Providing a happy, comfortable, productive and, above all, safe and secure environment for pupils to thrive in is at the forefront of all we do at St Gabriel’s. This information is intended to explain some of the ways that we do this.

The person who leads on safeguarding pupils is called the designated safeguarding lead (DSL). The DSL is Mrs Short. If you have any questions or comments about the safeguarding of pupils, then you can contact Mrs Short via the main school office.

All staff, governors and volunteers receive regular training covering all aspects of safeguarding pupils, and we have a robust programme of continuing professional development in place.

St Gabriel’s Nominated Safeguarding Staff are:

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs J Short

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads: Mrs C Baker, Mrs M Miller and Mrs J Caley 

Designated Safeguarding Governor: Mr S Terry 

Being safe within the school grounds and creating a safe environment is a responsibility for all staff, governors and parents. To meet these responsibilities, we have policies in place to help ensure that all staff, pupils and stakeholders have a consistent approach. These policies include the following:

 

Name Of Policy  Purpose of the Policy 
Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy This policy ensures all our staff are trained to identify and respond to areas of concern. Training is held regularly to keep staff up-to-date with child protection and safeguarding legislation and policy updates.

All staff have training within this area.  There are various members of staff additionally trained to provide extra support as needed
Recruitment Policy This policy aims to prevent risk and highlight to the community the robust standards within the school. We actively use safer recruitment techniques in advertising and interviewing for roles within the school – this includes checks such as Disclosure and Barring Service checks, asking for references and identity checks.
Anti-Bullying Policy This policy enables staff to highlight any areas of concern to the correct person through the correct channels. Bullying, in any form, shall not be tolerated.
Attendance and Truancy Policy The school monitors the attendance of pupils and follows up on any patterns or trends.  This is to ensure there is a full level of support given to the pupils, and any barriers to learning can be addressed.
Staff Code of Conduct All members of staff have to adhere to the Staff Code of Conduct, which outlines the standards the school maintains in order to provide the best learning and support for the pupils.
Online Safety Policy As part of the overall safeguarding policy, online-safety is of the utmost importance. Pupils spend time using a variety of electronic devices, both at school and at home. Support must be given to guide them on how to use the internet safely, as well as recognise and report threats.
Visitor Policy This policy outlines how the school deals with visitors. The provisions allow the school to monitor who is on site and ensure proper safeguarding procedures are followed regarding those who potentially have access to the pupils.

 

 

 

The governing body has a responsibility to make sure that, at St Gabriel’s , we are keeping pupils safe and are compliant with safeguarding legislation. The governors do this by visits to school, safeguarding reports from the Head Teacher during termly meetings, questioning the Head Teacher and other staff members and conversations with pupils. All members of the governing body have undertaken safeguarding training so they are up to date with the current legislation.

The governing body delegates some aspects of the monitoring of safeguarding practice and compliance at St Gabriel’s to a governor who has the appropriate knowledge and has received specific training. The governor who has responsibility for monitoring safeguarding is Mr S Terry.

 

Keeping Children Safe In Education

What School Must Do

A child should be able to go to school and feel safe so that they can achieve their very best.

  • Anybody who works or volunteers at St Gabriel’s will be DBS checked to make sure they are safe to work with children.
  • The school has a designated Senior Person for Safeguarding who has had extra training to know what to do when a concern is brought to them.
  • We will always listen to you and work closely with you if we are concerned about your child but, sometimes, we may not be able to discuss our concern. The school has a safeguarding policy which tells you more about this and when we must speak to the police or children’s services.
  • We will help your child to learn about keeping themselves safe. Lessons can include healthy eating, anti- bullying, e-safety, road safety, fire safety, healthy relationships, drug and alcohol awareness. As part of these lessons your child will be told what to do if they are worried or concerned about their safety.

What Parents Must Do

Parents are the most important people to keep their children safe. You should always

  • Feel confident to raise concerns about your child.
  • Talk to school if you need help or support.
  • Read the school policies about safety issues.
  • Let the school know if your child has a medical condition.
  • Let the school know if you have any court orders relating to the safety of your child.
  • Let the school know if there is a change in your circumstances such as a house move, a new contact number, a change of name, a change of parental responsibility, change of person dropping off or collecting your child.

Keeping Children Safe

St Gabriel’s is committed to creating a happy and safe environment for our children to learn.

This leaflet will help you understand how we keep your children safe by telling you:

  • How children can be harmed
  • What we must do to keep your child safe from harm
  • What you must do as a parent to help your child be safe and enjoy school

Child Protection

This is an important subject in which all staff receive regular training. Our priority is to work with you but there may be times when we have to involve other people.

Everybody has a responsibility to keep all children under the age of 18 safe. Harm is identifies in four ways:

Physical– This is when a child is deliberately hurt or injured.

Sexual– This is when a child is influenced or forced to take part in a sexual activity. This can be a physical activity or non physical, e.g. being made to look at an inappropriate image.

Emotional– This is when a child is made to feel frightened, worthless or unloved. It can be by shouting, using threats or making fun of someone. It can also be when children see their parents, or visitors to their home, fighting or using violence.

Neglect– This is when a child is not being taken care of by their parents. It can be poor hygiene, poor diet, not keeping appointments for additional support, not coming to school or being left alone.

Safeguarding Issues

Attendance– Your child’s attendance is monitored daily and significant absences are always followed up by the attendance officer. St Gabriel’s attendance officer is Mrs Benson. The school has an attendance policy that you should read and understand.

Behaviour– St Gabriel’s has clear behaviour rules for the whole school community that must be followed to keep everyone safe and happy. We understand that children do sometimes fall out and this will be dealt with by an adult who will listen and to the children involved and help to resolve the situation.

Bullying- The school takes all cases of bullying very seriously and will work with children and families to try and resolve any problems. The school has an anti- bullying policy that you should read and understand.

Health and Safety– Everyone at St Gabriel’s has a responsibility to ensure that all children and adults are working in a safe environment. The school has a clear health and safety policy which everyone must follow. The school have fully trained first aiders to deal with any accidents in school.

E-Safety- The school recognises that technology plays an important role in the education of all children and is committed to safeguarding children in the virtual world. To support parents, the school has e-safety information to help keep your children safe both in school and at home.

Complaints– If you have any complaints about how the school is working with you or your child please feel confident to speak to us. The Head Teacher will always be happy to speak to you to resolve any difficulties. It is better to speak to us as soon as you have a concern so that it does not become a bigger issue. If you do not feel the matter has been resolved, you can raise your concerns with the governing body.