Nothing is more important to us than the safety and welfare of our pupils. We take rigorous steps to ensure that children stay safe and do not come to any harm. We work closely with parents/carers and a range of professional external agencies in order to secure this.

 

If you have any concerns, no matter how small they may seem, about the safety or welfare of any child, please contact the school's Designated Lead for Child Protection, Candida Burrell, Head Teacher, or in her absence speak to: Russell Pryke (Deputy Head), Emma Brewster (Deputy Head), Sara Shambrook (SENCO), Nicola Skinner or Kelly Ranger-Green (Early Years Setting).

 

On this page you will find documents linked to Safeguarding / Child Protection.

ADVICE FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

 

If you are worried about the safety or wellbeing of a child you should contact Children’s Social Care

 

Contact Children's Social Care

If a child or young person is in immediate danger, call the Police on 999.

If you're worried about the safety or wellbeing of a child, call the children's line on 0345 603 7627. This phone line is open Monday to Thursday 9am to 5:30pm, and Fridays 9am to 4:30pm.

For out of hours or bank holidays, call the emergency duty team on 0345 606 1212.

It's quicker for you to get in touch with us on the phone, but you can fill in our online Request for Support form if you prefer. Help on filling out the form can be found on our examples and guidance page.

 

You may want to report a concern if you:

• are worried about the safety or wellbeing of a child
• would like to report an incident
• are a child or young person who needs support

Find out more about the different types of abuse.

If you prefer, you can contact the NSPCC to report your concern.

You can also report abuse of an adult, by getting in touch.

 

Other organisations that can help

If your concern relates to:

• parental separation or child contact, visit CAFCASS.gov.uk
• housing, contact your local housing department or shelter.org.uk
• benefits or finances, contact citizensadvice.org.uk
• your child's development, view essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk

NSPCC 
Talking about the Underwear Rule with your children.

The NSPCC’s work in schools help encourage conversations about staying safe – and they have a number of child-friendly materials to help you carry on the conversation afterwards.  That includes ‘The Underwear Rule’, a simple way for parents to help keep children safe from sexual abuse – without using scary words or even mentioning sex. The guide uses the rules of PANTS to teach children that their body belongs to them and them alone. You can find out more and download the free resources Click here
If you’d like to know more about the NSPCC’s work, or take a look at the wide range of information and advice which is available for parents and carers, please visit their website Click here

 

INTERNET SAFETY

Excellent websites for information on e-safety:
- Think U Know: Click here  
- Parent Info (From CEOP and Parent Zone): Click here
- NSPCC advice for parents on Keeping Children Safe Click here.  This includes talking to children about staying safe, guides on Minecraft and Pokemon Go and sexting.

Free online magazine - Digital Parenting Click here

Reporting abuse:
For help and advice on Internet Safety, or to report an incident, click on the CEOP logo below:

CHILD ILLNESS AND WELLBEING

Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings. Click Here.
For further information and advice Click here or contact your local health PHE centre.
A parents guide to common childhood illnesses and wellbeing Click here

PREVENT STRATEGY

 

What is the Prevent strategy?
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.

How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?
From July 2015 all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.  This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views in the same way as we protect them from drugs or gang violence.
Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.

What does this mean in practice?
Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy.

These include:
- Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
- Challenging prejudices and racist comments
- Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity
- Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy.

We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they cannot access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils.

Different schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Prevent relate to British values?
Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy.

British values include:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty and mutual respect
• Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

Is my child too young to learn about extremism?
The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect. The school will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.

Is extremism really a risk in our area?
Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others.  We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.

 

KEY TERMS:

Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Ideology – a set of beliefs
Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause
Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support extremism and terrorism