Safeguarding at Oakington C of E Primary School

Oakington C of E Primary School understands the vital importance of safeguarding and child protection. The school follows the Grace Schools safeguarding and child protection policy.

As a member of the Grace Schools, many of our policies are available here.

At Oakington C of E Primary School we take the safeguarding of our children very seriously and a number of our staff and governors are trained in Safer Recruitment.

We ask that all visitors respect the content of our policy and inform a member of staff if they see or hear anything that they have a concern about regarding a child or group of children. 

In the first instance concerns should be raised with any of our Designated Safeguarding Leads:

In the absence of any of our Designated Safeguarding Leads, please refer your concerns to the most senior person within school; this person will take your concerns forward as appropriate.

Safeguarding and Child Protection Statement

Under section 175 of the Education Act 2002 (as amended), *the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, the Non-Maintained Special Schools (England) Regulations 2015, and the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (as amended) to have arrangements in place to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.

The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse, neglect and exploitation and will follow the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Children Partnership Board’s procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.

Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse and exploitation. Parents/carers should know that records of safeguarding concerns may be kept about their child. They should be informed that school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them including referrals to other agencies.

Local procedures state that “Consent should always be sought from an adult with parental responsibility for the child/young person before passing information about them to Children’s Social Care, unless seeking consent would place the child at risk of significant harm or may lead to the loss of evidence for example destroying evidence of a crime or influencing a child about a disclosure made.” This includes allowing them to share information without consent, if it is not possible to gain consent, if it cannot be reasonably expected that a professional gains consent, or if to gain consent would place a child at risk.

Where there is a need to share special category personal data, the Data Protection Act 2018 contains ‘safeguarding of children and individuals at risk’ as a processing condition that allows professionals to share information.

In accordance with legislation and local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service. In all circumstances, the safety of the child will be the paramount concern.

Schools will contact Children’s Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (known as the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.

Holding Power

Under Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, any person who has care of a child “may….do what is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding promoting the child’s welfare”. This means that on rare occasions, a school may need to “hold” a child in school whilst Social Care and the Police investigate any concerns further.

* The word ‘school’ is used throughout but this would include all educational settings e.g. Academies, Pupil Referral Units, Further Education establishments and Independent schools.

Online Safety

The internet is constantly changing and being able to keep up with your children’s use of technology can sometimes be challenging. However children do need support and guidance in using the internet safely. Please take a look at Thinkuknow for useful information on keeping your child safe online. There are sections for young people too. For specific information on apps, gaming and social media, visit Net Aware.

Information on how to report any concerns and for further advice on online safety can be found on the CEOP website also.

Useful Contacts

  • UK Safer Internet Centre: 0344 381 4772
  • NSPCC Help for adults concerned about a child: 0808 800 5000
  • NSPCC Help for children and young people: 0800 1111

Prevent

In primary schools, "Prevent" refers to the UK government's counter-terrorism strategy that aims to prevent individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It's a safeguarding issue, and schools have a duty to protect children from radicalization and extremism, which includes promoting tolerance and respect. 

From 1 July 2015, all schools have become subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have 'due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism'. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty for Schools.

For more information, see: NSPCC - Radicalisation.

Useful Links and Resources:

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