Safeguarding

Safeguarding

St Marie’s Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all of our children and families and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy which can be downloaded below.

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with his/her parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.

We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism as well as British Values.

We are proud to be an ‘Operation Encompass‘ school; a police-led initiative to support children who may have witnessed or been affected by domestic abuse.

St Marie’s adopts the safeguarding policies and procedures created by Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB).

SSCB provide easily accessible and up-to-date safeguarding information for professionals, and for children, young people, families and members of the public.

We all have a statutory duty to “safeguard and promote the welfare of children”.

Any allegation or disclosure involving someone who works with children in a paid or voluntary capacity must be reported directly to the Head, unless it involves the Head and then it should be reported directly to the Chair of the Governing Body.

The people you should talk to at this setting are:

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is:

John Fernandes (Headteacher)

His office is located near the school main office

His telephone number is: 0114 2301904

Our Designated Safeguarding Deputy (DSD) is:

Alison Fenton

Her classroom is located in the KS2 area – Year 6

Her telephone number is 0114 2301904

Our Designated Safeguarding Deputy (DSD) and the Lead for Looked After and Vulnerable Children

& Special Education Needs Coordinator is:

Maria Fernandes (Deputy Headteacher)

Her office is located near the school main office

Her classroom is located in the KS2 area – Year 5

Her telephone number is 0114 2301904

Our Chair of Governors & safeguarding Governor is:

Candida Calvert

They can be contacted via Mrs Graham in the school office or on email:

chairofgovernors@st-maries.sheffield.sch.uk 

If you need any help or have any safeguarding concerns, please contact Mr Fernandes, our Designated Safeguarding Lead, at school.

Please don’t forget the ‘Whisper’ button on the school website.

This is an anonymous reporting service for pupils, families and local community that allows you to send a message to a confidential school email account where staff experienced in responding to issues will receive it. 

Alternatively, 

Do you have a concern about a child’s safety?

Sheffield Safeguarding Hub: 0114 2734855

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000

Police (Emergency): 999

Police (Non-emergency): 101

Are you a child who is concerned about your own or someone else’s safety?

Childline: 0800 1111

Police (Emergency): 999

Police (Non-emergency): 101

ONLINE SAFETY ADVICE FOR PARENTS

Parents and carers play an important role in keeping children safe online- but don’t worry, you don’t have to be an expert! One of the main things that you can do is talk to your children about what they are doing online, be vigilant and monitor how long they are online for. It is also hugely important to ensure that they are using websites and apps which are suitable for their age.

For information about all aspects of online safety, including age-ratings for apps and advice for limiting screen time, please click here. You will also find information about how to set up and activate parental controls offered by your internet provider.

If you have any other concerns or would like more support, please contact Mr Fernandes at school.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS

Whilst lots of Parents and Carers really enjoy seeing photos and videos of their children’s school life we are very mindful of our duty of care towards all our pupils. We take the issue of safeguarding very seriously and this includes the use of photographic and video images.

Any photographs or videos taken by Parents, Carers and relatives at school productions, sports days or other events are for the enjoyment of individual families. They must not be used in any way that could potentially place a child at risk. This would include publishing images in any form of print or on the internet including social networking sites. This is emphasised before concerts and shows and where practical a record of parents and relatives taking photographs or videos is made.

In line with GDPR regulation, the school has a strict ‘opt-in’ policy in which the permission of Parents/Carers when using pictures of our children for internal and external use.

WE ARE AN OPERATION ENCOMPASS SCHOOL

AUTUMN 2021

Dear Parents/Carers,

Last summer, the government asked Ofsted to complete a sexual abuse review in England’s schools and colleges. Ofsted’s full report can be found by clicking here.

Ofsted’s review has revealed how prevalent sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are for children and young people across all schools/colleges across England (including primary settings). It is concerning that for some children, incidents are so commonplace that they see no point in reporting them.

The review recommends that schools, colleges and multi-agency partners act as though sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are happening, even when there are no specific reports.

Following the publication of the report, it was felt that summarising this report for parents/carers in our school would provide an important context to the national situation as well as re-assurance of the strategies we have in place at St Marie’s to ensure that all of our children are safeguarded and protected.

Please click here to see our summary on the school website.