Safeguarding and Child Protection

Safeguarding Statement

Safeguarding is the action taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.  Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child. Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation applies to all children up to the age of 18.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility.  Everyone who comes into contact with children has a role to play. Horspath Church of England Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff, governors, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment. Staff listen to all pupils and take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is for children to enjoy their time as pupils in this school, and feel safe and secure in the environment.

Staff and governors at Horspath understand our responsibilities and duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements exist within our setting; and to identify and support those children who are suffering harm or are likely to suffer harm. The school’s safeguarding team includes:

Designated Safeguarding Lead

• Mrs Serena Courtney – headteacher

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

• Mr Jordan Mayling – senior teacher

Additional Deputy Safeguarding Leads

• Mrs Michelle Bailey – school business manager

Safeguarding Governor

• Mrs Emily Elias

In order to ensure we promote a safe environment for pupils, the selection and recruitment process at Horspath includes a number of checks for new staff, governors and regular volunteers, including criminal records checks, in accordance with legislation. If you have any concerns about a child’s safety or welfare please contact the school office and arrange to speak to a member of our safeguarding team.

If you are unable to speak to a member of our school safeguarding team and have a safeguarding concern, please contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) directly on 0345 050 7666 or use this online form.

Our first priority is our pupils’ welfare and we are required to take any reasonable action to ensure their safety. There may be occasions when we have reason to be concerned that a child may be subject to ill-treatment, neglect or other forms of abuse. We will discuss our concerns about a child with their parents first, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare. If this is the case we are obliged to follow safeguarding and child protection procedures established by the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board and inform the Children’s Social Care team of the concern.

Please see the Safeguarding and Child Protection folder under Policies and Statutory Information for further information and advice, or follow this link. 

USEFUL INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

NSPCC Learn the underwear rule

• Click here to open a great leaflet produced by the NSPCC about how to talk to your child in simple language about keeping safe from abuse. 

Educate Against Hate

• Click here to access a website for parents and schools to help protect children from the risk of radicalisation.