At Delves Lane Primary School, we regard the safeguarding of children as our main priority. 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.
In this section, you’ll find school policies, actions and useful signposts that helps us as a school and you as parents, to keep our children safe.
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;
Members of Staff Responsible
We are all responsible for ensuring that each child remains safe, however the Designated Leads for Safeguarding are:
- Mrs Woods (Head Teacher)
- Miss Webb (Deputy Head Teacher)
- Mrs Shaw (SENCO)
Areas of Safeguarding
Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include:
- Staff & Visitors- ensuring they are vetted, informed & trained;
- Children’s Behaviour- promoting safer & happier behaviours & lifestyles;
- Parents & Carers- promoting links & supporting families;
- Intimate Care – guidelines for if we need to clean or administer medication;
- E-safety – how we protect and how you can protect your children online;
- Premises -keeping them safe, pleasant & fit for purpose;
- Curriculum -providing positive, life affirming learning experiences;
- Outside School- ensuring safer activities and environments outside school;
- School Security.
Safer Recruitment
We follow strict procedures to ensure that everyone who works with our children is vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible. Ongoing checks and ‘whistle-blowing’ are in line with current policy. Members of our governing body from the personal committee have also completed Safer Recruitment training.
Staff Training
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- All school staff are trained regularly in child protection issues and they are aware of the procedures to follow;
- Staff are encouraged to be vigilant in order to maintain the safety of our children;
- All Staff and Volunteers are aware of the document
- Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2024
- This applies to volunteers too. This document is located in both staffrooms and school office.
Child Protection with Safeguarding Policy
All staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding children issues and are able to implement the safeguarding children policy and procedure appropriately. Policies are in line with current guidance and procedures.
Staff are able to respond appropriately to any:
- significant changes in children’s behaviour;
- deterioration in their general well-being;
- unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse;
- signs of neglect;
- comments children make which give cause for concern.
All staff are aware of the need to maintain privacy and confidentiality.
Prevent Training
All staff have an up-to-date understanding of current Prevent Issues. Staff are able to identify children that may be vulnerable to radicalisation. Mrs Woods is the school single point of contact and has received regular training on the Prevent Agenda,
Information Sharing
We have an obligation to obtain necessary information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to school, including:
- emergency contact numbers;
- the child’s special dietary requirements, preferences or food allergies the child may have;
- the child’s special health requirements including any necessary medication.
- information about who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child.
Written parental permission is requested, at the time of the child’s admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future.
IT IS VITAL THAT PARENTS & CARERS TELL US OF ANY CHANGES TO THESE DETAILS.
We take confidentiality very seriously. Any information which we hold is treated as confidential and shared on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.
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.
Local Safeguarding Children’s Board
Durham Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) is a statutory body which is independently chaired and consists of senior representatives of all the principal agencies and organisations working together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in the County. Our Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is Sharon Lewis
Review of Policy and Practice
In order to ensure that best practice is maintained, our policies are reviewed regularly to incorporate the latest statutory guidance.
