PART OF Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust
PART OF DBAT

Safeguarding

The Safeguarding Team at South Marston CE Primary School

Here at South Marston CofE Primary, we take seriously our responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of the children and young people in our care.

Safeguarding is described by the NSPCC as the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. This is a top priority for everybody at South Marston CE Primary School. We are strongly committed to protecting and safeguarding children and expect all staff and volunteers to uphold this commitment.

Safeguarding means:

· protecting children from maltreatment;

· preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical 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 part of the Safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.

 

At South Marston we believe that Safeguarding is everybody's responsibility. We have a dedicated Safeguarding Team who oversee the Safeguarding procedures across the school. All South Marston staff, volunteers, students on placement and the Academy Council all receive regular training and updates throughout the academic year. 

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mrs Marie Hendry, who works in line with the requirements of the role as set out in Annex B of Keeping Children Safe In Education Sept 2021.

Our Deputy DSL is Mr Mason Conlan. He works alongside Mrs Marie Hendry and will be available in the absence of the DSL.

Our Chair of Academy Council (Governing Body) is Mrs Alison Robb-Webb.

Where possible, concerns about the safety and well-being of a pupil/ student will be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, or Deputy DSL, in a timely manner.

If the concern suggests that a pupil/ student is at risk of significant harm or in immediate danger this will be reported to the DSL as a matter of urgency. We will contact parents/carers should safeguarding concerns arise about their child, unless to do so would increase the risk of harm to the child. In this instance, we take further advice and guidance from our children’s social care team.


If you are ever concerned about the safety or wellbeing of any child, please speak directly to:

  • A member of the Safeguarding Team named above
  • Any member of the staff team at school
  • MASH (Social Services) on 01793 466903

NSPCC helpline – 08088005000

If you are concerned about a child or are looking for advice about a child, and would like to speak with a duty social worker, get in touch with The Swindon Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) using the contact details below.

Contact Swindon office hours

Normal office hours are 8.30am to 4.40pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8.30am to 4.00m on Friday. Call 01793 464646 and choose Option 2, or email: contactswindon@swindon.gov.uk

Out of hours

The Emergency Duty Service (EDS) provides an emergency contact point for all aspects of social work in Swindon outside normal office hours. This includes cover during the night, weekends and bank holidays.

The EDS is available on 01793 436699.

If you think that a child is in immediate danger, contact the police emergency line by dialling 999.

NSPCC is keeping children safe with PANTS (The Underwear Rule)

Duty of Care

All staff at South Marston have a duty of care to report concerns when they arise. If a member of staff has a concern about a child, they will report it to the Designated Safeguarding or the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. Parents and carers will be informed of such concerns unless to do so would increase the risk to the child.

A written record of any concern will be kept on file and shared with other Safeguarding professionals as necessary. Written records and any other documentation related to Safeguarding will be transferred to the children's new schools when they leave South Marston. South Marston CE Primary will not keep copies of any documents transferred to new schools. We work in line with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe In Education’ and follow the information-sharing guidance included in this document and in ‘Information-sharing : advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers.’

 

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024

NSPCC Safeguarding Children and Child Protection

NSPCC Child Protection in the UK

Swindon Safeguarding Partnership

Prevent Duty Guidance 2023

Prevent Duty

Preventing Radicalisation in school

Building resilience in our young people and the promotion of fundamental British values is at the heart of preventing radicalisation. We do this by providing a safe place in which children can discuss issues, and we aim to give them the knowledge and confidence to challenge extremist beliefs and ideologies.

Our new prevent duty, is carried out under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which legally requires us to take steps to prevent pupils from being drawn into terrorism. We take this duty seriously and carry out the four main actions responsibly, namely: risk assessment, working in partnership, staff training and IT policies.

If we assess a child as at risk, we will refer to the Channel Programme, which focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.

We recognise that we play a vital role in keeping children safe from harm, including from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and in promoting the welfare of children in our care.

What we do if there is a concern

If we have a concern about a particular pupil we will follow the school’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the school’s designated safeguarding lead, and where deemed necessary, with children’s social care.

We may also contact the local police force or dial 101 (the non-emergency number). They can talk to us in confidence about concerns and help us gain access to support and advice.

The Department for Education has dedicated a telephone helpline (020 7340 7264) to enable staff and governors to raise concerns relating to extremism directly. Concerns can also be raised by email to counter.extremism@education.gsi.gov.uk.

Please note that the helpline is not intended for use in emergency situations, such as a child being at immediate risk of harm or a security incident.

In an emergency situation we will follow the recommended emergency procedures.

 

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and Procedures

Advice for Parents and Carers (County Lines)

Protecting your child from extremism

Fornite Parent Fact sheet

Online Safety Policy

Youtube Parent Fact sheet

PANTS Safeguarding for Parents

Talk PANTS NSPCC poster

Contact Us

Happy to answer any questions

Address

  • Old Vicarage Lane
    South Marston, Swindon
    Wiltshire
    SN3 4SH

Telephone Number

01793 823379

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