Safeguarding

At Brickhill Primary School we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This means that we have specific procedures and a clearly defined Child Protection Policy in place. All staff (including supply staff, volunteers and governors) must ensure that they are aware of these procedures. Parents and carers are welcome to read the policy.

Should you have a concern about a child, please email the Designated Safeguarding Lead using the contact details below.

The School also has a Safeguarding Governor and you may wish to contact them directly:- megan.byrne@brickhillprimary.co.uk

If you have any concerns outside of school hours, or feel it more appropriate to make a referral to Social Services directly, please contact the Local Authority’s Integrated Front Door (formally MASH Team);

How to contact the Integrated Front Door

If your concern is of an immediate safeguarding nature then please contact the Integrated Front Door on 01234 718700 during office hours (8.45am to 5.20pm, Monday to Thursday; 8.45am to 4.20pm on a Friday) or out of office hours please call the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0300 300 8123.

Otherwise please send your Early Help Assessment or MASH Enquiry Form to:

Email: multiagency@bedford.gov.uk

Telephone:

01234 718700 during office hours

0300 300 8123 out of hours

You can also contact the Police service, who have designated Safeguarding Officers, by calling 999, or 101 for less urgent information.

Safeguarding at Brickhill Primary School

At Brickhill Primary School, we believe that we all have the right to be happy, to be safe and to learn. We all have the responsibility to make this happen.

We will ensure that:

• The welfare of the child remains paramount.
• All children whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/ or sexual identity have the right to be protected from harm.
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
• All staff and volunteers working at our school have a responsibility to report concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead: Dan Wiltshire (Headteacher).

Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include:

• Staff and Visitors- ensuring they are vetted, informed and trained.
• Children’s Behaviour- promoting safer and happier behaviours and lifestyles.
• Parents and Carers- promoting links and supporting families.
• Premises -keeping them safe, pleasant and fit for purpose.
• Curriculum -providing positive, life affirming learning experiences.
• Outside School- ensuring safer activities and environments outside school.
• Online and offline -promoting healthy online habits and ensuring children understands the dangers of being online too much, too soon.

We have a duty to ensure that we safeguard children across wide and varied aspects of children and families needs. These are set out in the government publication; Keeping Children Safe in Education which can be read in full HERE.

Safer Recruitment and Staff Training

Safer Recruitment

Safer recruitment is a set of practices to help make sure staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children and young people. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keep children safe from harm.We follow strict procedures to ensure that everyone who works with our children is carefully vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible.

Staff Training

• Staff are trained in child protection issues and they are aware of the procedures to follow. Staff training is delivered via a variety of means: face to face in and out of school training , online refreshers and information raising, document sharing and on-going professional dialogues during staff meetings.
• Staff are encouraged to be vigilant in order to maintain the safety of our children and their concerns are discussed and handled appropriately.
• All staff are trained in how to use CPOMS the software used by the school for monitoring child protection, safeguarding and a whole range of pastoral and welfare issues.

Links with External Agencies

Because our first concern must be the well-being of your child, there may be occasions when we have to consult other agencies before we contact you. The procedures we have to follow have been laid down in accordance with the local authority child protection procedures.

We are fortunate to be supported by a range of external agencies which can be called upon to support the work we do in school. These include School Nurse, Health Practitioners, Educational Psychology, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Behaviour Support, Social Services and Specialists in supporting Special Educational Needs.

Reporting Concerns or Complaints

Further to the above procedures, we have in place a Concerns and Complaints Policy. A copy is detailed on our Policies page. This enables children, staff and carers to report anything they feel is of concern.

Concerns should be raised in the following order.

1. To the Class Teacher. Then, if there is no resolution;
2. To a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Then, if there is no resolution;
3. To the Chair of Governors. Then, if there is no resolution;
4. To the Local Authority.

Contact details are available from the school office.

Review of Policy and Practice

All staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding children issues and are able to implement the safeguarding policy and procedure appropriately. Policies are in line with current guidance and procedures.

All staff are aware of the need to maintain privacy and confidentiality. Parents are informed via the home school agreement, website and through newsletters in relation to our duty and procedures to protect their children.

In order to ensure that best practice is maintained, our policies are reviewed regularly to incorporate the latest statutory guidance.

If you would like more information on safeguarding, please contact Mr Wiltshire, who will be happy to discuss matters further with you.