Safeguarding
Keeping children safe in education is our priority.
At St James Primary, the health, safety and welfare of our children are of paramount importance to us. We respect our pupils and want to provide them with a stimulating and safe environment that encourages them to do their best.
In order to keep our children safe at school, we
- ensure that all our staff – through their induction and on going training - have a clear understanding of their responsibilities towards our children’s safeguarding
- make sure that we have a range of clear and up to date policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety and protection of our pupils in all aspects of school life
- ensure that we teach our pupils how to keep themselves healthy and safe – in and out of school
- ensure that we audit our safeguarding practices regularly so we remain vigilant
Values
The term ‘safeguarding’ encompasses the whole range of issues. It starts with our values that we instil in our children from their first day at St James Primary. Values such as kindness, respect and wisdom teach children to be ready, be safe and be respectful. We have an open and honest atmosphere at school, where children are nurtured and taught that they are able to confide in any adult if they are worried about anything.
If you click this link , you can find out more about our School Values
Behaviour
We have very clear expectations of our children’s behaviour and these are regularly discussed in class and whole school assemblies. In addition at the beginning of each year, children discuss with their Class teachers their own classroom rules and they are expected to follow them. Our children learn from an early age that bullying in any form is not tolerated at St James Primary and that we expect our staff to act as exemplary role models.
Click this link to find out more about behaviour at St James Primary School
Inclusion And Equality
The school has a commitment to equality and accessibility for all and we believe that everyone at St James Primary should be treated with care and respect. Our children are explicitly taught that any form of discrimination on grounds of race, religion, sexuality or disability is wrong. In PSHE, our RE lessons and assemblies we explore different ideas, cultures, faiths and beliefs to broaden our pupil’s awareness of the world and we teach tolerance and mutual respect.
You can find out more about from our policies on Equal Opportunities And Accessibility
You can also find out more on how we support our children with SEND here.
Teaching And Learning
In addition to teaching our children about behaviour and attitudes, we also equip them with a range of practical learning via the curriculum to help keep them safe and healthy throughout their lives. Our PE and PHSE lessons include education on healthy diet, the importance of exercise, road and pedestrian safety, stranger danger and how to deal with bullying. Our Year 6 learn about sex, relationships and drugs as well as more practical lessons such as cycle training and road safety.
From Key Stage 1 our children are taught about the importance of staying safe online. At St James Primary we have very clear E-safety guidelines for both staff and children and everyone signs an Acceptable Use Agreement before they use a computer. As this is a constantly changing world, we try to provide children and parents with as much up to date information as we can about practical ways to stay safe on the internet and E-safety teaching is incorporated regularly into all ICT lessons.
You can follow this link to our dedicated E Safety page. Or you can find out more about the curriculum here.
Our Staff
As already mentioned, our staff are expected to act as role models at all times. All members of staff – teaching and non teaching alike – have been recruited following safer recruitment procedures. Their application forms are carefully scrutinised and any education or employment gaps are queried. References and all necessary DBS checks are undertaken as a matter of course and we keep an up to date single central record on our employees.
When a new member of staff (or Governor) joins our school they receive an induction and staff handbook which includes up to date information on safeguarding, child protection and our health and safety induction booklet. We also ensure that they have read part one of the Government's guidelines on Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021, which you can find out more about here Our safeguarding and child protection policy clearly sets out the school and our staff’s responsibilities towards ensuring that all children at St James are kept safe and protected from harm. All our staff and governors undertake regular safeguarding and child protection training.
These are links to pages on Safeguarding polices
First Aid and Medical Needs
In addition to safeguarding and child protection training, a number of our teachers and teaching assistants have first aid and paediatric first aid qualifications.
With this link you can find out more about Administering Medicines and children with medical conditions and first aid.
Volunteers And Visitors
We also make sure that any volunteer or visitor to school – which includes the staff who run our after school clubs – visits the School office to sign in and read the school information sheet on safeguarding. Volunteers and visitors are not left unsupervised with children at any time unless they are regular volunteers who have completed a DBS check. As a parent, if you would like to know more about volunteering, please come into the School Office
Here is a link to find out more about Volunteering In School .
Site Safety
Ensuring that the school site is safe and risk assessed is the responsibility of our School Office Manager. We have a comprehensive Health and Safety policy to ensure that our premises are safe for all. This includes undertaking risk assessments for all school activities (including Friends events) and trips, as well as for aspects of the site.
Staff with key safeguarding responsibilities
- Our designated Child Protection and Safeguarding Lead is Head of School, Mrs Annie Moore
- Her deputies are Maddy Newman and Emily Boston
- Our Inclusion Manager is Annie Moore
- Our School Business Manager, Penny Kirkley, is responsible for all aspects of site health and safety along side the Head of School and our Site Manager, Colin Saunders.
Our School Safeguarding Policies
You can find out more about all our safeguarding policies here
Children's Mental Health Support For Parents and Carers
Place2Be has a number of resources for parents to help support children's mental health. You can find out lots more information here
USEFUL INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Family Lives
offer support for all families on a range of topics from home learning to supporting families in the community. They have a free and confidential helpline on 08080 800 2222
You can find more information on all of their services here
NSPCC Learn the underwear rule.
Click here to open a great leafet produced by the NSPCC about how to talk to your child in simple language about keeping safe from abuse. It called Talk Pants And You've Got It Covered
Educate Against Hate
is a website launched by Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan as a tool for parents and schools to help protect children from the risk of radicalisation. You can access the new site here.
Further Safeguarding Information From The DofE and Ofsted
For further information about keeping children safe in school, you can download two documents from Ofsted here.
Keeping Children Safe In Education 2021
Working together to safeguard children
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