At Blue Coat C of E (Aided) Junior School, we regard the safeguarding of children as our main priority. We believe that we all have the right to be happy, to be safe and to learn. We all have the responsibility to make this happen.

We will ensure that:-

• The welfare of the child remains paramount.
• All children whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/ or sexual identity have the right to be protected from harm.
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
• All staff and volunteers working at our school have a responsibility to report concerns to the:

Designated Lead for Safeguarding: Mrs Grieve 

Deputy Designated Lead for Safeguarding: Mrs Snowdon and Mrs Gilbert

Areas of Safeguarding

Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include:-

• Staff & Visitors - ensuring they are vetted, informed & trained.
• Children’s Behaviour - promoting safer & happier behaviours & lifestyles.
• Parents & Carers - promoting links & supporting families.
• Premises - keeping them safe, pleasant & fit for purpose.
• Curriculum - providing positive, life affirming learning experiences.
• Outside School - ensuring safer activities and environments outside school.

Members of Staff Responsible

We are all responsible for ensuring that each child remains safe, however the Designated Leads for Safeguarding are Mrs Grieve, Mrs Snowdon and the link governor is Mrs Donkin.

Safer Recruitment

We follow strict procedures to ensure that everyone who works with our children is vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible. Ongoing checks and ‘whistle-blowing’ are in line with current policy.

Staff Training

• Staff are trained in child protection issues and they are aware of the procedures to follow.
• Staff are encouraged to be vigilant in order to maintain the safety of our children.
• All Staff & Volunteers are given a copy of ‘Behaviour Guidelines for Staff & Volunteers’ and are directed to the document ‘KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN EDUCATION 2023’.

Child Protection with Safeguarding Policy

All staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding children issues and are able to implement the safeguarding children policy and procedure appropriately. Policies are in line with current guidance and procedures.

Staff are able to respond appropriately to any:

• significant changes in children’s behaviour;
• deterioration in their general well-being;
• unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse;
• signs of neglect;
• comments children make which give cause for concern.

All staff are aware of the need to maintain privacy and confidentiality.

Information Sharing

We have an obligation to obtain necessary information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to school, including:

• emergency contact numbers;
• the child’s special dietary requirements, preferences or food allergies the child may have;
• the child’s special health requirements;
• information about who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child.

Written parental permission is requested, at the time of the child’s admission to the provision, to the seeking of any necessary emergency medical advice or treatment in the future.

PARENTS & CARERS MUST TELL US OF ANY CHANGES TO THESE DETAILS.

We take confidentiality very seriously. Any information which we hold is treated as confidential and shared on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.

Links with External Agencies

Because our first concern must be the well-being of your child, there may be occasions when we have to consult other agencies before we contact you. The procedures we have to follow have been laid down in accordance with the local authority child protection procedures.

We are fortunate to be supported by a range of external agencies which can be called upon to support the work we do in school. These include School Nurse, Health Practitioners, Educational Psychology, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Social Services and Specialists in supporting Special Educational Needs.

Reporting Concerns or Complaints

Further to the above procedures, we have in place a concerns and complaints policy. This enables children, staff and carers to report anything they feel is of concern.

Concerns should be raised in the following order.

1. To the Class Teacher. Then, if there is no resolution;
2. To the Head Teacher. Then, if there is no resolution;
3. To the Chairman of Governors. Then, if there is no resolution;
4. To the Local Authority.

Contact details are available from the school office.

Review of Policy and Practice

In order to ensure that best practice is maintained, our policies are reviewed regularly to incorporate the latest statutory guidance emerge.

Durham County Council Mrs P Monaghan carried out a thorough whole school audit in April 2022.  Several proposals were made and actions are being carried out.

If you would like more information on safeguarding, please contact the school for all our policies or view our policies in the statutory information section on the website.

• About Us
• Statutory Information
• Parents
• Children
• Governors

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a partnership between police and schools, a school can only join if the local police force has already joined Operation Encompass. However Key Adults are welcome to access the Key Adult Training even if they are not part of Operation Encompass.

One of the principles of Operation Encompass is  that all incidents of domestic abuse are shared with schools, not just those where an offence can be identified.

Operation Encompass is very simple and easy to implement within a school.

Every school appoints a trained Key Adult  – the Key Adult is the person who receives information about police attended Domestic Abuse incidents.

The Key Adult will be notified prior to the start of the next school day that the police have attended an incident of domestic abuse. This timely information sharing  enables appropriate support to be provided for that child so that all interactions, from when the child first arrives at the school gates, are of a positive nature.

Operation Encompass is an integral component in child safeguarding and protection policies and, as such, should be cited in the school's Safeguarding and Child Protection policies. Participation in Operation Encompass mandates a secure record-keeping trail, which may be electronic or paper based. Within Operation Encompass all records are managed at Child Protection level with the highest level of security and confidentiality, and in full accordance with GDPR. These records are held by police and schools only. Operation Encompass does not hold the records and never has access to these records.

Parent Links

Click the following links to take you to the page:

• Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership
• Think You Know
• Extremism
• NSPCC
• NSPCC Online Safety
• Safer Internet
• Child Sexual Exploitation