As a school, we are committed to child protection and safeguarding.  This page provides information of our Child Protection policies and makes clear all the procedures that we follow.  We are continually updating our policies so please check for updates.

Our safeguarding approach

SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School is committed to ensuring the welfare and safety of all children in school. We endeavour to provide a safe and secure environment for children, staff and visitors and promote a climate where children feel confident sharing concerns about their own safety or the well-being of others.

Intent

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined 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.   

 (Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022 page 4)

At SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School we:

• Support all pupils who may have been or are at risk of abuse
• Establish and maintain an ethos where pupils feel safe and secure
• All staff and governors are trained and fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all pupils
• Child Protection concerns are dealt with sensitively following policies and procedures in place
• Work with the TWSP to consider local context and the priorities of early help, domestic abuse, neglect, exploitation, child-on-child abuse and getting the right help at the right time
• Work together with parents to identify any other issues which impact children feeling safe, including covid19 and topical issues such as fuel poverty
• Involve our Shield Children (Children’s Safeguarding Board) in being proactive in responding to the concerns of children and topical issues which concern children with regards to staying safe both in school and in the wider community.
• Have a commitment to providing support and education for children experience child-on-child abuse.

We aim to support children and families to reduce risk and vulnerabilities ensuring that we can offer early help as soon as the need is identified.

Implementation

Safeguarding in our school involves all staff, governors, parents and pupils. Staff and governors are committed to undergoing annual safeguarding training and are aware of the correct policies and procedures to follow when concerns arise. Pupils are taught safeguarding context through PSHE lessons and also though assemblies and workshops delivered by outside agencies. Here, pupils learn the skills to equip them to stay safe and know how to respond to personal concerns. We aim to maintain positive relationships with parents and carers wherever possible and we will, in most circumstances, endeavour to discuss all concerns with parents about their children.  More information is available in our Safeguarding Curriculum documents and Safeguarding Curriculum Overview, we regularly review this curriculum offer to ensure that it meets the needs of our children.

At SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School we:

• Create a culture of safer recruitment by adopting procedures that help deter, reject or identify people who might pose a risk to children
• Educate pupils on how to keep safe and to recognise behaviour that is unacceptable especially in relation to child-on-child abuse
• Identify and make provision for any pupil that has been subject to abuse
• Ensure that members of the governing body, the Headteacher and staff members understand their responsibilities under safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance, and are alert to the signs of child abuse and know to refer concerns to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL)
• Ensure that the Headteacher and any new staff members and volunteers are only appointed when all the appropriate checks have been satisfactorily completed
• Work together with outside agencies including TWSP to seek advice and ensure that children are protected, and policies are followed
• Work with parents to ensure that our students are kept safe. Naturally, we recognise that parents are the primary carers of their children and that they have a vital role to play in keeping them safe. Where possible, we always invite parents in to have face-to-face conversations if we feel that the safety of their child is at risk.
• Support families through the Early Help Process as well as families on a Child In Need or Child Protection Plan and those children who are in Social Care.

Impact

We endeavour to ensure that we support all pupils who may be or are at risk of abuse of any form. Together with the Headteacher (Designated Safeguarding Lead) our Deputy Safeguarding Leads monitors safeguarding concerns across the school. Staff and governors help to maintain a safe ethos within school and are aware of the correct procedures to follow in case of concerns arising. We intend the impact of Safeguarding within our school will ensure that our pupils have the skills to help them to face their problems by sharing these with a chosen member of staff or appropriate service.

Our Shield Children form an active part in school life, they lead assemblies, talk to children, and conduct surveys.  They feedback any issues or concerns they have to the staff member responsible for working with them and together we put any necessary actions into place.

We engage with our parents through parents’ consultations, news/fact sheets, workshops and through parent questionnaires.  We encourage our parents to talk about any concerns they have at the earliest opportunity with staff members, SENCO or Headteacher. 

We, as a school, ensure the Supervision of our DSLs to ensure that we: identify any lessons learnt, have robust systems in place to challenge where necessary timelines and are engaging with other agency support.

Our Lead DSL and Safeguarding Governor complete the annual 157/175 Safeguarding Audit which is reviewed by the Local Authority.