Safeguarding
Every person who works with our children understand their responsibility in keeping children safe and are confident in how they will do that.
Killinghall CE Primary School is committed to ensuring the welfare and safety of all children in school. All North Yorkshire schools, including Killinghall CE Primary School, follow the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board procedures. We have Safeguarding and Child Protection policies and procedures in place where all staff, including our volunteers and supply staff, must ensure that they are aware of our procedures.
Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. The school will, in most circumstances, endeavour to discuss all concerns with parent/carers about their child/ren first. However, there may be exceptional circumstances when the school will discuss concerns with Social Care and/or the Police without parental knowledge (in accordance with Child Protection procedures). The school will, of course, always aim to maintain a positive relationship with all parents.
Safeguarding means:
• protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
• preventing harm to children’s health or development
• ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures, which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
If you have any concerns you should immediately report them to the Designated Safeguarding Person.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Mrs Ella Besharati (Headteacher)
The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Miss Leigh-Ann Holtom (Year 5 Class Teacher)
Our safeguarding governor is: Jessica Roy
We have a number of school policies in place that support children, families and staff to ensure safeguarding is consistent and effective in school. As well as policies for grown ups, we have a child friendly child protection policy and a strong emphasis on PSHE and safeguarding within our curriculum in order to give our children the tools to seek support when they are sad, scared or worried.
Anybody who is worried about a child can make a referral to the North Yorkshire Multi-Agency Screening Team (MAST). More information can be found at https://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk(link is external) Where there are significant immediate concerns about the safety of a child, call 999.
Prevent Duty
The Prevent duty is ‘the duty in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 on specified authorities, in the exercise of their functions, to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.’ (The Prevent duty – Departmental advice for schools and childcare providers June 2015)
As a school we need to ensure we protect children from the risks of radicalisation and extremism through our safeguarding procedures. We also need to provide a safe environment in which controversial issues can be discussed and build our pupils’ resilience and self-esteem to enable them to challenge extremist views. At Killinghall CE Primary School, we have made all staff aware of our responsibilities under the Prevent duty. We are ensuring that all other relevant policies comply with the Prevent duty. Through our RE and PHSE curriculum and our work on Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development, including fundamental British values, we will enable children to explore a wide range of issues safely.
All teaching staff and governors have undergone Prevent Duty online training (renewed annually) and school staff receive additional training safeguarding throughout the year.
Managing Allegations Against Those Who Work or Volunteer with Children
All allegations of abuse by or complaints about a teacher, other member of staff or volunteer, will be managed in accordance with the North Yorkshire Child Protection Procedures. A copy of these procedures can be found at www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk The Chair of Governors should be contacted directly where there are allegations/complaints against the Headteacher.
The Local Authority Designated Officer for Child Protection oversees all allegations made against those who work with children and can be contacted at anytime for advice. Similarly, advice and guidance can be obtained from the Social Care Advice line or the Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit.
Working Together to Safeguarding Children 2023 identifies the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) as that of managing and having oversight of individual cases, provision of advice and guidance to employers and voluntary organisations, liaison with the police and other agencies and the monitoring of cases to make sure they are dealt with as quickly as possible and are consistent with a thorough and fair process.
Department for Education Guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 outlines additional roles and responsibilities to be undertaken when responding to allegations against teachers, members of staff or volunteers in schools or colleges that provide education for children under 18 years.
In line with Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 and Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024, these NYSCP procedures should be applied when there is an allegation that any person who works with children has:
- behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child, and /or
- possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child, and / or
- behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children, and / or
- behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children.
The NYC LADO notification form is on the NYSCP Website NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk) and should be completed and sent to lado@northyorks.gov.uk