Safeguarding
At Ewyas Harold Primary School we have a child centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding.
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. All practitioners make sure their approach is child-centred. This means they consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.
If children and families at Ewyas Harold Primary School are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. 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;
- taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Children includes everyone under the age of 18.
We recognise that because of the day to day contact with children, school staff are well placed to understand how to identify concerns early and to observe signs of abuse. The school will therefore:
- establish and maintain an environment where children feel safe, secure, valued and respected and are encouraged to talk, believing they will be listened to;
- ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried;
- include opportunities in the curriculum, specifically through PSHE and RSE, for children to develop the skills they need to recognise and stay safe from abuse and to know who they should turn to for help.
- We seek to ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings are taken into account when determining what action to take and what services to provide to protect children from harm. To this end, we will:
- ensure there are systems in place for children to express their views and give feedback, e.g. through school council and participation in anti-bulling and e-safety events:
- ensure that the child’s thoughts/wishes and feelings are recorded on all referrals.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.
If any parents/carers witness anything involving a child that raises concerns or makes them feel uncomfortable then you can report it to a member of staff at the school. All staff here are trained and updated annually in safeguarding procedures and are fully aware of the correct channels to deal with such incidents.
The designated lead responsible for safeguarding (the DSL) at Ewyas Harold Primary School is Mr Richard Foster, though you can discuss any issues or concerns with any member of staff who will deal with them effectively. The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Sophie Jones.
The named governor responsible for safeguarding is Mrs Hilary Hall. For more information please refer to our safeguarding policy.
Prevent
All schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to keep children safe from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence. Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.
What does this mean in practice?
Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy.
These include:
- Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
- Challenging prejudices and racist comments
- Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity
- Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy.
We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils.
Different schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community.
How does Prevent relate to British values?
Schools have been required to promote British values and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy.
British values include:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty and mutual respect
- Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?
The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect.
The teachers at Ewyas Harold will of course make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.
Is extremism really a risk in our area?
Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and gender extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others.
We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.
The Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and the Prevent Extremism and Radicalisation Policy can be found in the School Policies section of the website.