Parkside Primary School

Safeguarding

At Parkside 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.  

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.
• All staff and volunteers working at our school have a responsibility to report concerns to the Designated Leads for Safeguarding: Miss Bradley in the first instance or in her absence Mrs Benson or Miss O’Brien (Headteacher) and Mrs Coxon (Deputy Headteacher)
• All staff and volunteers working within school will undertake training with the Designated Safeguarding Lead to ensure that systems and procedures for reporting concerns are known and understood and that a culture of vigilance is created.  

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.
• Premises -keeping them safe, pleasant & fit for purpose.
• Curriculum -providing positive, life affirming learning experiences.
• Outside School- ensuring safer activities and environments outside school.

Along with following advice from the East Riding Safeguarding Children Partnership (ERSCP) we have a duty to ensure that we safeguard children and families across many areas that are set out in the government publication; Keeping Children Safe in Education, and are detailed as:

Staff Training

All staff members undergo safeguarding and child protection training at induction. This training is regularly updated and in-line with local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

To ensure all staff have relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively they also receive regular safeguarding and child protection updates via email and staff meetings as well as annual update training.

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. A copy of the policy is at the bottom of this page and can be found by clicking on the Policies Tab.

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 both inside and outside of the school building.

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;
• 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.  

PARENTS & CARERS MUST 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.

Safer Recruitment   

We follow strict procedures to ensure that everyone who works with our children are vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible. At least one member of staff sitting on interview panels have completed Safer Recruitment training within recommendations set by the ERSCP.

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, which are included as part of our policy below.  

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.  

Review of Policy and Practice

In order to ensure that best practice is maintained, our policies are reviewed at least yearly to incorporate the latest statutory guidance as it emerges.

If you would like more information on safeguarding, please contact Miss Bradley, who will be happy to discuss matters further with you.

If you have any concerns outside of school hours, or feel it more appropriate to make a referral yourself, the Early Help and Safeguarding Hub (EHaSH) are available to raise concerns and can be contacted on:

During office hours (Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm), you can contact EHaSH on:

Tel: (01482) 395500

Email: childrens.socialcare@eastriding.gcsx.gov.uk

Outside of office hours, please contact the emergency duty team:

Tel: (01377) 241273

Email: emergency.duty.team@eastriding.gcsx.gov.uk

Policy

Please click here to see our Child Protection Policy in full.

Further Help and Information

For further information and support, you can visit the NSPCC website at www.nspcc.org.uk

Operation Encompass

At Parkside we are involved with Operation Encompass, working in partnership with Humberside Police and EHaSH to safeguard children. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools prior to 9am the following day, when a child or young person has been involved in or been exposed to a domestic incident. The information is given to a trained ‘Key Adult’ within the school. The child can then be supported with silent or overt support.

Although in these cases the events have happened outside of school, they might impact on a child attending school the next day. By receiving this information early via Operation Encompass, school can be better placed to support the child.

For more details see http://www.operationencompass.org/