Safeguarding
Our Christian Vision
‘Sharing, Caring and Learning Together’
At St Michael’s CEP, as we share, care and learn together, we are building a loving, caring, inclusive community to provide every child with a high quality learning and personal development experience.
We support all, celebrating achievements and providing our children with a foundation of faith, hope and aspiration in an ever-changing world.
We place the Christian values of Love, Peace, Joy, Faithfulness, Goodness, Self-Control, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Kindness and Respect at the centre of all we do.
We do this so that all children, parents, staff and governors can work together in partnership to enable all children to realise their full potential and provide pupils with every opportunity to flourish and grow academically and personally whilst also developing their skills and talents as individuals.
St Michael’s CEP School will strive to ensure that all pupils remain safe and free from harm. The school is committed to playing a full and active part in the multi-agency approach to child protection concerns. Additionally, the school has a legal duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and to have a child protection policy and procedures in place, which should be shared with parents, to address concerns about the safety and protection of children.
Through their day to day contact with pupils, and direct work with families, staff who work in schools have a crucial role to play in noticing indicators of possible abuse or neglect. Parents should be aware therefore, that where it appears to a member of staff that a child may have been abused, the school is required, as part of the local child protection procedures to report their concern to Children’s Social Care immediately. To avoid any misunderstandings therefore, parents of children who sustain accidental injuries outside school, which result in cuts/bruises/fractures should inform the school without delay and explain the cause.
Principles
- Children have a right to be safe.
- Parents have a right to be informed.
- Children are best protected when parents and school can work together.
Partnership
- School will inform parents of any concerns about their children (providing it does not compromise the child’s safety) and will help and support them as necessary.
Prevention
- School will take positive action to prevent children suffering abuse and neglect through the development of an open culture that informs children of their rights, and encourages them to speak about any concerns. The school will also address the issue of children's safety through the curriculum.
Responding to Concerns
- School will refer all allegations or concerns that a child has been, or is likely to be, abused or neglected to Children’s Social Care within the Children’s Services Department.
- School will consult with other agencies when it has concerns that a child may have been abused or neglected.
- School will discuss with parents/carers any concerns they have about their children.
- Parents/carers will be kept informed about what has happened.
Child/Child Abuse
- Physical and emotional abuse of children by other children will be dealt with, initially, through the school's anti-bullying policy. Parents/carers will be kept informed. All concerns about possible sexual abuse will be referred immediately to Children’s Social Care.
Child Protection Strategy Meeting and Conferences
- Members of school staff will attend strategy meetings and conferences when required and will provide information about children and families. This information will be shared with parents beforehand if possible. School will keep confidential child protection records separately from a pupil’s academic and other school records.
Confidentiality
- Information from any source, including parents, about possible child abuse cannot be kept confidential.
- Information and records about children who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan will be given only to those people who need it, and will be kept strictly confidential by them.
If parents have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of their child, they should contact:
Mr Worden, or, if this is not possible, then Mr A Begg, Mrs R Dawber or Mrs B Davey
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023
keeping children safe in education 2023.pdf
Safeguarding Policies
