SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT

Whitelands Park Primary School recognises that the welfare of the child is paramount and takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children in its care.

Definition of safeguarding:

Whitelands Park Primary School adopts the definition of safeguarding used in the Children Act 2004, and in the government’s guidance document ‘Working together to safeguard children’ March 2015. This can be summarised as:

• protecting children and young people from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children and young people’s health or development
• ensuring that children and young people are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• undertaking that role so as to enable those children and young people to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.

Safeguarding outcomes for children and young people are as follows:

• children and young people are safe: the effectiveness of services in taking reasonable steps to ensure that children and young people are safe
• children and young people feel safe: the effectiveness of services in taking reasonable steps to ensure that children and young people feel safe.

Safeguarding is not just about protecting children from deliberate harm. It includes issues for schools such as:

• pupils’ health and safety
• sex and relationship education
• bullying
• racist abuse
• harassment and discrimination
• use of physical intervention
• meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions
• providing first aid
• drug and substance misuse
• educational visits and extra-curricular activities
• intimate care
• internet safety
• issues which are specific to our local area or population,
• school /grounds security.

The Governing Body will act in accordance with Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 and the supporting statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ July 2015, supporting guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ March 2015 and the departmental advice ‘The Prevent duty’ June 2015.

All children have the right to be safeguarded from harm or exploitation whatever their

• race, religion, first language or ethnicity
• gender or sexuality
• age
• health or disability
• political or immigration status

We will endeavour to safeguard children and young people by:

• valuing them, listening to and respecting them
• involving them in decisions which affect them
• making sure all staff and volunteers are aware of and committed to the safeguarding policy and child protection procedures
• sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving children and their parents/carers appropriately
• recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
• providing effective management through induction, support and training
• ensuring staff and volunteers understand about ‘whistle blowing’
• dealing appropriately with allegations/concerns about staff or volunteers, in accordance with Government guidance Governors, staff and volunteers in this school understand the importance of working in partnership with children, their parents/carers and other agencies in order to promote children’s welfare.

The aim of our safeguarding procedures is to:

• afford protection for the pupils at Whitelands Park Primary School
• enable staff and volunteers to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
• promote a culture which makes this school a safer place to learn

The school’s approach to safeguarding is further described in additional school procedures and policies.