Safeguarding & Health and Safety

Staying safe at High Oakham Primary School

Our school is committed to safeguarding and we follow guidance from the Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) with regards to safeguarding adults and children. The partnership provides the safeguarding arrangements under which the safeguarding partners and relevant agencies work together to coordinate their safeguarding services. 

At High Oakham, as professionals, we have a duty to:

• Take action if we suspect any of our children may be at risk
• Provide a safe and secure environment for  children and adults
• Follow county guidelines for Safer recruitment
• Check all staff and adults in a supervisory role with children have appropriate checks such as DBS

We ensure that we keep abreast with new guidance and documents that underpin our safeguarding and child protection and health and safety policies and procedures. Staff and governors have been briefed on the new version of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020 implemented in September 2020 and have read and understood the relevant documents in relation to their roles. You can find this document here. 

You can find out latest Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy for this academic year here. 

In terms of sharing information our school has a duty of care and therefore a responsibility to pass any concerns to the Children's Early Help, health, Police, Psychology & Social Care Services and/or Multi Agency services following the agreed information sharing guidance provided by NCC and in line with data protection law and guidance. 

Keeping children safe at our school is of huge importance to us. We believe that safeguarding and health and safety is everybody's business. Mrs Astle, Mrs Boaler and Miss Watt are our Designated Safeguarding Lead members of staff and with the Governing body ensure that all staff are trained and updated with any safeguarding and health and safety matters.

Children are reassured that their concerns will be heard, listened to and action will be taken at all staff levels. Bravery is encouraged, as one of our school values when sharing concerns - be like Batman, or the Octonauts, Moana or Brave. 

Designated Leads at High Oakham Primary School	Mrs Astle Headteacher Senior Designated Safeguarding Person
Miss Kent Deputy Headteacher Deputy Designated Safeguarding Person	Mrs Boaler Assistant Headteacher Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Pursey Key Stage 2 Lead Designated Safeguarding Lead	Miss Nutbrown EYFS Lead  Designated Safeguarding Lead

If you have a concern regarding the safety of a child  please come and talk to us or you can also phone the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on the number below or contact the police.

Click here for more information regarding the MASH. 

Becoming law in 2015, all schools and childcare providers must have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism (The Prevent duty). At High Oakham Primary School we do this through the promotion of British Values. The government has defined extremism in the Prevent strategy as: “vocal or active opposition to fundamental British Values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs."

Click here to read our British Values statement. 

Parents/carer should be aware that our school is required to take any reasonable action to ensure the safety of its pupils.  In cases where the school has reason to be concerned that a child might be subject to ill treatment, neglect or other forms of abuse the head teacher is obliged to follow safeguarding/child protection procedures established by Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, NCC and inform Social Services of their concern.

We invite parents and carers to help us keep our children safe by following policies and procedures relating to child protection and safeguarding and health and safety which are all clearly signposted on our website and by asking them to sign our home school agreement.

At High Oakham, we see the importance of educating staff, governors and parents about issues that are important in society at this time and as frontline staff, we understand our place in watching out for vulnerable people and families that are susceptible to such issues, not ever being complacent thinking ‘that doesn’t happen at High Oakham’.

We have adopted a software package called CPOMS to support our safeguarding arrangements. The requirements of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, our own policies and the safeguarding training provided by us or on our behalf will always remain the definitive source of safeguarding guidance for users of CPOMS. Amy questions about the use of CPOMS should be directed to our Designated Safeguarding Leads.

As a school we try to ensure that all policies are linked to safeguarding where appropriate and that staff are notified when changes are made or policies updated and that we keep a record of when they do this. 

You as parents/carers or visitors to our school, can also help to keep our children safe in lots of ways. Working together is a must to ensure the safety of our children and at High Oakham, we work alongside, and access a wide variety of difference resources and organisations.

Remember - 'it takes a village to raise a child'

Below are some links to information that will let you know how you can help.

Primary schools have a responsibility to ensure students leave fully equipped for transition to secondary school and all that entails and to ensure that they will be able to make safe and healthy choices.

High Oakham Primary School is committed to this highly recommended programme which runs through the children's final year at Primary, Year 6. It helps us to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum, in particular elements included in PSHE from 2020. 

DARE is a course developed to help children years 5 and 6 (Age 9 – 11) acquire a wide array of personal and social skills, including:

• understanding the need to take personal responsibility for ourselves and others
• effective communication and listening
• coping by dealing with pressure and stressful situations
• decision making
• resistance skills
• the identification of risks and consequences, particularly in relation to substance abuse.

 

Children are extremely vulnerable to peer pressure, have little understanding of the facts about drugs and alcohol, or about the law and the consequences of carrying a knife or of treating others differently; they often do not communicate effectively, or manage risky situations successfully.

Knife crime has increased in recent years and incidents of hate crime are on the rise; the impact of drug and alcohol use is evident on the individual, family, community and society and can include low academic achievement, poor physical and mental health, crime and antisocial behaviour and domestic abuse. Early intervention using a programme which is proven to work can lessen the risks and can only be a benefit to all.

 

Key Topics

• Illegal and legal drugs including alcohol, tobacco, solvents, prescription drugs.
• Hate crime covering difference, prejudice and respect
• Knife crime includes the law, safety and risks and consequences (links here to bottom of page subjects)

Overarching themes

• Responsibility
• Stress
• Confident communication
• Resistance strategies
• Pressure and peer pressure
• Becoming a good citizen
• Where to get help

The DARE Primary Programme ends with the graduation at week 11 when the children get an opportunity to show off all that they have learned to invited guests and the children also write a DARE report in which they can reflect on what they have learned. 

Parentline - a confidential texting service for parents and carers

Parentline, a new confidential text messaging service for parents and carers across Nottinghamshire, was launched on 29 January 2019 by the Trust. 

The texting service is an easy way for parent and carers of children aged 0 – 19 years to confidentially ask for help about a range of issues, such as:

• feeding and nutrition
• child development
• parenting advice and support
• emotional health and wellbeing
• behaviour difficulties
• family health

You can contact the Healthy Family Team and find out how to access other local services for example, School Health Team, breastfeeding support or health visitor led sessions.

Parents and carers can contact the text messaging service for advice from Monday to Friday 9.00am - 4.30pm excluding bank holidays.  Messages sent to the dedicated number are delivered to a secure website, and responded to by the Healthy Family Team. Texts are usually replied to within one working day.  Automatic replies will be sent to any messages received out of hours explaining where to get help if their question is urgent, and when they can expect a response.

We are pleased to be able to offer Parentline to parents and carers in the County. It will make accessing health services easier and more accessible, increasing our reach to all families, and creating another platform for parents and carers to connect.

Text Parentline on 07520 619919

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DOMESTIC ABUSE - IT IS NOT ALWAYS PHYSICAL - IT IS EMOTIONAL, ECONOMIC, SEXUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL  ...... IT IS NOT OK, IT IS NOT NORMAL, IT CAN AFFECT ANYONE

Children to be legally defined as victims 
 
Although in the past children have been seen as 'witnesses' to domestic abuse. The new Domestic Abuse Bill, currently in its Third Reading, will define children as 'victims' for the very first time. The Bill says that a victim of domestic abuse includes a reference to a child who sees or hears, or experiences the effects of the abuse the adult is their parent or someone who has parental responsibility for the child, or are related to the them. (See Domestic Abuse Bill Part 1, Section 3 https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2709) 
 

Key Messages to share with children: 
 

• [domestic abuse] happens to other people too 

• adults don't always do the right thing 

• the most important thing is that everyone is/stays safe 

• other people can help and it is okay to speak to people that the child trusts 

• it is not the child's fault 

• it can make everyone feel sad but it does get better 

IF YOU, OR ANYONE YOU KNOW IS A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE, HERE ARE SOME WEBSITES AND CONTACT NUMBERS FOR SUPPORT

Talk to someone you trust, talk to us at school - help is out there, we can help. 

Click here for local Nottinghamshire support https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/advice/domesticabuse/help

Refuge  - Refuge provides specialist support to women, children and some men escaping domestic violence and other forms of violence. 
Support for children 
https://www.refuge.org.uk/get-help-now/children/ 
Protecting my children 
https://www.refuge.org.uk/get-help-now/protecting-my-children/ 
Website: www.refuge.org.uk

National Domestic Abuse Helpline 
Freephone 24-Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 
Website: www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk (access live chat Monday - Friday, 3pm - 10pm)

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Health and Safety

At High Oakham Primary School, health and safety is everyone's business and the safety of our whole school community if of the utmost importance. Our site manager and school business manager along with the headteacher, manage the health and safety of our school. They are involved in our everyday school life and play a crucial role in keeping everyone safe. 

Mrs Beardall       School Business Manager	Mr 'Rob' Wilton  Site Manager
Image to come soon

If you have any concerns regarding the safety of our school site, please report it to the school office on 01623 461313 or by emailing office.school@highoakham.notts.sch.uk.

Helpful websites linked to safeguarding:

Don't forget to check out our online safety page at High Oakham Primary School. Click here

Click here to visit our dedicated webpage for the promotion of good mental health.

This link below, 'Share your worries', takes you to the page on our school website which explains how children can share their worries or safeguarding concerns.