For all up to date safeguarding policies please look under the policies section of the website.
At The James Oglethorpe Primary School, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our all our pupils. Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175/157), schools must “make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children”. We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.
If you are concerned about a child’s welfare please contact:
Designated Safeguarding Lead & Prevent Lead: Mrs H Durrant (Headteacher)
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead & Prevent Lead: Mrs R Wagstaff (Deputy Headteacher)
Alternate Safeguarding Lead: Karen Stokes (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), Dee Bourne (Lead Practioner and Designated for LAC) , Mrs Elsom and Miss Northwood (Assistant Headteacher)
Safeguarding Governor: Mrs L Doe
NB: For a copy of our Safeguarding Policy please see our Policies page.
Safer Recruitment
We ensure that everyone working in our school has successfully completed the necessary clearances to enable them to work with children. Every interview panel includes at least one member who has relevant Safer Recruitment training.
Safety on the Web
The James Oglethorpe Primary school encourages parents and children to visit the CEOP www.thinkuknow.co.uk to help keep you and your children safe online with Hector Protector and his friends. This website has lots of fun activities which children can gain vital information on staying safe.
Social Care
Part of our legal duty to safeguard our children, may also include us needing to consult specifically with and take advice from, the Police or Children’s Social Care, should the need arise. Schools will seek such advice when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that staff in the school, who all have a legal responsibility for safeguarding, were carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.
Parental Involvement
The staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with the parent/carer, and where possible inform them of the referral to Social Care. This will only be done where such discussion will not place the child at increased risk of significant harm.
Information Sharing
Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. In accordance with local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service.
Staff Conduct
Staff are expected to follow the advice in the KCSIE document and work within the Havering Code of Conduct. We are all expected to share any concerns we have about staff conduct around children with the Head Teacher. As in all schools, if there are concerns about the conduct of the Head, then these should be shared with the Chair of Governors. The staff ‘Whistleblowing Policy’ has been discussed and adopted and all staff have access to this document.
Improvements
We take our safeguarding responsibilities seriously and are committed to improving them. By working closely together as a staff and with our partner agencies, we firmly believe that we will continue to offer a safe learning environment for all our children.
Please take the time to read our policies and do not hesitate to contact the school should you have any questions about the very serious issue.
Please do let us know if there is further information that parents would appreciate being added to this page or links to other sources of support.
Other sources of support
‘Difficult conversations’ advice can be found at the NSPCC.
