Sutton Oak C.E. Primary SchoolSafeguarding
Designated Senior Person for Child Protection: Mr. I Williams, Mrs A Bradshaw
Designated members of the Safeguarding team: Mrs L Lewis, Mrs S Green and Mrs C Atherton.
The purpose for this page is to inform you about the ways we can support you and your child. Sutton Oak C.E. Primary School fully recognises its responsibility for child protection. We will follow the child protection procedures set out by St Helens Local Authority and take account of guidance issued by the Department for Education.
Information Sharing
It is usual practice for workers supporting your child to talk to each other about your child so that we can all work together.
This should help us to organise support much sooner for your child. If different agencies are working with your child, it makes sense for them to talk to each other. If you are worried about this or want to know more, please talk to us.
EHAT (Early Help Assessment Tool)
This is a process that helps to identify any support needs your child may have and include your thoughts and ideas. This information can also be shared with others working with your child to save you explaining things over and over again. It will usually involve one or two meetings where an Assessment form is completed with you. This assesses your child’s individual circumstances and helps to identify any needs, prompting a discussion about how they may be met.
Multi-Agency Working
If different agencies are working with you it’s sometimes useful for all to meet so that a support plan for your child can be agreed. This way everyone can keep up to date, hear your views and work together better, keeping the focus on your child’s needs. Sometimes a worker will agree to co-ordinate the support for your child -this is called the ‘Lead Professional’ role and can be any professional working with you and your family.
What Sutton Oak C.E. Primary School expects from you as a parent or carer
Tell us if:
- Things happen at home or in the community that can affect your child while they are with us. Anything of concern - please talk to us - we might be able to help.
- There is a reason why your child is not attending, by ringing us on 01744 678690 on the first day of absence.
- To follow our safeguarding procedures
What you can expect from Sutton Oak C.E. Primary School
- A safe, quality, learning environment that follows the Local Authority guidelines for safeguarding children.
- While your child is attending our school, we will be taking good care of them and we will talk to you about anything important that we observe.
- Regular, efficient and accurate record keeping.
- Contact from us when your child has not attended and you have not let us know the reason for their absence.
- Prompt action to any problem you tell us about.
Support to pupils at risk
The school will endeavour to support the pupil through:
- The content of the curriculum.
- The school ethos which promotes a positive, supportive and secure environment and gives pupils a sense of being valued.
- The school behaviour policy which is aimed at supporting vulnerable pupils in the school.
- Liaison with other agencies that support the pupil such as Social Services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, School Nurse, Education Welfare Service and Educational Psychology Service.
The Prevent Strategy
Where do I go for information?
If you have any questions or concerns about the Prevent strategy and what it means for your child, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
External Sources
The following sources may also be useful for further information:
Prevent duty guidance: for England and Wales, HM Government
What is the prevent stategy?
Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes.
How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?
From July 2015 all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence. Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.
What does this mean in practice?
Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy.
These include:
- Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
- Challenging prejudices and racist comments
- Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity
- Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy
We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils. Different schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community.
FAQ
How does Prevent relate to British values?
Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy.
British values include:
• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty and mutual respect
• Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?
The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect.
The school will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.
Is extremism really a risk in our area?
Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others.
We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.
