What is Safeguarding?
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding means:
- protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
- preventing harm to children’s health or development
- ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
- taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.
What to do if you are concerned that a child is being abused and neglected?
If you have any concerns about a child and you feel that they are being neglected, abused or at risk from harm then you should consider making a referral to Manchester Safeguarding Team. All the information you will need is on this website. Tell us about someone being abused or neglected | Manchester City Council
Safeguarding Children within the Curriculum
Handling dangers outside school
- Children are taught about the potential dangers associated with the use of ICT and the internet. They are taught that they should switch off the monitor immediately, if they see anything they don’t like.
- Children are taught in an age-appropriate way about the importance of Bonfire night safety and the ways in which they can enjoy themselves safely.
- St Francis is very close to a railway line. Children are taught about the dangers of playing near railways.
- The Fire Crew come to school every year to speak to Year 5 and Year 6 about fire safety.
- Year 4 and 5 learn about water safety in their swimming lessons.
- All children are tuaght about the emegency services.
Travelling to and from school
- Bikeability training is provided in Year 5 in order to encourage a safe and healthy way to travel to and from school.
- Community Support Officers come into school to discuss the importance of staying safe on the roads.
- Year 6 attend Crucial Crew to learn about staying safe and the emergency services
Supporting children’s emotional needs
- There is age appropriate opportunities to discuss worries or issues in every class and children are regularly reminded that adults are there to support them and help keep them safe. Nurture groups run throughout the week and are run by our trained staff. Children understand that in most cases the discussion remains private, but where the adult is concerned for their safety, the discussion will be reported to the safeguarding lead.
- Our staff have had specialist training in nurture support such as; lego therapy, bereavement support, barrier games,turn taking and Team Teach (safe handling).
- All staff are highly vigilant in picking up on when a child may be in need of some additional support.
PSHE
We aim to develop and nurture the whole child in body mind and spirit through:
- A robust RE curriculum
- Circle time
- Reflective Collective Worship
- Assemblies
- Dedicated weeks: Healthy and Fitness Week, Children’s Mental Health Week, Aspirations Week
- Raising money for charity
- Enrichment through trips and visitors
Pupil Voice
Pupils voice their opinions through all the pupil councils we have in school:
- School Council
- GIFT Team
- Eco Team
Prevent
Schools have a duty of care to their pupils and staff which includes safeguarding them from the risk of being drawn into terrorism – this includes not just violent extremism but also non-violent extremism, which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism and can popularise views which terrorists exploit. Schools should be safe spaces in which children and young people can understand and discuss sensitive topics, including terrorism and the extremist ideas that are part of the terrorist ideology and learn how to challenge these ideas. School staff are particularly important as they are in a position to identify concerns early and provide help for children, to prevent concerns from escalating. Schools and colleges and their staff form part of the wider safeguarding system for children. This system is described in statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2021). Schools and colleges should work with social care, the police, health services and other services to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Radicalisation is listed as a specific safeguarding issue within this statutory guidance and is addressed within the Government Prevent Strategy. The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 places a duty on Schools to ‘have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.
The Prevent Strategy has three main objectives:
• Respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism & the threat we face from those who promote it;
• Prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support;
• Work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation which we need to address.
Click on the link to access more information about Prevent. Get help for radicalisation concerns – GOV.UK