Safeguarding
Safeguarding
At Lowerplace Primary School we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our children and young people. We recognise that all staff, including volunteers, have a full and active part to play in protecting pupils from harm. We believe that our school should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment in which pupils can learn and also promote the social, physical and emotional wellbeing of each individual pupil.
The school recognises its responsibilities and duties to report child protection concerns to Children’s Services and to assist Children’s Services in child protection enquiries and in supporting Children in Need. This is in line with the statutory guidance documents Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 (updated December 2020) and Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021.
The school will raise child protection concerns with parents/carers at the earliest appropriate opportunity, and work in partnership with them and other agencies to improve outcomes. The school will ensure that all staff are provided with the appropriate training in child protection issues, as recommended in the guidance. In particular, designated members of staff will be released to attend the necessary enhanced training courses to enable them to carry out their role effectively.
Any concerns about children are passed through to the members of staff who are trained as “Designated Safeguarding Leads” in school in compliance with the “sharing of information” guidance.
If you see or hear anything that concerns you, please speak to one of our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL).
- Ms Martin, Headteacher
- Miss Bullock, Deputy Headteacher
- Mrs Gyongyosi, Children’s Welfare Officer
Around the school you will see charts that explain what to do should a child say something that concerns you. Please immediately inform a DSL. If a member of staff acts in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, please speak to a DSL, the Head Teacher or Barry Hobson, our Safeguarding Governor.
For more information, please see our safeguarding policy.
Together we can keep our children safe.
Early Help at Lowerplace
At Lowerplace Primary School we believe that supporting the families within our community is as important as ensuring our pupils are achieving the best they can. As part of this commitment, we have two trained members of staff whom can support a family with an Early Help Assessment (Mrs Gyongyosi, and Mrs Bi). Every family goes through challenging times at some point, and it is okay to ask for help. Early Help means we can work with you and your family so that small problems don’t become big problems, it can help you achieve the best for your family.
It is your choice whether to have Early Help and you can stop at any point.
The information you share will be kept confidential and will only be shared without your consent when;
- We think you or a child is at risk of harm
- We think that the information could help prevent or detect a serious crime
If you feel you require some support with family life, please pop into school and speak to Mrs Gyongyosi or Mrs Bi. We are also able to sign post families to further support for a number of issues including parenting, drug and alcohol support and services that can support with mental health.
Internet Safety
Please find a series of links below to websites which provide advice to support with many of the problems that today's technology can cause children. They aim to help children, parents, and school staff to support children get all the benefits of modern online technology while, at the same time, avoiding the dangers.
If you know of or find any other websites, with regards to child safety on the web, which you think would be helpful to other parents, please do let us know.
Anti-Bullying
At Lowerplace Primary School we are determined to provide our pupils with a safe, secure and happy environment in which to learn. We expect high standards of behaviour and do our best to encourage our pupils to develop into responsible and valued members of the community.
Bullying is:
- Deliberately hurtful behaviour
- Repeated often over a period of time
- Difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves against
It usually takes one of four forms:
- Physical e.g. hitting, fighting, taking belongings
- Verbal e.g. name calling, insulting remarks, racist comments
- Indirect g. rumour-mongering, excluding someone from social groups
- Cyper-bullying e.g. texting, use of websites etc
This type of behaviour is contrary to the ethos of our school. In partnership with parents, we aim to raise awareness and prevent such behaviour.
Safeguarding Policies and Documentation
The purpose of the following policies is to provide a secure framework for the school in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils who attend our school. The policies aim to ensure that:
- All our pupils are safe and protected from harm.
- Other elements of provision and policies are in place to enable pupils to feel safe and adopt safe practices;
- Staff, pupils, governors, visitors, volunteers and parents are aware of the expected behaviours' and the school's legal responsibilities in relation to its pupils.
The school has adopted and promotes the local authority's whistleblowing policy which can be found below. This is a commitment that anyone who has serious concerns about any aspects of Lowerplace's work, an individual's behaviour or conduct can go forward to voice those concerns.
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
Keeping Children Safe in Education