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Safeguarding

Safeguarding

St Joseph’s Catholic School is committed to safeguarding, promoting the welfare and safety of all children. We want to make sure all our children are safe in school, at home, on line and in the community. We strive to ensure that consistent and effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at school. Our staff have an important role, working together with parents and guardians, to ensure that our children are safe and secure and to promote their personal safety and wellbeing.

We have policies and procedures in place to deal effectively with child protection and safeguarding issues, which include tackling radicalisation and extremism, together with recording and monitoring processes. All our staff have received Prevent training. All staff undertake relevant safeguarding training when they start at the school and receive updates as appropriate. The training is monitored, and comprehensive records are kept. 

At St Joseph’s, our designated Child Protection staff are:

  • Mrs Monnery (Designated Safeguarding Lead)
  • Mrs Dewdney (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) (maternity leave)
  • Mr Philpott (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead)
  • Mrs Rogers (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead)
  • Mrs Trattles (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead)
  • Mrs Walker (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead)
  • Mrs Steel (Safeguarding Governor)

Ofsted May 2023

“Governors take account of all their statutory duties in relation to safeguarding, including the Prevent Duty.  There are robust systems in place to support the strong culture of safeguarding that exists at the school, including safe recruitment of appropriate staff and volunteers.  Leaders know families well and make sure that pupils get help if they need it.”

Information Sharing

As a part of our commitment to safeguarding children, we may share relevant information with other professionals in accordance with the statutory guidance 

All concerns are passed through members of staff who are trained as ‘Designated Child Protection Officers’ in school. Staff are required to report any causes of concern to the school safeguarding team. Referrals are logged and monitored to make sure that they are followed up appropriately.

ICC is in partnership with Sussex Police working on Operation Encompass, this has been designed to provide early reporting to schools of any domestic abuse incidents that occur in which a child was present, ordinarily resides at the incident location or with an involved party. We know that children can be significantly affected through witnessing or being exposed to domestic abuse.

Safer Recruitment

To promote a safe environment for children, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School employs a strict selection and recruitment policy which includes all statutory checks on staff and regular volunteers including Enhanced DBS (disclosure and barring service) checks.

Reporting Safeguarding Concerns

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children (those under 18) is everyone’s responsibility. This means that you may have a role to play in identifying concerns, no matter how small including the sharing of relevant information.

You can email in confidence to: dsl@stjosephshh.org.uk

If you have any concerns about your child, another child or a member of staff at St Joseph’s Catholic School, please contact:

The Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Lucy Monnery or one of the deputies.

 

 

E-Safety

As technology continues to provide greater opportunities in learning it is essential that children are aware of e-safety. At St Joseph’s, we aim to equip learners with the skills and knowledge to use technology appropriately and responsibly, with an awareness of the risks both inside and outside the school environment. 

With better ICT capability, children can maximise the benefits technology can offer, supporting and extending knowledge and understanding, and widening opportunities for independence and creativity.

Many adults can find it difficult to advise their children
on how to stay safe on the Internet and when using mobile phones. Chat rooms, Facebook and MSN are all attractive and familiar to young people, but they often lack the maturity to recognise that feeling safe is not the same as being safe. 

To make the most of e-learning, we encourage everyone to follow the SMART rules, which are recommended by Childline International and KIDSmart. A range of helpful videos can be found on InternetMatters.org. 

The E-Safety Team

We designed our own e-safety team to help keep us safe online.

KS1 E-Safety

KS2 E-Safety

More useful links:

  • Think U Know – containing internet safety advice for those aged from 5 to 16, along with parents and teachers, this site is produced by CEOP (the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre).
  • Bullying UK – Information and advice about bullying for children, parents and schools.
  • Kidscape – An organisation which helps to prevent bullying and child abuse.
  • Childline – ChildLine is the free helpline for children and young people in the UK.

Radicalisation & Extremism

The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 obliges schools and other authorities to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism or extremism.

It important that these risks and dangers are considered for every child, right across the country. This includes those places that have not traditionally seen themselves as being at risk, such as in a primary school like ours.

We recognise this fact and ensure that children are safe from online terrorist and extremist material in school, via appropriate levels of filtering. We check the suitability of visiting speakers and make sure that our staff are equipped to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism, as well as to challenge extremist ideas. They know how to refer children for further help.

Everyone has a responsibility to take action to report any concerning content online including our parents, staff, governors and children.

What To Do If You Are Concerned