies and procedures for supporting children with medical conditions and Mrs Sunilbabu takes the lead on this.

Off site visits and activities are risk assessed and we look at ratios to make sure the children are correctly supervised. The school has an Educational Visits Coordinator who works with the Local Authority.

A high standard of behaviour is expected. Our Relationship and behaviour and anti bullying policies are clear and reviewed regularly with staff, pupils and parents. We develop a relational approach and see learning to behave as an essential part of the curriculum for our children - they do the right thing because we support them with their feelings, get along side and teach them the difference between right and wrong. (See our Relationship and Behaviour Policy). Allegations of bullying are fully investigated and support given to all children involved. We involve outside support when needed.

E safety – through the curriculum and additional workshops and events, children are taught to manage their internet use and to keep themselves safe online. There is lots of information shared with parents including workshops.  We follow up ‘out of school’ incidents reported to us rigorously. Class teachers direct and monitor internet use in lesson time and all children are expected to follow the school guidelines for safe and appropriate internet use. Mobile phones are not permitted in school.

Communication and Partnership – we will make every effort to communicate clearly and quickly. Senior leaders and Admin staff are always on the gate in the morning to help with quick queries and concerns; class teachers are available in the playground after school and appointments can be made via the office with any member of the leadership team or teaching staff.

Inclusion – we make every effort to support children and families with additional needs. We have a Special Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo); a trained Wellbeing Support Worker (WSW). 

Child Protection – we have five Designated Safeguarding Leads: Mrs Bracey, Mrs Harrison, Mr Joseph, Mrs Wilkinson and Mrs Sunilbabu and they all receive regular training. They attend meetings, prepare reports and are responsible for transferring information about children subject to Child Protection Plans or Child in Need Plans.

Referrals to other agencies - when a concern is raised that a child might be at risk of harm, we have a duty of care and will always consult with the Children's FIrst Contact Service (previously known as the Sutton Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub/the MASH) who will give us advice and may ask us to make a referral to them. They have links with Children’s Services and the Police as well as other support agencies.  All schools have a duty to report disclosures and signs of physical chastisement and follow advice given; we will always work with parents and assist those who require our support.

Policies and Procedures; Questions and Queries – all the documents referred to in this section are  in school policies.  There is also lots of information for parents under Parental Support /Keeping Your Child Safe.

If you need to know anything else, please make an appointment to talk to Mrs Bracey.

What should you do if you are concerned about your child or another child?

• Talk to the class teacher or a member of the Leadership team.

• If you feel the child is at risk of harm or it is something confidential – talk to one of the Designated Safeguarding Leads.

• Anyone can call the Children's First Contact Service (previously known as MASH) on 0208 770 6001 for advice. Out of hours the emergency number is 0208 770 5000 x 9.  This can be anonymous.  If a child is in immediate danger please call 999.  

• The DfE have set up a helpline with the NSPCC (0800 136 663 or email help@nspcc.org.uk) for individuals to share their concerns and speak out about anything they feel is not right, safe in the knowledge that they will be supported appropriately.  The Report Abuse in Education helpline can be used by anyone – children, young people, parents, teachers, school staff and others – to report any concerns.  Since it was set up in April 2021 it has taken more than 320 calls and referred more than 60 of those to statutory agencies like the police or social services. Where that isn’t the case, callers are either given advice on the phone or referred to other experts.

If you are experiencing online bullying or something else online has worried you please speak to an adult you trust, or you can talk to Childline at any time on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk.

Online Safety Reporting

CEOP helps any child or young person under the age of 18 who is being pressured, forced or tricked into taking part in sexual activity of any kind. This can be something that has taken place either online or in ‘the real world’, or both. The CEOP Safety Centre has clear information and advice on what can be reported to CEOP, the reporting process and what will happen if you do decide to make a report. You can visit the CEOP Safety Centre and make a report directly to CEOP by clicking the Click CEOP button:

Please find our specific safeguarding policies under Key Information on our policy page.

Here are some links to very helpful websites to support you and your child in keeping safe when online.