‘Because of their day-to-day contact with individual children during school terms, teachers and other school staff are particularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse, changes in behaviour or failure to develop’

(Working Together - Under the Children Act, 1989)

1.1. An effective whole school child protection policy is one which provides clear direction to staff and others about expected codes of behaviour in dealing with child protection issues and an effective policy also makes explicit the school’s commitment to the development of good practice and sound procedures. This ensures that child protection concerns and referrals may be handled sensitively, professionally and in ways that support the needs of the child.

2.1. Oakworth Primary School has a Statement of Aims, as follows:

• To enable children to develop their potential in all aspects of the curriculum and in particular, in acquiring effective skills in literacy, numeracy and information communication technology.
• To develop in children a love of learning.
• To foster attitudes which will instil self-confidence in pupils, create in them a sense of personal excellence and help them to acquire knowledge and skills relevant to life and work in a fast changing world.
• To provide children with an education appropriate to the world beyond the school.
• To help children to live together within a community, developing a sensitivity to others and becoming responsible, independent people.
• To develop a positive sense of moral responsibility and self-discipline.
• To develop in children spiritual awareness.
• To provide opportunities for children to develop personal interests and widen their field of knowledge and understanding.
• To support children’s emotional development and well being.

The procedures and approaches outlined in this policy fall within the context of these whole school aims.

2.2. Our school fully recognises the contribution it can make to protect children and support pupils in school and is fully committed to doing so. There are three main elements to our Child Protection policy.

a) Prevention:

(e.g., positive school atmosphere, teaching and pastoral, support to pupils)

b) Protection:

(By following agreed procedures, ensuring staff are trained and supported to respond appropriately and sensitively to Child Protection concerns)

c) Support:

(to pupils and school staff and to children who may have been abused).

2.3 This policy applies to all children who attend and all staff who are employed by Oakworth Primary School.

3.1. We recognise that for children, high self-esteem, confidence, supportive friends and clear lines of communication with a trusted adult helps prevention.

Our school will therefore:

a) Establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure and are encouraged to talk, and are listened to.

b) Ensure that children know that there are adults in the school who they can approach if they are worried or are in difficulty.

c) Be aware that changes in behaviour may indicate a need that a child may choose not to express.

d) Include in the curriculum activities and opportunities for PSHCE which equip children with the skills they need to stay safe from abuse. Details of this may be found in the PSHCE policy and/or scheme of work.

e) Ensure that wherever possible every effort will be made to establish effective working relationships with parents and colleagues from other agencies.

4.1 Schools do not operate in isolation. Child protection is the responsibility of all adults and especially those working with children. The development of appropriate procedures and the monitoring of good practice are the responsibilities of the Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC). The ACPC recommends that:

· We are careful to recognise any signs of suspected child abuse and report these concerns immediately to the Child Protection Co-ordinator or to the Headteacher.

· We monitor children who may be at risk and record our observations, keeping the records in a safe place.

· We encourage relationships with parents where we hope they feel able to talk openly to members of staff.

· We liaise regularly with support services and other agencies and encourage them to do so with us.

· We receive training and share this with all staff.

5.1. All adults working with or on behalf of children have a responsibility to protect children. There are, however, key people within schools and the LEA who have specific responsibilities under Child Protection procedures. The names of those carrying these responsibilities for the current year are listed on the cover sheet of this document.

5.2 The Designated Child Protection Co-ordinator receives information from members of staff. It is his/her responsibility to decide when to log this information in the school’s record and when to refer to the relevant agencies.

5.3 The school has statutory responsibilities in the area of child protection and the Headteacher has overall responsibility for child protection within the school.

5.4. The named governor responsible for child protection liaises closely with the Designated Child Protection Co-ordinator in order to establish that adopted procedures are being adhered to and to establish the frequency of incidents or referrals. No details of individual children or families is passed to the named governor and he/she is not party to any of the referral details.

6.1. We will follow the procedures set out in the document produced by the

Bradford Child Protection Committee ‘Child Protection Procedures and Information’.

The school’s Designated Child Protection Co-ordinator regularly updates staff as to any changes to procedures followed by the school staff. He/she also meets with all new staff in

order to ensure they each have knowledge of the procedures and ways of working adopted by the school. Parents are informed of the school’s duties and responsibilities under the Child Protection procedures via the school’s Booklet of Information. New parents all receive a copy of this when their children are admitted to the school. In addition, information letters or items on Newsletters from the Headteacher are sent to parents via their children.

7.1. Our school will ensure that the Head Teacher, the Designated Teacher and the nominated governor for Child Protection attend training relevant to their role.

The Designated Teacher also holds update sessions for groups of staff; (e.g. lunchtime supervisors, learning support assistants). If staff have concerns as to procedures or details regarding individual children they may discuss their concerns at any time with the Designated Teacher or the Headteacher.

8.1. Confidentiality is an issue which needs to be discussed and fully understood by all those working with children, particularly in the context of child protection. The only purpose of confidentiality in this respect is to benefit the child.

Teachers and other adults working in school must never guarantee confidentiality to a child relating to information the child may have divulged. In doing so the member of staff would risk breaking a child’s trust if information needed to be referred further. If a child wants an adult to keep something that the child has said a secret, the adult should say that he/she may not be able to keep it a secret but that it would only be told to someone in order to keep the child safe. The adult should be sure not to ask leading questions but the child should be re-assured that only people who are strictly necessary in protecting the child will be involved.

9.1. Well-kept records are essential to good child protection practice. Our school is clear about the need to record any concerns held about a child or children within our school, the status of such records and when these records should be passed over to other agencies.

Our school operates a system of the staff notifying the Child Protection Co-ordinator of every concern that they may have, even if this may not be referred to other agencies. This enables the Co-ordinator to gather information over a period of time that may then be useful if a referral ever needs to be made. The school works within the “Bradford and Airedale Child Protection Committee” guidelines and procedures and therefore follows the procedures in the flowchart detailed in Section 11 of that document. The records are kept separately from other records in school and no members of staff other than the Head, Deputy and Child Protection Co-ordinator have access to them. The Co-ordinator informs the Head when a member of staff has raised a concern and this sharing of information enables a child to be monitored. When the Co-ordinator feels that sufficient concern has been raised about a child, she contacts the Child Protection Unit (CPU) of Social Services to seek advice. The school is aware that the CPU is always willing to receive information from schools .

When a child leaves our school any records of referral or notes of concern are passed confidentially from our school’s Co-ordinator to the Named Person at the receiving school.

If a Child Protection Conference is convened, it would be normal for the Designated Child Protection Co-ordinator and/or Headteacher to attend. In addition, the child’s class teacher may be requested to attend. If this were the case then the Designated Teacher and Headteacher would advise as to concise notes being prepared in advance of the conference.

11.1. Our school recognises that children who are abused or who witness violence may find it difficult to develop a sense of self worth and to view the world in a positive way. This school may be the only stable, secure and predictable element in the lives of children at risk and a consistent approach by all adults in school is essential. Whilst at school, their behaviour may still be challenging and defiant and it may be necessary to consider exclusion from school.

It is also recognised that some children who have experienced abuse may in turn abuse others. This requires a considered, sensitive approach in order that the child can receive appropriate help and support.

11.2. This school will endeavour to support pupils through:

a) the curriculum to encourage self-esteem and self-motivation.

b) the school ethos which promotes a positive, supportive and

secure environment and which gives all pupils and adults a sense of being respected and valued.

c) the implementation of school behaviour management policies.

d) a consistent approach, which recognises and separates the cause of

behaviour from that which the child displays. This is vital to ensure that all children are supported within the school setting.

e) regular liaison with other professionals and agencies who support the pupils and their families.

f) a commitment to develop productive, supportive relationships with parents and carers, whenever it is in the child’s interests to do so.

g) the development and support of a responsive and knowledgeable staff group, trained to respond appropriately in child protection situations.

11.3 This policy should be considered alongside other related policies in school.

These include:

· Behaviour Management Policy (including Anti-Bullying)

· Special Educational Needs

11.4 We recognise that, statistically, children with behavioural difficulties and disabilities are most vulnerable to abuse. School staff who work, in any capacity, with children with sensory impairment and/or emotional and behaviour problems will need to be particularly sensitive to signs of abuse.

We are aware that many children are vulnerable and require support and protection even though they are not being abused.

In order to ensure that Oakworth Primary School remains a safe environment for children and staff, the following points act as guidance:

• Physical contact with children should generally be avoided. However, in circumstances where a member of staff feels that this is appropriate or necessary, there should always be another adult present who has been informed as to what contact may take place and the reasons for this.
• Staff should continue to work one-to-one with pupils but should not do so in closed spaces or in rooms where the door is shut. Essentially, do not put yourself in a potentially difficult situation.
• The school’s PSHCE policy outlines guidance whereby if a child asks something of a member of staff (particularly during a sex and relationships education session) that the member of staff feels is inappropriate, then the member of staff should refer the child to his/her parent for an answer or for guidance.
• Parents need to be reminded by the school of its duty in law with regard to child protection. The school explains its approach, the reasons for this approach and the procedures that are followed if there are concerns.
• All staff employed at our school since April 2003 will have had Criminal Record Bureau checks carried out, with the results being notified to the Headteacher. Governors also complete a Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure.

This policy is to be reviewed biennially, unless legislation changes significantly within that time, in which case the Governing Body will take advice from the Headteacher and Child Protection

Co-ordinator as to the review process and timing.

May 2008

Appendix 1

These notes of guidance from OFSTED have been updated with reference to Circular 10/95. From September 1996, all inspections under Section 10 must assure the school’s full compliance with the requirements of this circular.

In best practice, schools

i) have an ethos in which children feel secure; their viewpoints are valued, and they are encouraged to talk and are listened to;

ii) provide suitable support and guidance so that pupils have a range of appropriate adults to whom they can turn if they are worried or in difficulties;

iii) work with parents to build an understanding of the school’s responsibility to ensure the welfare of all children and a recognition that this may occasionally require children to be referred to investigative agencies as a constructive and helpful measure;

iv) are vigilant in cases of suspected child abuse, recognising the signs and symptoms, have clear procedures whereby teachers report such cases to senior staff and are aware of local procedures so that information is effectively passed on to the relevant professionals;

v) monitor children who have been identified as at risk, keeping, in a secure place, clear records of pupils’ progress, maintaining sound policies on confidentiality, providing information to other professionals, submitting reports to case conferences and attending case conferences.

vi) provide and support child protection training regularly to school staff and in particular to designated teachers to ensure their skills and expertise are up to date, and ensure that targeted funding for this work is used solely for this purpose;

vii) contribute to an inter-agency approach to child protection by developing effective and supportive liaison with other agencies;

viii) use the curriculum to raise pupils’ awareness and build confidence so that pupils have a range of contacts and strategies to ensure their own protection and understand the importance of protecting others, taking into account of the guidance for Governors on sex education in circular 5/94;

ix) provide clear policy statements for parents and staff on this and on both positive behaviour policies and the schools approach to bullying;

x) have a clear understanding of the various types of bullying - physical, verbal and indirect, and act promptly and firmly to combat it, making sure that pupils are aware of the schools position on this issue and who they can contact for support;

xi) take particular care that pupils with SEN in main stream and special schools, who may be especially vulnerable to abuse, are supported effectively with particular attention paid to ensuring that those with communication difficulties are enabled to express themselves to a member of staff with appropriate communicative skills;

xii) have a clear policy about the handling of allegations of abuse by members of staff, ensuring that all staff are fully aware of the procedures and that they are followed correctly at all times, using the guidance set down in circular 10/95.

xiii)) have a written whole school policy, produced, owned and regularly reviewed by schools staff and which clearly outlines the school’s position and positive action in respect of the aforementioned standards.