Safeguarding pupils is a key priority for us at Wembury Primary School.

Below are a number of links, and information, on how Wembury Primary aims to keep children safe and how parents and carers can keep children safe at home.

Safeguarding

We recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils. We endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and follow our procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice. 

We believe that: 

• The welfare of the child is paramount
• All children, regardless of age, gender, ability, culture, race, language, religion or sexual identity, have equal rights to protection
• All staff have an equal responsibility to act on any suspicion or disclosure that may suggest a child is at risk of harm
• Pupils and staff involved in child protection issues will receive appropriate support

Our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) are:  Mrs Lyn Chamberlain (Joint Acting Headteacher), Mrs Susie Jackson (Joint Acting Headteacher) and Mrs Linda Aldridge (Business Manager). You can contact our DSLs on 01752 862459 or by email on admin@wembury-primary.devon.sch.uk

We are required to draw the attention of parents and carers to our Child Protection/Safeguarding policy. This can be accessed in the Useful Policies and Key Information section Below.

Our policy will tell you about potential safeguarding risks, key staff and our referrals procedure.

We must inform all parents and carers that there may be occasions where we have to make safeguarding referrals to external agencies, without parental notification. In these cases, we assure you that we are always acting in the best interests of a child’s safety.

Report Harassment or Abuse in Education: NSPCC New Helpline launched: 0800 136 663 or email help@nspcc.org.uk

The NSPCC have launched the above  dedicated helpline for children and young people who have experienced sexual harassment or abuse at school and for worried adults and professionals that need support and guidance. 

Child Sexual Exploitation

All schools have an important role in addressing this issue through their programmes of PSHE education.

The importance of PSHE education in helping to keep children safe has been highlighted in the Ofsted report: The sexual exploitation of children: it couldn't happen here, could it? (November 2014).

Prevent

The new Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 places a legal duty on public bodies (including schools) to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’. The legal duty is backed by statutory guidance that sets a range of expectations on schools. The statutory guidance will be monitored via existing inspection procedures, such as OfSTED.

Therefore we are duty bound to:

• Teach a broad and balanced curriculum.
• Promote fundamental British values.
• Assess the risk of pupils being drawn into terrorism and support for extremism.
• Train key staff to give them the knowledge and confidence to identify children at risk.
• Protect children from terrorist and extremist material when accessing the internet at school.
• Ensure robust safeguarding policies are in place to identify children at risk, intervene and refer pupils as appropriate.

e-Safety

E-Safety is an integral part of our Computing curriculum. All of the children will learn how to be safe on the internet as well as know what to do if they come across something inappropriate online. They will also learn about digital foot-printing and sharing their personal information online as well as the safe use of social network sites.

We follow a teaching progression across the whole school - starting in Foundation Stage and running through to Year 6. Click below in the resource list to access the SWGfL E-Safety planning progression. This will give you an outline of what is taught during each year group.

Click here to access the CEOP-Think U Know website - a great resource for teaching your children all about staying safe on the internet.

Operation Encompass

• Operation Encompass is an initiative enhances communication between the police and schools where a child is at risk from domestic abuse.
• It is a process used to inform schools when the police have attended an incident of domestic violence or abuse, where domestic abuse incidents have occurred in the homes of their pupils since the previous school day.
• The purpose of the information sharing is to ensure schools have more information to support safeguarding of children. By knowing that the child has had this experience, the school is in a better position to understand and be supportive of the child's needs and possible behaviours
• Operation Encompass will complement existing safeguarding procedures

FGM

MASH- Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub

(For concerns regarding a pupil living in the Devon catchment.)

The Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is the central resource for the whole of Devon receiving all safeguarding and child protection enquiries.

If you are worried about a child or young person in Devon and want to speak to someone, or if you are a child or young person worried about your own safety please contact the MASH on 0345 155 1071 or email mashsecure@devon.gov.uk and give as much information as you can

Plymouth Gateway

(For concerns regarding a pupil living in the Plymouth catchment.)

The Gateway is the central resource for the whole of Plymouth receiving all safeguarding and child protection enquiries.

If you are worried about a child or young person in Plymouth and want to speak to someone, or if you are a child or young person worried about your own safety please contact the Gateway on 01752 668000 or email gateway@plymouth.gov and give as much information as you can.

Bullying

How do you define bullying? Often children and parents will use the term too quickly.

What can be said is it is NOT -

Friends being occasionally nasty/teasing

A one off argument or fight

Falling out with a friend

These are traits of typical playground behaviour. However at Wembury Primary School, we take a ZERO tolerance towards -

Behaviour that is persistent, goes on for a while or happens more than once

Deliberate - wanting to hurt, harm or make fun of the target

A Person, or group, that is stronger, maybe older than the target

What must be remembered is these things have to happen together to be labelled as BULLYING. 

If you feel your child is being bullied contact school, try to avoid getting angry, or threatening to speak to the other child or their parent, as this may cause more trauma for your child. Above all you need to try and remain calm and listen.

Online Safety and Cyber Bullying

With an increase in social networking sites it can be so easy to let friends take a silly photo and then post it for a laugh online. However what one person may see as a joke might be really upsetting for another. Within a very short space of time it could go viral/worldwide.

To keep your child safe online remind them of these tips;  

• Never give out personal information, such as full name, address, date of birth, where you are going. This can easily be shared through friends of a friend of a friend...people you don't know or trust.
• Would you let anyone else use your toothbrush? NO! So don't share a password.
• Think before you send a message about yourself or anyone else. Is it something you would say or share with your parents or even grandparents, if not then don't share it online, it won't take long for it to be shared with everyone you know!
• Before sharing a photo or information ask permission, it might feel like a joke but it can be equally upsetting.
• Sometimes you may receive a nasty text or email - tell an adult (at home or at school) they can help to block the person sending them.

Further Useful Links