Safeguarding
At St Mary’s RC Primary, Safeguarding is extremely important and everyone's responsibility, all of the time.
Our school is totally committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff, governors, parents and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to give our children everything they need to ensure they all reach their full potential.
We review our safeguarding policy and procedures on a regular basis, with updated training provided for all school staff in order to offer a consistent, high quality approach to child protection and safeguarding. Our school has recruitment procedures that support the safeguarding of young people, as laid out in the Local Authority Safe Recruitment guidance.
The Safeguarding Team at St Mary’s
- Mrs D Raynor – Headteacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leader
- Mrs S Brown – Deputy Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Leader
- Mrs A Sabatino - Pastoral Lead and Early Help Lead
- Mrs K Roughley – Governor responsible for Safeguarding
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Please click on the link to access the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 document.
Please see our school website under ‘policies’ for our Safeguarding and Child Protection policy.
Safeguarding in the Curriculum
Our curriculum provides opportunities for children to learn about keeping themselves safe, both emotionally and physically. Lessons across the curriculum enable our children to develop an understanding of diversity whilst acquiring the knowledge and skills that positively impact on personal development, behaviour and welfare.
We plan to constantly challenge children to think deeply about safeguarding matters and their own personal physical and mental wellbeing. Themes such as:
- Managing emotional needs
- Developing resilience and a growth mindset
- Bullying
- Challenging stereotypes
- Sex and relationships education
- E-safety and digital awareness
- Dangers of extremism
- Road safety (through visitors to the school and bikeability)
- Poolside and water safety through swimming lessons
- What to do if you are separated from your group E.g. on a school visit
- The rule of law and community awareness
- The importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise for both physical and mental wellbeing.
Assembly time is used to promote personal safeguarding matters and explore themes, e.g. keeping themselves and others safe during Bonfire Night. We have visitors such as the NSPCC providing assemblies and celebration days for the pupils throughout the year.
Safeguarding Procedures for School Staff
Teachers and Support staff monitor the wellbeing of children on a day to day basis. If they, or any other member of the team, have any concerns relating to the safeguarding of a child they report this to a Designated Safeguarding leader within school. They also log all safeguarding issues on CPOMS which is the school’s central safeguarding system. The designated safeguarding leaders then look at this information and decide on the appropriate course of action. We regularly work with a range of agencies locally who can help us to ensure the best outcome for the children in our care.
Safeguarding Procedures for Parents
If parents have any concerns relating to the wellbeing of their children or any other children, they can report it to the Designated Safeguarding Lead who will decide what action to take.
Should you ever have urgent concerns for the immediate safety of a child, you can make a direct referral to The Bridge Partnership by telephone on 0161 603 4500 from 8.30am to 4.30pm. If you need to speak to somebody about your referral of concern outside these hours, please call the Emergency Duty Team on 0161 794 8888. If a child is in immediate danger of being harmed, or if a child is home alone, the police should be called on 999.
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is an initiative which enhances communication between the police and schools where a child is at risk from domestic abuse
The purpose of the information sharing is to ensure schools have more information to support safeguarding of children. By knowing that the child has had this experience, the school is in a better position to understand and be supportive of the child's needs and possible behaviours. Operation Encompass will complement existing safeguarding procedures in school.
Operation Encompass animation for children
This short animation has been designed by Salford for schools. The animation explains to children what Operation Encompass is and how their school Key Adult supports them following an incident of Domestic Abuse where the Police attend. The animation may also be a useful tool when supporting children in terms of explaining Operation Encompass/Domestic abuse, the child’s feelings and, how school will support them.
Sexual Harassment
The Children’s Commissioner has launched a guide for parents and carers on online sexual harassment and how they can support children to stay safe online.
“The things I wish my parents had known” draws together advice from 16 to 21 year olds on how parents should manage tricky conversations around sexual harassment and access to inappropriate content, including pornography.
The Commissioner’s office began a programme of work focussing on peer-on-peer abuse following the avalanche of testimonies on the Everyone’s Invited website, which laid bare an epidemic of sexual violence among teens. This was picked up in Ofsted’s June 2021 review of sexual harassment in schools and colleges.
A surprising but overriding message from young people is that parents should start these challenging conversations early. They suggest broaching topics before a child is given a phone or a social media account, which is often around the age of 9 or 10.
The Children’s Commissioner has asked all schools and colleges in disseminating this guide to as many parents and carers as possible. She hopes that her guide will serve as a useful starting point to raise awareness and understanding of online harassment, and to complement key messages on the new relationships and sex education curriculum.