Safeguarding
Safeguarding Statement
Safeguarding is EVERYONE'S business!
Aureus Primary School and GLF Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
This means that we have a Child Protection and Safeguarding policy and Procedures in place which can be viewed on our website. All staff (including supply staff, volunteers and School Strategy Board members) must ensure that they are aware of these procedures.
Children have a right to be cared for and protected. Protecting them is everyone’s responsibility. At Aureus Primary School we have a duty of care to ensure that all pupils are kept safe. We are committed to providing a secure and supportive environment in which children can develop and grow into mature and responsible people. Safeguarding children is an essential part of our approach to ensure that children are protected from abuse and neglect and that every child reaches their full potential. The best interests of the children will always be our priority. As such, there are times we will need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about children's welfare. We may need to record, monitor and share information with other agencies. We will share concerns about our pupils with the child’s parents/carers unless we have reason to believe that such an approach would not be in the child's best interests.
At Aureus Primary School we place a huge amount of importance on your child's safety and wellbeing. All our staff have a responsibility to create a safe environment for our children, therefore every member of staff at Aureus Primary school receives safeguarding training annually and reads Keeping Children Safe In Education in order to keep up to date. Training ensures all our staff are able to identify concerns early, provide help and support to children and families and prevent concerns from escalating.
Our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs)
Safeguarding Lead: Sarah-Jane Lewis
Safeguarding Deputies: Danielle Clelland, Alex Wilder-Woods, Sarah Beeton, Emily Heathcott, Nina Lawson and Sophie Hamonda
Safeguarding SSB member: Anita Paterson
You can also contact:
LADOs and School Safeguarding Team
To report an allegation against a person in a position of trust, please contact the LADO and Schools safeguarding team
Schools Safeguarding Team 01865 810603
LADO.safeguardingchildren@oxfordshire.gov.uk
If you are concerned about a child’s welfare, please record your concern and any observations or conversations that you may have heard and report this to one of the safeguarding leads as soon as possible that day. Do NOT conduct your own investigation.
Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH): 0345 0507 666
Childline: 0800 1111
NSPCC: 0808 800 5000
If you have concerns regarding e-safety please follow this link: http://www.oscb.org.uk/e-safety/
For more information visit our Policies page
Keeping Children Safe in Education
The Department for Education (DfE) has published an updated version of the statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance for schools in England, Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE)
At the bottom of this page you can find a useful document from the NSPCC outlining key changes from 2022 to this document. These changes include:
- incorporating the DfE’s advice on Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges
- setting out the safeguarding implications for schools of human rights and equality legislation
- providing more information on managing low level concerns
- reinforcing the importance of talking to parents about children’s access to online sites when away from school.
Ensuring your child's safety...Safer Recruitment
Every member of staff at Aureus Primary School is rigorously checked to ensure that they are suitable to work in our school. This means that this includes:
- when we advertise we make our checks about safeguarding very clear.
- applicants have to complete an application form on eTeach - CV's are not considered.
- positions are only secured when satisfactory references have been received and checked.
- Enhanced DBS check is undertaken
Designated Safeguarding Lead/Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads
Parents and carers play a role in safeguarding children in their community. If you have any concerns, no matter how small, you should report them to Mrs Lewis or Mrs Clelland.
If you have any concerns about a child, please raise this with our designated safeguarding lead, Mrs Sarah-Jane Lewis, or one of our Deputy safeguarding leads: Mrs Clelland, Mrs Wilder-Woods, Mrs Heathcott, Mrs Hamonda, Mrs Beeton or Mrs Lawson.
Our link governors for safeguarding is Anita Paterson.
Please refer to our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy for further information.
If a child is in immediate danger call the police on 999..
Immediate Safeguarding Concerns
The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is the front door to Children’s Social Care for all child protection and immediate safeguarding concerns. If there is an immediate safeguarding concern where a child is deemed at risk or has potentially suffered significant harm, the MASH team should be contacted immediately.
For example:
- Allegations/concerns that the child has been sexually/physically abused.
- Concerns that the child is suffering from severe neglect or other severe health risks.
- Concern that a child is living in or will be returned to a situation that may place him/her at immediate risk.
- The child is frightened to return home.
- The child has been abandoned or parent is absent.
If you have a concern about a child, please call MASH on 0345 050 7666 during office hours (8.30am – 5pm, Monday to Thursday, 8.30am – 4pm, Friday)
Outside office hours call the Emergency Duty Team on 0800 833 408
Keeping your child safe
We create a culture and ethos in our school of trust and support. Children should be able to talk to any one of our caring staff if they have concerns or worries (or for any other reason). If your child says something that is concerning this may be noted down on our computer based system and the safeguarding leads will be notified. Staff will also be vigilant for signs of any abuse, for example: bruises in peculiar places, extreme hunger or tiredness, change of personality, change in appearance etc.
Usually staff will ask you about this directly - and sometimes there will be a very plausible reason for this. This is why it is vital that you keep us informed if something happens at home so that we can do our very best to support your child.
If the designated leads feel that you may need some extra support the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub will be contacted with a referral. You will generally be informed that we are going to make a referral directly - unless we feel that your child will be in danger if we did so - in which case they will be contacted without prior discussion with the parent.
If the multi agency hub believe that the referral meets their threshold they will carry out an assessment of need, contacting other professionals and yourselves. A meeting will be held to see if the information meets the criteria for Child Protection and you will be given support and guidance with the aim to provide your child with a safe and secure childhood - the minimum any parent desires for their child.
Local Area Designated Officer (LADO)
The role of the LADO is to ensure that allegations against people working with children are progressed in a timely and appropriate way. The role covers all settings where people work with children (e.g. football clubs, church groups, childminders) not just Oxfordshire County Council employees.
The LADO should be made aware of all cases in which it is alleged that a person who works with children has:
- behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child
- possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
- behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates s/he is unsuitable to work with children
If you need to report an allegation, you can do so by contacting the LADO on 01865 810603.
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass aims, by directly connecting police and schools, to secure better outcomes for children, to enable schools to better understand the impact living with domestic abuse has upon children, to help schools to better understand a child’s lived experience and to therefore be able to support and nurture each child , making a child’s day better and giving them a better tomorrow.
We are signed up to Operation Encompass. Where a child has been present at an incident of domestic abuse and police have attended, school will be notified so we can ensure children receive timely support. As a school we will support children and their families who have or are experiencing domestic abuse. Please see the poster below and come in to speak to Mrs Lewis or Mrs Clelland if you need more information.
Click here for an Operation Encompass information poster for parents.
Online safety
The internet has changed all of our lives, particularly our children’s. New technologies have become integral to the lives of children and young people in today’s society, both within schools and in their lives outside school. At Aureus Primary School, we follow the guidance as set by the DfE, Oxfordshire LEA, CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) and Think u Know, which is run by CEOP and is a resource for teachers, parents and children.
Click here for the link to CEOPs (Child Exploitation and Online Abuse website)
Click here for the link to Childline.
Click here for the link to report suspected abuse to the local authority
Click here for advice to parents/carers in keeping children safe from abuse and harm
Click here for Domestic Abuse support
