Safeguarding

Definition of Safeguarding

“Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.“ KCSIE

​

St Hardulph's C of E Primary School Commitment to Safeguarding and Child Protection

At St Hardulph's we are committed to safeguarding children and young people and we expect everyone who works in our school to share this commitment.

​We adopt an open and accepting attitude towards children as part of our responsibility for pastoral care. Staff encourage children and parents to feel free to talk about any concerns and to see school as a safe place when there are difficulties. Children’s worries and fears will be taken seriously and children are encouraged to seek help from members of staff.

​

Safeguarding Contacts in School

Designated Safeguarding Lead:

Miss S Tyrer

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads: 

Mrs K Ellis

Mrs S Heselton

Mrs J Russell 

Designated Teacher for Children in Care: Mrs S Heselton

Nominated Safeguarding Governor: Mrs Suzanne Uprichard

Family and Mental Wellbeing Lead: Mrs N Robe

Education Welfare Officer: Mrs N Zavery

Communication with Parents

Our school will always discuss concerns with parents/carers and consent for any referrals should be sought unless to do so would:

• Place the child at risk of significant harm or further risk of significant harm.

• Place a vulnerable adult at risk of harm.

• Compromise any enquiries that need to be undertaken by children’s social care or the police.

The school will endeavour to ensure that parents have an understanding of the responsibilities placed on the school and staff for safeguarding children.

In the best interests of safeguarding children there may be occasions when the school has to consult with other agencies without a parent or carer’s prior knowledge. Our first concern and responsibility is the child’s welfare and we have a duty to protect children first and always. Such consultation may result in a formal referral which could prompt visits from social care and/or the police. We fully understand that this can be a very distressing set of circumstances. Our school will follow the procedures required by Leicestershire and Rutland Safeguarding Children Partnership. 

Curriculum

Child safety issues and child protection will be addressed through the curriculum where appropriate, especially through PSHE, Computing and E-Safety, Citizenship, Sex and Relations Education (SRE) and British values. We use a variety of resources and approaches to teach the children how to keep themselves safe, build their resilience and manage risks. The curriculum, and in particular the personal, social and health education development strand of the curriculum, includes an emphasis on relationships (relationships and sex education), building confidence and resilience in pupils and in developing preventative strategies to ensure their own protection and that of others. Opportunities are provided for pupils to develop the skills and strategies they need to stay safe from abuse, including age appropriate discussions about healthy relationships, their bodies and being able to say no to requests that they do not want to carry out. Clear advice and guidance is built into the curriculum to ensure that pupils understand that there is a range of contacts they can turn to for advice and support and that they know where and how to report abuse.