Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s mental health 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.
Safeguarding is not just about protecting children from deliberate harm. It relates to aspects of school life including:
- pupils’ health and safety
- the use of reasonable force
- meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions
- providing first aid
- educational visits
- intimate care
- internet or e-safety
- appropriate arrangements to ensure school security, taking into account the local context.
Please find below links and documents which you may find useful. If you have
any concerns about a child please contact one of the safeguarding leads in school:
Mrs Sarah North, Miss Wade, Mr Al-Asmar and Mrs Owen
Child Protection
What to do if you think a child is being harmed or is at risk
If you think a child or young person is being harmed or is at risk of being harmed
then you must contact Children Services and tell them your concerns.
It might be you that is being harmed.
Do not delay, please contact us straight away
We are here to help you.
http://www.shropshiresafeguardingcommunitypartnership.co.uk/
You can report your concerns online –
NSPCC Website: http://www.nspcc.org.uk
The NSPCC have previously broadcast a TV advert to raise awareness of how parents can help their younger children keep safe from child sexual abuse (PANTS).
You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMIKUsZjirA
At St Mary’s we follow guidelines from the NSPCC about staying safe and teach the underwear rule. To find out more visit the NSPCC web site at :
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/underwear-rule/
A video from the NSPCC on preventing child sexual abuse is available on the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbtSJCw_lqw
You can also speak to:
Protecting Vulnerable People (West Mercia Police) 0300 333 3000
Shropshire Safeguarding Children’s board –http://www.safeguardingshropshireschildren.org.uk/
Initial Contact Team 0345 678 9021
NSPCC 0800 800 5000
Childline 0800 1111
Operation Encompass
Our school is part of Operation Encompass, a national initiative that supports children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse. This scheme is now a statutory requirement under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, which places a legal duty on police forces to notify schools of domestic abuse incidents involving children before the start of the next school day—including weekends and holidays.
Operation Encompass ensures that our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) receives timely information from the police, enabling us to provide immediate and appropriate support to affected children.
The information shared includes:
- The child’s name and date of birth
- Police reference number
- Incident details (location, time, presence of child)
- Voice of the child (if spoken to)
- Context of the incident
This information is treated with the highest level of confidentiality and is managed in accordance with GDPR and child protection protocols.
All DSLs have completed relevant training, which is a prerequisite for receiving notifications.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children. Operation Encompass forms an integral part of our safeguarding procedures and policies to reflect our participation.
Safeguarding – Information for Parents
Cyberbullying and online harassment
Cyberbullying and online harassment can be extremely distressing. They can even be classed as criminal offences in some cases.
However, there are plenty of organisations you can turn to for help, including charities, social media service providers, and the police
Here’s an overview of what online bullying is, how you can avoid it, and where you go for advice:
What is cyberbullying and online harassment?
Making comments or posts online that are deliberately abusive, offensive, threatening, or inflammatory.
Liking and sharing this kind of abuse can also count as bullying and harassment.
Online bullies and harassers use all sorts of platforms, including social media (like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram), forums, gaming sites, comments sections, mobile phone chat groups and more.
There’s a very detailed definition of cyberbullying at:
bullying.co.uk/cyberbullying/what-is-cyberbullying/
How you can stay safer?
Think before you post: when posting or commenting online, consider what you say and what effect it may have. Never post comments that are abusive, threatening or are likely to cause offence to others.
Keep personal information personal: do not say anything or publish pictures that might later cause you or someone else embarrassment. Be aware of what friends post about you, or how they reply to your posts – particularly about your personal details and activities.
Make the most of privacy settings: keep your profiles closed, allowing access only to your chosen friends and family.
Social media help sections can show you how to block users, change your privacy and contact settings, and report abusive content:
Visit the NSPCC for the most up to date information in keeping children safe online.. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/?utm_source=NetAware&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=hubhttps://www.net-aware.org.uk/
Report cyberbullying to internet service providers: lots of content online is offensive or upsetting. It’s not always a criminal offence, but it often violates the terms and conditions established by social media sites and internet service providers. Service providers are often keen to take action against users who abuse their terms of service.
If you believe that you are the victim of online bullying, keep a record of the content (for example, take a screenshot). You can use this to help your report to the service provider and, if necessary, the police.
Prevent
Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes. To find out more read What is the Prevent Strategy and the Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Policy.
What is the Prevent Strategy
Empower Trust Prevent Policy
Preventing terrorism risk assessment
Safer Schools
Our school is a ‘Safer School’. West Mercia Police and Shropshire Council support our school with the Safer School initiative. We are an accredited ‘Safer School’ and proud of our Safer School sign and certificate. The accreditation is reviewed every two years.
The initiative is a holistic, practical and realistic approach to school security and personal safety. It gives our school a clear focus on the subject and turns a negative subject into a positive one. It sets a minimum standard for school security.
The essential elements of the ‘Safer School’ process include:-
- Implementing a security policy that the governors have adopted.
- Consulting parents/carers and pupils/students for their views and updating them on any progress.
- Publicity of Safer Schools to school staff, pupils, school neighbours, parents and prospective parents.
- Establishing a Safer School Group. This Safer School Group is a partnership of school stakeholders – Headteacher/Deputy, staff, governors, parents, pupils, neighbours, Shropshire Council and West Mercia Police.
- Regularly reviewing and implementing good practice and essential security/safety measures for staff, pupils, the site and assets.
- Educating pupils through the Personal, Social, Health and Economic curriculum programme or the Safer School folder.
- A daily procedure for recording incidents should they occur i.e. trespass, burglary, theft, anti-social behaviour, vandalism, arson, suspicious activity etc., both during school hours and out-of hours.
- Solving real problems rather than perceived problems. Prioritising work (if any) and reviewing action.
- If there are security issues i.e. vandalism, anti-social behaviour etc., the intention of the initiative is to reduce/eliminate the issues.
