Safeguarding
At St. Marie’s Primary School, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and their families are at the heart of everything we do. We are fully committed to ensuring that all our staff and volunteers share in this responsibility.
We have comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures in place, including our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy, which can be accessed below. These policies help guide our actions and decisions to ensure the safety and well-being of all our pupils.
In situations where concerns arise about a child’s welfare, we may need to work collaboratively with external agencies to ensure the best outcomes. Wherever possible, we will engage with parents and carers before sharing any concerns, unless doing so could compromise the child’s safety.
St. Marie’s is proud to actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda, which aims to protect children from the risks of radicalisation and extremism. We also embed British Values into our school culture to foster a safe and inclusive environment.
Furthermore, we are an Operation Encompass school, meaning we work closely with the police to support children who may have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse.
As part of our commitment to safeguarding, St. Marie’s adheres to the policies and procedures outlined by the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB), which provides up-to-date and accessible safeguarding information for professionals, families, and the wider public.
We all share a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. If any allegations or disclosures are made concerning individuals working with children—whether paid or voluntary—these must be reported directly to the Headteacher. In the event that the allegation involves the Headteacher, 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 Safeguarding Governors is:
Matt O’Connor
He can be contacted via the school office or on email:
moconnor@st-maries.sheffield.sch.uk
Our Chair of Governors is:
Bruce Byrne
He can be contacted via the school office or on email:
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.
