Responsibilities
All adults working at St Aidan’s (including visiting staff, volunteers and students on placement) are required to report instances of actual or suspected child abuse or neglect to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) with responsibility for child protection.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Miss K Fitzsimmons
The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Mr A Williams
The Nominated Governor for Child Protection & Safeguarding is: Mrs M Woods
St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice standards and Ofsted requirements.
As part of this safeguarding child protection policy, and in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education, September 2023, we will;
- Promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people
- Ensure everyone, staff, pupils and parents understand their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and child protection
- Ensure all staff have read Part 1 of the Keeping Children Safe in Education, September 2023 Guidance document, and have completed a signed record to say they have done so
- Ensure everyone has appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people.
- Ensure in the event of incidents/concerns of abuse, appropriate action is taken, and support provided to the individual/s who raise of disclose a concern.
- Ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding and child protection concerns are maintained and securely stored.
- Prevent the employment/deployment of unsuitable individuals
- Help protect children and young people from exploitation including radicalisation, child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation (county lines)
- Ensure robust and effective safeguarding arrangements and procedures are in operation in school
The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in school. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed, without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion this school.
Road Safety
Click here to view our Road Safety Brochure
PREVENT DUTY and BRITISH VALUES
Schools are increasingly seen as being on the front-lines of the battle to prevent extremism. Their duty to prevent extremism has now been enshrined in law in Section 26 of the 2015 Counter-Terrorism and Security Act which came into force on July 1st, and which requires that schools have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.
Being drawn into terrorism includes not just violent extremism but also non-violent extremism, which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism and can popularise views which terrorists exploit.
What must schools do about radicalisation?
In order to fulfil the PREVENT DUTY schools are expected to be able to demonstrate their compliance with this duty, appropriate to the level of risk of radicalisation in their institution. It is essential that staff are able to identify children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, and know what to do when they are identified.
Schools can build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling them to challenge extremist views. It is important to emphasise that the Prevent Duty is not intended to stop pupils debating controversial issues. On the contrary, schools should provide a safe space in which children, young people and staff can understand the risks associated with terrorism and develop the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge extremist arguments.
What does St Aidan’s School do ?
At our school we believe that children should be given the opportunity to explore the issue of diversity and understand Britain as a multi-cultural society. Providing a safe learning environment in which children can raise questions and concerns without fear of reprimand or ridicule and explore boundaries of what’s acceptable will engender an open attitude to multi-cultural and race issues. Our school ethos and core values make it clear that the pupils should treat everyone with respect whatever their race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, special need or disability.
Through promoting British Values, in all aspects of school life, we engage children in promoting a positive attitude to others with a focus on shared values whilst developing a high regard for themselves. By building self-esteem children are encouraged to stand firm and be positive about others and not be influenced by any negative peer pressure they may encounter. Through exploring such elements and discussing and debating them in assemblies and through our balanced curriculum we can enable children to think for themselves by providing many opportunities for discussing debating, researching, and exploring questioning within the context of learning based on sound knowledge and understanding.
In September 2015 we studied British Values as a whole school topic. We began by looking at the British Isles and understanding where we live, the history and cultural elements of our country. We taught the pupils about Democracy through a vote for School Council Representatives (see School Council Section for more information) and we looked at what each British Value means for us in our everyday lives.
“The way we educate our young people shapes the society we will live in. British schools have long been dedicated to encouraging students to think for themselves and to think about others, a blend of critical thinking and empathy that is the best inoculation against radicalism and extremism.”
Russell Hobby NAHT General secretary 06/11
Healthy Relationships and Child Sexual Exploitation
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and grooming are both terms that have been prevalent in the news and media recently and as parents you can be left with lots of questions, concerns and even feelings of confusion about what they mean and how you and school can protect your children.
The NSPCC provide a useful definition to assist parents understanding:
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a type of sexual abuse in which children are sexually exploited for money, power or status.
Children or young people may be tricked into believing they’re in a loving, consensual relationship. They might be invited to parties and given drugs and alcohol. They may also be groomed online.
Some children and young people are trafficked into or within the UK for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Sexual exploitation can also happen to young people in gangs.
The Listen to my Story campaign has been developed by Merseyside Police, local councils and third sector agencies throughout the Merseyside area to raise awareness of CSE in our communities and to educate young people, parents/carers, teachers, health professionals and service industry workers as to the signs and vulnerabilities of CSE.
For more information about ‘Listen to my Story’, please visit www.listentomystory.co.uk.
Online Safety
Apps are great but the usage by children needs constant monitoring. Read the leaflet below to find out about some of the Apps your child may be using. This leaflet was sent home on 7th June 2017
Do you want to keep your child safe on line but aren’t sure how to do this? We upload a monthly Online Safety Newsletter to our newsletters page available here:
Parental Controls Booklet
Five articles to share
1. Gaming: what parents and carers need to know
Many children will be spending time gaming online over the summer holidays. This article explores the different elements of gaming with a particular focus on how it can be used by offenders, but focusing on what parents can do to support their child while gaming.
2. Sharing pictures of your child online
Lots of parents love sharing photos of their children with friends and family, particularly when they are on holiday or starting the new school year. A recent report found that 42% of young people reported that their parents had done this without asking their permission. Our article helps parents to protect their child while staying social.
3. Keeping your under 5s safe online
Whether it’s watching videos, playing games on their devices or talking to Alexa – today’s under 5s are spending more time online. In this article we look at the benefits of children accessing the internet, and share advice about how parents can make sure their child has a safe experience online.
4. Live streaming: responding to the risks
Many children enjoy live streaming as it can be used to showcase talent, develop communication skills and create identity. Our article helps parents to understand why children love it, what the risks can be, and how they can help their child stay safe if they are live streaming.
Parental controls are a great tool for helping to protect children but should not replace open and honest conversations with children about their life online. Share these tips on how to use parental controls effectively.
Browse through the ‘Staying Safe Online’ e-Safety e-Brochure by clicking on the link www.everb.co.uk/safety.
Children at our school use the internet on a regular basis as part of their learning. In school, we have regular eSafety activities to remind children of the importance of keeping themselves safe online.
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).
Kidsmart – An award-winning internet safety programme for children.
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.
BBC Stay Safe – Test your Internet safety knowledge with Hacker and help the Horrible Histories gang stay safe online.
Net Smartz Kids– Click on the image opposite to visit the Net Smartz Kids website for lots of e-safety activities.
Childnet International – website to “help make the Internet a great and safe place for children”.
Parent’s guides
- Click here to download a Parents Guide to Facebook.
- Click here to download a Parents Guide to Google +.
- Click here to download a Parents Guide to Instagram.
- Click here to download a Parents Guide to Snapchat.
- Click here to download A Parents Guide to Cyberbulling
- Click here to download Share-aware
- Click here to download A-Parents-Guide-to-Cyberbulling
- Click here to download E-safety-tips-for-primary-parents
- Click here to download Child-Net-international-fact-sheet
- Click here to download Child-Exploitation-and-Online-Protection
