Schools are charged with maintaining a safe, supportive environment which protects the rights and needs of children at all times. School staff have regular contact with children and young people, and a responsibility to help to identify signs of children in need of additional support or protection accordingly. Together, these responsibilities are called safeguarding.

At Bradfield CE Primary School, the safety and welfare of our children is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share that commitment.

We recognise our safeguarding responsibilities to include:

• Creating a safe environment  for children and young people through robust safeguarding practices
• Ensuring that adults who work in school, including volunteers, are able to work with children safely, and are properly trained and equipped to do so.
• Teaching children and young people to stay safe.
• Maintaining an environment in which children feel confident to approach any member of staff if they have a worry or problem.

Pupil safeguarding and the promotion of fundamental British values are part of the foundation of our work at Bradfield CE Primary.

We have developed an open and safe learning environment in which pupils express their views, seek help and help others, they make use of our class Worry Monsters to share concerns with staff.  

The promotion of equality and diversity, for pupils and staff, helps prevent any form of direct or indirect discriminatory behaviour. Our children learn not to tolerate any prejudiced behaviour and standing up for what is right is at the heart of our vision for pupils. Our behaviour policy promotes making good choices and exhibiting good learning behaviours.

Assemblies and class discussions are used to promote personal safeguarding matters and explore themes. For example, we talk about anti- bullying, including cyber bullying, and British values including how these values are promoted in our multi – faith society.

Time is taken at the beginning of every new school year to reaffirm school values, expectations and rules for living and learning at Bradfield CE Primary. With everyone clear about their roles and responsibilities, this sets the tone for the rest of the year and leads to excellent safeguarding outcomes.

Great importance is placed on identifying opportunities within the taught curriculum and throughout our assemblies for children to learn about safeguarding.

Staff and children are quick to challenge stereotypes and the use of derogatory language in lessons and around school. We provide pupils with a comprehensive understanding of people and communities beyond their immediate experience including the role of women in society and different family groups including same sex couples.

Throughout the curriculum there are planned opportunities to promote all forms of equality and foster greater understanding of and respect for people off all faiths (and those with no faith), races, genders, ages, disability and sexual orientations, through their words, actions and in their influence. Opportunities are created in a variety of subjects to address areas of safeguarding, for example, themes are highlighted through novels in English lessons.

We use the KAPOW PSHE curriculum which covers all areas of Safeguarding through each of the strands:

 

 

We aim to challenge children to think deeply about safeguarding matters and their own personal physical and mental wellbeing. We value pupils’ questions and give them space for their own thoughts, ideas and concerns. We give them opportunities across the curriculum to explore values, personal rights, responsibilities and equal opportunities that develop moral concepts that impact positively on safeguarding, promote British values and prevent radicalisation and extremism.

There are many opportunities in school to explore safeguarding issues, for example;

• Our safeguarding assembly programme includes NSPCC themed, road, rail, canal, fire, sun and E-safety assemblies, where possible with support from external visitors including the police and other services. Anti-bullying week and news-based assemblies also feature. 
• Water safety is developed further with poolside and water safety through swimming lessons 
• Fire awareness is developed further with visits from the local fire service
• Visitors and visits to charities such as The Paul Alan Project and West Berkshire Foodbank 
• Termly update for parents about topical and current safeguarding and e-safety tips
• Our Forest School programme incorporates being safe in the outdoors
• All school trips include discussion on what to do if you are separated from your group 
• Safe use of technology including password security and privacy settings 

  

 

Policies and Contact Details

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy which can be viewed on the policies page of our website. 

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies, when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with parents/carers first, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.

We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Miss Jessica Davies and our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mr Tom Millward. The Governor with responsibility for safeguarding in our school is Mr Richard Norris.

The West Berkshire Contact, Advice and Assessment Service (CAAS) can be contacted on 01635 503090 or email child@westberks.gov.uk.

The Emergency Duty Service (EDS) is available outside office hours on 01344 786543.

 

Photographs and Videos
Whilst lots of parents and carers really enjoy seeing photos and videos of their children’s school life we are very mindful of our duty of care towards all our pupils. We take the issue of safeguarding very seriously and this includes the use of photographic and video images.

Any photographs or videos taken by parents, carers and relatives at school productions, sports days or other events are for the enjoyment of individual families. They must not be used in any way that could potentially place a child at risk. This would include publishing images in any form of print or on the internet including social networking sites. This is emphasised before concerts, shows etc.

We understand that in exceptional circumstances a parent or carer may not wish their child to be photographed or videoed in this way. If this is the case then please contact the headteacher to discuss how this can be best achieved.

Occasionally, the local press will be invited to take photographs of school events and special achievements. We like to use photographs of our children on our website, in school documents, for parent information meetings, newsletters and on our display boards around school. If you do not wish photographs of your child to be used for these purposes, then please contact the headteacher.