ST BEDE'S R C PRIMARY SCHOOL

Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Pupils – including Child Protection

2012/2013

This policy is legally required or expected by OfSTED

This policy should be reviewed annually

Issue No
Author/Owner
Date Written
Approved by Governors on
Comments
1
C M Battle
December 2009
01.12.09

2
C M Battle
December 2010
December 2010

3
C M Battle
December 2011
December 2011

4
C M Battle
December 2012
December 2012

Whole School Policy on Safeguarding

School : St Bede's R C Primary School

Named staff/personnel with designated responsibility for Safeguarding

Academic
Year

Designated Person

Deputy Designated
Person
Nominated
Governor

SENCO
2011-12
Christina M Battle
Headteacher
Louise McMillan
Deputy Headteacher
Simon Fisher
Gail Johnson

Review Dates for this Policy

Review Date
Changes Made
By Whom

December 2010

December 2011

December 2012

Yes

No

Yes

C M Battle

C M Battle

SAFEGUARDING POLICY

MISSION STATEMENT

To create a happy, secure and Christian atmosphere in which children are safe and encouraged to be healthy, to achieve and make a positive contribution and can grow and develop physically, intellectually, spiritually and morally.

Aims

To ensure staff understand the different types of child abuse.
To raise awareness of staff regarding the signs of abuse.
To ensure staff are aware of their own responsibilities regarding the Child Protection procedures.
To ensure staff are aware of the role of the Designated Person Child Protection.
To recognise the dilemmas of confidentiality.
To provide support for both staff who have experienced disclosure and for pupils who have disclosed.
To provide further training for staff and include discussion of child protection issues in programme of induction for new staff.

Introduction

It is recognised that “because of their day-to-day contact with individual children during school terms, teachers and other school staff are particularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse, changes in behaviour, or failure to develop.”
Working Together – Under The Children Act, 1989.

Therefore teachers have a clear responsibility to watch for such indicators and, when they appear, quickly and effectively alert the relevant authorities in line with the Cumbria Child Protection Procedures as endorsed by the Local Safeguarding Children Board; www.cumbrialscb.com

St Bede's R C Primary School fully recognises the contribution it can make to protect children and support pupils in school. There are three main elements to our policy:

Prevention: we will create a positive atmosphere in school and through the academic and pastoral systems offer support to pupils.

Protection: we will follow agreed procedures; ensuring relevant staff are trained and supported to respond appropriately and sensitively to Child Protection concerns.

Support: we will offer support to pupils and school staff who may have been abused.

This policy applies to all pupils in Years Nursery – Year Six and to all staff who work on the school site.

School Commitment

We recognise that for children, high self-esteem, confidence, supportive friends and clear lines of communication with a trusted adult helps prevention.

Our school will therefore:
Establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure and are encouraged to talk and are listened to. This will be achieved by regular, daily contact with staff, the use of PSHE time, the use of the ‘Drop-In’ by the Clergy and by Head/Deputy Head in assembly themes.
Ensure that children know there are adults in the school they can approach if they are worried or in difficulty.

Roles and Responsibilities

All adults working with or on behalf of children have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. There are, however, key