Safeguarding at Whiteheath Infant and Nursery School
Article 19: “all children have the right to be protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and mistreatment by their parent or anyone else who looks after them” UNICEF – Children’s Rights
Whiteheath Infant and Nursery School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all of our children; this is our moral and statutory responsibility. Safeguarding in school is everyone’s responsibility and as such all staff and volunteers must share this commitment. We regard safeguarding as one of our most important priorities and as such safeguarding is a thread that is woven into all that we do, from recruiting staff, keeping the premises safe, translating the umbrella of safeguarding policies into effective practices to ensuring that safeguarding is embedded in the curriculum. We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent, effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at school.
Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with his/her parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare, in line with statutory guidance.
Keeping children safe is imperative. All staff are trained in safeguarding when they join the school and this training is updated annually or sooner if necessary. The training ensures staff are aware of the signs to look out for if a child may be being harmed/abused. It also informs them how to deal with the situation and report it appropriately. Similarly children are reminded that they can share information with staff who will always be there to listen and support them.
The following staff take a lead role in safeguarding:
Mrs Hall – Head teacher/Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Harris- Deputy Safeguarding Lead/ Pastoral assistant
Mrs Linscott – Safeguarding team / SENDCO
The governor who supports the safeguarding of children at Whiteheath Infant and Nursery School is:
Miss Patel - Safeguarding Governor
Reporting a concern about a child
At Whiteheath Infant and Nursery School we have a Safeguarding Team. However, anyone can report a concern at any time to Stronger Families:
01895 556006
PREVENT
Our duty under PREVENT refers to extremism and radicalisation and all staff receive training in this area to ensure that they can recognise signs and understand their duty to report. It is vital that staff and parents are aware of the possible danger of children being exposed to radicalisation and extremism.
Operation Encompass
At Whiteheath Infant and Nursery School we have been given the opportunity to participate in a project called Operation Encompass that runs jointly between schools and the Metropolitan Police. This means that the school will be securely notified at the start of the school day if the police have attending a domestic abuse incident that a child has been involved in or exposed to. The Designated Safeguarding Lead will be informed of any incidents and will use the information to secure and promote the well-being of the child. The system enables us to offer support for children experiencing domestic abuse and is designed to ensure a secure and sympathetic environment is provided to help reduce the broader effects of domestic abuse
Safeguarding in the curriculum
We ensure the broad and balanced curriculum we deliver supports children in their understanding of safeguarding. We ensure that opportunities to teach children about safety, including internet safety, are delivered through teaching and learning. The curriculum offer at the school ensures there are opportunities provided for children to learn about; recognising and managing risk, acceptable / unacceptable contact, recognising and resisting pressure, seeking help and support and also the difference between right and wrong decisions and actions.
Useful Contacts
NSPCC https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/reporting-abuse/report/
NSPCC PANTS Rule https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/pants-underwear-rule/
Barnardos https://www.barnardos.org.uk/what-we-do
Hillingdon IDVA Sevice XH-HIDVAS@met.police.uk 0208 246 1745
Childline https://www.childline.org.uk/ 0800 1111
ThinkUknow https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/4_7/
Hestia Crisis Support 020 7378 3100
Operation Encompass https://www.operationencompass.org/