St. John's RC Primary School is committed to the safety and the well-being of its pupils and staff.
The school recognises the importance of providing an ethos and environment that will help children to feel safe, secure and respected; encourage them to talk openly; and enable them to feel confident that they will be listened to.
We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. All school staff receive very regular training and updates. The children are made aware of the adults they can talk to if they have any concerns. We refer to them as 'trusted adults'.
Staff are well trained to look out for signs of physical/emotional harm or neglect and are required to report these to the Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL).
The safeguarding leadership team is made up of 7 members of staff;
DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD (DSL)
DEPUTY DSL
SAFEGUARDING TEAM
4 members of staff, including a lead staff member in aftercare have had enhanced training in safeguarding practices (Level 3)
At St. John's RC Primary School we believe it is important to make children and young people aware that unacceptable behaviour towards them will not be tolerated. Our PSHE curriculum supports children to be able to recognise when their safety becomes compromised and to know what they can do about it. We have regular assemblies that remind children of what they can do if they are worried, upset or need some support.
In school, we are proactive at raising pupil awareness of how they can stay safe through organised events such as Anti Bullying week, On-line safety training and regular assemblies including ones provided by the NSPCC
We are a Rights Respecting School and have a steering group to ensure that pupil voice is sought, heard, and acted upon.
CHILD PROTECTION AND SAFEGUARDING POLICY
This policy is updated and ratified by our governing body annually.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/band-runner/
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/
https://www.childline.org.uk/
Our school is part of Operation Encompass which is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced domestic abuse. This allows us to then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to support the child/ren in our care.
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 identifies children who experience domestic abuse as victims of domestic abuse in their own right.
We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.