Safeguarding

Safeguarding Statement

At St John the Evangelist CE (VA) Primary School our Governing Body takes seriously its responsibility under Section 11 of the Children Act and duties under “Working Together to Safeguard Children” to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements exist within our setting to identify and support those children who are suffering harm or are likely to suffer harm.

We recognise that all our staff and governors have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils from harm, and that the child’s welfare is our paramount concern.

Our school  provides a safe, caring, positive and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical and moral development of the individual child free from discrimination or bullying where children can learn and develop happily.

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined for the purposes of this guidance as:

• protecting children from maltreatment;
• preventing impairment of children’s 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.

Child protection is an aspect of safeguarding but is focused on how we respond to children who have been significantly harmed or are at risk of significant harm.

The Safeguarding Team

Joanna Stainer (Acting Deputy Headteacher): Designated Safeguarding Lead

Marie Wargent (Acting Headteacher): Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Katie Greenhalgh (EYFS Lead): Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Alaina Tabern (Child and Family Support Worker): Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Christian McGuinness (Governor): Named Safeguarding Governor

In our school everyone has a responsibility to safeguard children.

The Raising of Concerns

When a safeguarding concern is raised, our first priority is the welfare of the child. We are required to take any reasonable action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our pupils. Where we are concerned about a child we will always aim to discuss our concerns with a parent, unless we believe that such an action would be detrimental to the child's welfare. In all cases of concern we follow the procedures outlined in our Safeguarding Policy; gaining advice or making referrals to other agencies as appropriate. We work very closely with the Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and the Locality and Community Support Service (LCSS) to protect our pupils and support them and their families.

If you are worried about a child's safety or welfare please do not hesitate to contact one of the Designated safeguarding leads at the school.

If you have a concern about a child outside of school hours, you can call the MASH on 0345 050 7666 or use this form.

Click to download: Safeguarding Pupils Policy

Click to visit the OSCB website: http://www.oscb.org.uk/

Click to download: Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board Procedures Manual

'Leaders have established a strong culture where the well-being and safety of pupils are given paramount importance.' OFSTED 2020