Safeguarding
Designated Safeguarding Leads
To ensure school staff have access to specialist advice and support about safeguarding, the following details apply. Where a trained DSL (or deputy) is not on site, we have made arrangements for a trained DSL from a nominated school/setting to provide advice remotely.
Reporting a concern
Where staff have a concern about a child, they will continue to follow the process outlined in the school's Safeguarding Policy.
Any email containing confidential information will be sent using official school email addresses.
Where staff are concerned about an adult working with children in the school, they will continue to follow the Wiltshire process set out in the allegations flowchart.
In the absence of the headteacher and/or Chair of governors, staff will follow the alternative leadership contact arrangements.
Safeguarding Training and induction
D/DSL training will continue to meet statutory requirements. Our D/DSLs will keep up to date by reading government guidance and other relevant newsletters eg NSPCC as they are published.
All existing school staff have had safeguarding training and have read the required sections of Keeping Children Safe in Education. The DSL will communicate with staff any new local arrangements, as appropriate.
Where new staff are recruited, or new volunteers enter our school, they will be provided with a safeguarding induction. We will follow Wiltshire Council advice about safeguarding in relation to visiting staff/volunteers as it is published and updated on Right Choice until further notice.
Safer recruitment/volunteers and movement of staff
When recruiting new staff, we will continue to follow the relevant safer recruitment processes for our school, including relevant sections of the most recent version of Keeping Children Safe in Education document released by the government.
In response to Covid-19, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has made changes to its guidance on standard and enhanced DBS ID checking to minimise the need for face-to-face contact. We will follow this guidance DBS checks during Covid-19 outbreak
We will continue to keep the single central record (SCR) up to date as outlined in in KCSIE and will follow Wiltshire Council advice about safeguarding in relation to the SCR and visiting staff/volunteers as it is published and updated on Right Choice until further notice.
Online safety in schools and colleges
We will continue to provide a safe online environment for staff and children. This includes the use of an online filtering system. Where children are using computers in school, appropriate supervision will continue to be in place.
All staff who interact with children, including online, will continue to look out for signs a child may be at risk. Any such concerns will be dealt with as per our Safeguarding Policy and where appropriate referrals will be made to children’s social care and as required, the police. Online teaching (if required at any point) will follow the same principles as set out in our Staff Behaviour Policy. We will ensure any use of online learning tools and systems is in line with privacy and data protection/GDPR requirements.
Supporting children not in school
We recognise that school is a protective factor for children and young people, and the current circumstances can affect the mental health of pupils and their parents/carers.
We will devise plans to support any child who is vulnerable and not able to attend school for any reason, including COVID-19 absence.
Supporting children in school
The Headteacher/manager will ensure that appropriate staff are on site and staff to pupil ratio numbers are appropriate. We will refer to the Government guidance for education and childcare settings on how to implement social distancing and continue to follow the advice from Public Health England to limit the risk of spread of Covid -19.
Safeguarding Statement
Westbury Infant School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Safeguarding Policy which can be viewed here.
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 parents/carers first, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child's welfare.
We actively support the Government's Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism. This document can be found in our Policies page.
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mrs Stacey Budge (Headteacher). Our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mrs Nicky Newbury & Mrs Amy Rockey. The Governor with responsibility for safeguarding in our school in Mrs Minnie House.
Photographs and Videos
Whilst lots of parents and carers really enjoy seeing photos and videos of their children’s school life we are very mindful of our duty of care towards all our pupils.
We take the issue of safeguarding very seriously and this includes the use of photographic and video images.
Any photographs or videos taken by parents, carers and relatives at school productions, sports days or other events are for the enjoyment of individual families. They must not be used in any way that could potentially place a child at risk. This would include publishing images in any form of print or on the internet including social networking sites. This is emphasised before concerts and shows etc and where practical a record of parents and relatives taking photographs or videos is made.
We understand that in exceptional circumstances a parent or carer may not wish their child to be photographed or videoed in this way. If this is the case then please contact the headteacher to discuss how this can be best achieved.
Occasionally, the local press will be invited to take photographs of school events and special achievements. We like to use photographs of our children on our website, in school documents, for parent information meetings, newsletters and on our display screens around the school. If you do not wish photographs of your child to be used for these purposes, then please contact the school office.
Behaviour statement for visitors to school, including parents and carers.
Westbury Infant School strongly believes that our school should be a welcoming and safe place for our children, staff, parents and visitors alike and that our parents share that belief. We have legal responsibilities for the safeguarding and wellbeing of children and staff, and a duty of care to all users of our school.
All adults who enter our school site at any time set examples of behaviour and conduct which influence children and young people and we believe that they should therefore demonstrate high standards of conduct in order to encourage our pupils to do the same. Parents and carers must show respect to all other parents and carers, children and staff.
Adults who do not behave in an acceptable manner may be asked to leave the site and the Headteacher has the right to further restrict their access.
Behaviour which is regarded as unacceptable includes:
- Physical abuse, threatening, oppressive or aggressive behaviour or use of offensive language towards other adults, staff or children
- Entering the school site under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Smoking anywhere on the school site
- Bringing dogs, with the exception of Assistance Dogs, on to the school site without the explicit permission of the Headteacher
We expect all communication between parents and school to be conducted in a polite and respectful manner.
School-related issues which parents or carers have concerning school, pupils or their families must be brought to the attention of a member of staff. Parents or carers must not try to resolve any issues themselves by direct action on site. If issues cannot be successfully resolved by speaking to a staff member, parents’ and carers’ correct course of action is to use our Complaints Procedure as appropriate.
If you have any concerns for the safety of any of the children at school please consult a designated safeguarding lead.
Safeguarding and Child Protection at Westbury Infant School during period of COVID 19 school closure
Alongside our Safeguarding Policy, the following definitions and arrangements apply until further notice:
Vulnerable children include children who have a social worker and young people up to the age of 25 with education, health and care (EHC) plans.
Children, now identified by DfE as needing the protective factor of face-to-face education are:
- those with a social worker
- those with an Education, Health and Care Plan
- a group of children considered locally, including by settings and local authorities, to be ‘otherwise vulnerable’
Plus
- children known to children’s social care services in the past
- children whose home circumstances might be particularly challenging because of domestic abuse, parental offending, adult mental health issues, and drug and alcohol addiction
We will liaise with the Local Authority and with parents to decide whether a child with an EHCP needs to continue to be offered a place at school to meet their needs, or whether they can safely have their needs met at home This could include, if necessary, carers, therapists or clinicians visiting the home to provide any essential services. We understand that many children and young people with EHC plans can safely remain at home. Eligibility for free school meals is not a key determining factor in assessing vulnerability.
Our senior leaders and DSLs (Designated Safeguarding Leads) have the flexibility to offer a place to children who do not have a social worker but for whom some safeguarding needs have already been identified.
There is an expectation that vulnerable children who have a social worker will attend an education setting, so long as they do not have underlying health conditions that put them at risk. Local authorities and education settings do not need to complete their usual day-today attendance processes to follow up on non-attendance. We will follow the process set out in Wiltshire Councils flowchart School attendance and children with a CiN or CP plan, until further notice.
To support the above, we will, when communicating with parents/carers of vulnerable children, confirm that emergency contact numbers kept on the children’s files are correct and ask for any additional emergency contact numbers where they are available.
