Safeguarding

At Annfield Plain Infant School, we regard the safeguarding of children as our main priority. We believe that we all have the right to be happy, to be safe and to learn. We all have the responsibility to make this happen.

We will ensure that:

• The welfare of the child remains paramount;

• All children whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/ or sexual identity have the right to be protected from harm;

• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately;

• All staff and volunteers working at our school have a responsibility to report concerns to the designated leads for safeguarding: Mrs Kane, Mr Urwin, Mrs Clayson and Mrs Wright;

• Our safeguarding lead governor is Mrs Susan Scott.

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Areas of Safeguarding

Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include statutory compliance and best practise for: o Staff & Visitors- ensuring they are vetted, informed & trained;

• Children’s Behaviour- promoting safer & happier behaviours & lifestyles;

• Parents & Carers- promoting links & supporting families;

• Premises -keeping them safe, pleasant & fit for purpose;

• Curriculum -providing positive, life affirming learning experiences;

• Outside School- ensuring safer activities and environments outside school.

Members of Staff Responsible

We are all responsible for ensuring that each child remains safe. The designated leads for safeguarding and senior mental health leads are Mrs. Kane, Mr Urwin, Mrs Clayson and Mrs Wright. Our mental health first aiders are Mr Urwin, Mrs Martin and Mrs Waters. All governors and staff are Prevent trained.

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Safer Recruitment

We follow strict procedures to ensure that all who work with our children are vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible. All applicants and volunteers must be willing to undergo rigorous safer recruitment screening, including checks with past employees and the Disclosure & Barring Services. Ongoing checks and ‘whistle-blowing’ (confidential reporting policy) are in line with current statutory requirements. Staff trained in safer recruitment are Mrs Kane and Mr Urwin. Governor trained in safer recruitment is Mrs Scott.

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Staff Training

• Staff are trained in child protection issues and they are aware of the procedures to follow.

• Staff are encouraged to be vigilant in order to maintain the safety of our children.

• All staff and volunteers adhere to and re-visit annually: school’s ‘Behaviour Guidelines for Staff & Volunteers’; the document ‘KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN EDUCATION ’; School’s Safeguarding, Positive Handling, Data Protection, Online Safety and E-Safety policies;

• Staff are regularly updated with Durham’s Safeguarding Partnership’s serious case reviews and lessons learnt from them to ensure they have the most up to date information.

• Staff have completed training and are updated in a range of safeguarding, which includes: Prevent, Harmful Sexual Behaviours, Child Exploitation, FGM, First Aid, Data Protection, Fire Safety, Online Safety, Cyber Security, Managing Medications and regularly review good practise documents e.g around County Lines, mental health and wellbeing etc.