‘Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, every day’.

Our first and foremost priority is to keep your child safe and healthy. Under the new OFSTED framework safeguarding is a key indicator of what constitutes a good school.

Keeping your child safe means:

• The health and safety of all children
• Making sure that the adults who work here have undergone safety and security checks
• Protecting children from deliberate harm
• Being an anti-bullying school
• Being proactive against racist behaviour
• Being proactive against  attempts to indoctrinate children in to any form of extreme ideology
• Protecting our children from harassment and discrimination
• A positive approach to behaviour management including the use of physical intervention safely, when necessary
• Meeting the needs of children with medical conditions
• Providing first aid
• Protecting children from drug and substance abuse
• Children enjoying safe educational visits
• Caring for children’s personal needs
• Keeping children safe when using the internet and making sure they are aware of cyber bullying.
• Making sure our school is secure and safe
• Being a ‘listening school’.
• Ensuring they know who to go in school if they have a problem

Your child and their health and safety are our number one priority.  We employ the following strategies to keep your child healthy and safe.

Child Protection

All staff receive appropriate annual training in Safeguarding and Child Protection to ensure that they are aware of the school’s procedures for child protection and their responsibilities.  We have a written policy and procedures for Child Protection complying with Local Authority guidance. 

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Joanne Abram - Head Teacher.

The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Lynn Royle - SENDCo/Lead Teacher

The designated governor for Safeguarding is Julie Gradwell.

If you need to discuss anything please ring the school on 01200 447632.

If you are worried about a child and school is closed, please use the following details

Concerns about a child should be reported on 0300 123 6720 or out of hours 0300 123 6722 (5pm - 8am)

Preventing Radicalisation and Extremism

In line with the DfE's Prevent Duty advice (December 2021) we are committed to actively promoting the fundamental British values of Democracy, the Rule of Law, Individual Liberty and Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those with different Faiths and Beliefs. Our core mission of diversity permeates all we do. We place a strong emphasis on the common values that all communities share such as self-respect, tolerance and the sanctity of life. We work hard to broaden our pupils' experience, to prepare them for life and work in contemporary Britain. We teach them  to respect and value the diversity around them as well as understanding how to make safe, well-considered decisions. We recognise that we have a responsibility to protect children from all forms of extremism and this forms an integral part of our Safeguarding Policy. This includes the use of internet filtering systems in school, to ensure children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when using the internet.

If you have any concerns regarding radicalisation and extremism please contact one of our designated Safeguarding leads at the school.  All school staff receive safeguarding updates for Prevent and as such if you have any concerns any member of staff can be approached

Vulnerable children

Vulnerable children include those who have a social worker and those children with Education Health Care plans. Those who have a social worker include children who have a child protection plan and those who are looked after by the local authority. A child may also be deemed to be vulnerable if they have been assessed as being in need or otherwise meet the definition in section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

There is an expectation that vulnerable children who have a social worker will attend school, so long as they do not have underlying health conditions that put them at risk. Where a parent does not want their child to attend school, and their child is considered vulnerable, we will discuss this with their social worker and explore the reasons for this directly with the parent.

Those with an Education Health Care plan will be risk-assessed in consultation with the local authority and parents to decide whether they need to continue to be offered a school place in order to meet their needs, or whether they can safely have their needs met at home.

All the staff in our school know who our most vulnerable children are, and they have the flexibility to offer a place to those on the edge of receiving children’s social care support.

We will continue to work with children’s social workers and the local authority virtual school for looked-after and previously looked-after children.

Reporting concerns about children

We use CPOMS to ensure we have up to date and accurate record keeping and believe that good communication between parents and school is key to ensuring your child has a happy time whilst they are at Bolton by Bowland Church of England Primary school.

The importance of all staff acting immediately on any safeguarding concerns remains paramount. Staff will continue to follow our safeguarding procedures and advise the Designated Safeguarding Lead of any concerns they have about any child, including those who are not attending school.

We use of CPOMS to record any concerns so every member of school community can be involved in actions.

Staff training and induction

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead, and our Back up DSL, have up to date safeguarding training. 

As always, all school staff and Governors receive safeguarding training at the start of the school year including changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education  as well as reminders on types of abuse, how to access other agencies and effective record keeping.

We use https://www.schoolssafeguarding.com/ for this, as well as bespoke training for individual members of staff.

If staff from another setting attend the school site then, in line with government guidance, we will not undertake any additional safeguarding checks if the setting providing those staff confirm that:

• the individual has been subject to an enhanced DBS and Children’s Barred List check and, that in the opinion of that setting, nothing resulted from those checks that provided any caused for concern
• there are no safeguarding investigations into the conduct of that individual
• the individual remains suitable to work with children.

Safer recruitment/volunteers and movement of staff

It remains essential that people who are unsuitable are not allowed to enter the children’s workforce or gain access to children. Should we be required to recruit new staff, we will continue to follow the local authority’s procedures and protocol.

In response to COVID-19, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has made changes to its guidance on standard and enhanced DBS ID checking to minimise the need for face-to-face contact.

Should we engage the services of any volunteers, we will continue to follow the checking and risk assessment process set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education. Under no circumstances will a volunteer who has not been checked be left unsupervised or allowed to engage in regulated activity.

It is essential from a safeguarding perspective that we are aware, on any given day, which staff or volunteers are on our school site and that the appropriate checks have been carried out on those individuals. We will continue to maintain our single central record (SCR)  to ensure we have this awareness.

Child on Child Abuse

We recognise that children can potentially abuse their peers and also children of different ages, and our staff are clear about the school’s policy and procedures regarding child on child abuse. All child on child abuse is unacceptable and will be taken seriously. We also recognise that abuse can still occur during a school closure or partial closure and between those children who do attend the school site during these measures.

Our staff will remain vigilant to the signs of child-on-child abuse and will continue to follow the process set out in our Safeguarding Policy.

Bullying

It is the responsibility of the whole school to ensure that school is a bully free zone. We are proactive in promoting a caring and positive ethos between all members of the school community. We have an anti-bullying policy with very clear procedures in place in the event of an incident involving bullying. We follow the Jigsaw PSHE scheme of work. Every year we focus on anti-bullying week and involve the children in anti-bullying activities.

Online safety

It is likely that children will be using the internet and engaging with social media at some point in their time at primary school.  Our staff are aware of the signs of cyberbullying and other online risks and our filtering and monitoring software is used to safeguarding and support children.  Our staff will follow the process for online safety set out in our Safeguarding and  Online Safety Policies.

Staff who interact with children and look out for signs a child may be at risk. If a staff member is concerned about a child, that staff member will report that concern to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

New children at the school

Children may join our school from other settings. If they do, we will seek from those settings the relevant welfare and child protection information. This is relevant for all children that join us, but it will be especially important where children are vulnerable.

For vulnerable children we will ensure we understand the reasons for the vulnerability and any arrangements in place to support them. As a minimum we will seek access to that child’s Education Health Care Plan, Child in Need Plan, Child Protection Plan or, for looked-after children, their Personal Education Plan and request to know who the name and contact details of the child’s social worker.  Ideally, this will happen before a child arrives but, where that is not possible, it will happen as soon as reasonably practicable.

Any exchanges of information will  happen at Designated Safeguarding Lead level.  A risk assessment will be undertaken, based on the information received, considering how risks will be managed and which staff need to know the information.

Report a child missing education 

The term missing education means a child who is not registered at a school (or an alternative arranged by the council), and who is not receiving a suitable education at home.

If you, either as a member of the public or as a fellow professional, are aware of a child or young person who you think may be missing education you can use our online form to notify our Children Missing Education Officers.

Operation Encompass

In conjunction with Lancashire Police, Bolton by Bowland Church of England Primary School is involved in a national initiative called “Operation Encompass”. The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in, heard or witnessed a domestic abuse incident.

Following an incident, children will often arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared.  Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff are made aware early enough to help and support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe and included.

This is a valuable initiative that means we can help and support students and their families within our school when they need us most.

You can find out more information by visiting the Operation Encompass website (click the button below) or by contacting Mrs Abram at school.

Collecting your child during the school day

Please try and make appointments out of school hours if possible. If you have to collect your child during the school day for a medical or dental appointment, please write a note to the class teacher or let Mrs Awre know. When collecting your child/children please proceed to the school office and Mrs Awre will collect the child. 

If your child is ill

Please keep them at home and notify us by 9:30am on the first day of any absence so that we know they are safely at home with you.  We have a policy of contacting parents/carers if we haven’t received a message by 9:30am. 

If your child becomes ill during the day, they will be monitored and we will telephone you if we feel it is necessary to do so.  Any cuts and grazes resulting from normal play in the playground will be dealt with by our first aid trained staff.  Any bumps on the head will be reported to the child’s teacher and parents/carers will also be notified.

We ensure that all members of staff have First Aid certificates which includes defibrilator– our last certified training was carried out in March 2024.  

Medicines

If a child is receiving ongoing medication, parents are allowed to come into school by prior arrangement to administer this. Medication cannot be administered by school staff without prior agreement: please visit the school office to discuss this. Medicine and tablets must never be given to a child to be brought into school. We will ask you to fill in an Individual Medical Care Plan if your child has medical needs. Please advise the school if there are any changes to your child’s health which the school should know about.  Mrs Awre oversees all Medical Care Plans.

Health Checks

Shortly after starting school, our Reception children will see the School Nurse for a health check and parents/carers have the opportunity to discuss any worries that they may have with her.  If the parent or teacher have any concerns, we can facilitate a meeting with the School Nurse. Health checks are carried out at various points during your child’s education.

Jewellery

For the sake of safety, we request that jewellery should not be worn to school, with the exception of a watch (no smart watches) which may be worn at the owner’s risk. 

The Local Authority regulations state that all jewellery must be removed for P.E.

Fire Drill

Our fire bells are tested weekly and a fire drill is held each term to ensure the swift evacuation of the building.  If you are helping in school and the alarm sounds, please leave by the nearest exit and assemble in the school field.

Fire Safety

Throughout the year we welcome representatives from the local Fire Brigade who come to talk to all the children about Fire Safety.

Safety in the playground

Before and after school

Parents/carers are responsible for children before the school opens at 08:45 unless your child attends breakfast club and then the breakfast club staff are there for them from 08.00.

Please do not allow your children to ride bikes or scooters on school grounds (through the gates) at the beginning or end of the school day. 

Please do not bring dogs onto the school premises.

During school hours

We have very clear rules about behaviour and use of play equipment in the playground. Supervising adults are outside with the children every playtime and lunch time and additionally Wellbeing Warriors and Play Leaders are present in the playground to help ensure that playtimes are a happy time for children

Security

 The school was built with security of pupils and staff in mind including:

·    perimeter fencing and gates

·    an intruder alarm

·    a fire alarm system

·    door entry system and a signing in procedure for all visitors 

·    all staff wear ID badges at all times

Although we want to have an open door policy we must balance this against the safety of pupils and staff and we request that parents/carers respect this.  

Visiting the school

Any visitors to the school must sign in and out as a visitor and wear their badge at all times.  Our staff are trained to challenge anyone not following this practice, so we apologise in advance

Risk Assessments and School Trips

All school trips involve the undertaking of a risk assessment and we ask pupils to wear their uniform so they can be easily identified.

For more information about the varied (but not inexhaustive) forms of safeguarding covered at school see the links below.