Safeguarding

The governors and staff, including volunteers, at Hayes Primary School fully recognise the responsibility and duty placed on them to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils at the school protecting them from harm. We believe that our school should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment in which pupils can learn and also promote the social, physical and emotional wellbeing of each individual pupil.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners should make sure their approach is child centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child. If children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. The school will ensure they facilitate a whole school approach to safeguarding.

What is Safeguarding?

Protecting children from maltreatment
Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Definitions of Safeguarding and Types and Signs of Abuse

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Abuse is a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse, exploit, or neglect a child by inflicting harm or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them, by their peers, or, more rarely, by others (e.g. via the internet).

Technology is a significant component in many safeguarding and well-being issues. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. In many cases abuse will take place concurrently via online channels and in daily life. They may be abused by an adult or adults or by another child or children.

Abuse can be:

physical abuse
emotional abuse
sexual abuse; and/or
neglect

What is Child Protection?

Child protection is part of safeguarding
It is activity undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm
Where a child is suffering significant harm, or is likely to do so, action should be taken to protect that child
Action should also be taken to promote the welfare of a child in need of additional support, even if they are not suffering harm or are at immediate risk

Do's and Don’ts when visiting our School

Do make sure you sign in at reception
Do make sure we have seen your DBS
Do ensure you wear your visitor lanyard
Don’t use your mobile phone on school premises
Don’t give a child your personal details
Do only use school equipment for photographs and videos
Do read the Safeguarding guidance notes

The school recognises its responsibilities and duties to report Child Protection concerns to the social work service within Children’s Specialist Services and to assist Children’s Specialist Services in Child Protection enquiries and in supporting Children in Need. This policy is in line with the London Child Protection Procedures 2010 (4th edition), Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 and Statutory guidance overview: Keeping children safe in education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The school will raise Child Protection concerns with parents/carers at the earliest appropriate opportunity, and work in partnership with them and other agencies to improve outcomes. The school will ensure that all staff are provided with the appropriate training in Child Protection issues, as recommended in the guidance. In particular, designated members of staff will be released to attend the necessary enhanced training courses to enable them to carry out their role effectively.

Please see our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy under the Policy and Procedures section of this website.

Safeguarding Team Contact Details

Email: dsl@hayes-pri.bromley.sch.uk

Mrs Howell - Head Teacher

Miss Brown - Deputy Head Teacher

Mrs Field - Assistant Head Teacher

Mrs Larkman - Senco

Mrs Griffin - Pupil Support Lead, Designated Teacher for Looked After Children