Hatch Ride Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all pupils, staff, governors, volunteers, visitors and external agencies to share this commitment.
Our Safeguarding Policy is written with due regard to the Department for Education statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2022 and a copy can be found below.
Should you have any concerns regarding the welfare or safety of a pupil please speak to Ms Sparrowhawk, Headteacher, Designated Child Protection Officer. If Ms Sparrowhawk is unavailable then Mrs Herkes, deputy Head Teacher, Deputy Safeguard Lead would be able to assist you. Mr Young is also a Deputy Safeguard Lead.
Report a Safeguarding Concern
Reporting a Concern of Abuse or Neglect
If you have concerns that a child you know is at risk of serious harm through Abuse or Neglect it is important that you report your worries to the correct agency.
To contact Wokingham’s Triage Team by email: triage@wokingham.gov.uk or by phone 0118 908 8022.
To contact Bracknell’s Children’s Services by email: mash@bracknell-forest.gov.uk or by phone 01344 352005
These teams will use your information to make a decision about how they can best respond to your concerns. Please contact the authority in which the child lives.
You can also report you concerns to the NSPCC who will offer you support and advice if you are feeling worried about a child’s safety:
Information for Parents
This page will be used to offer important information to parents regarding issues surrounding Safeguarding & Child Protection.
Alongside our own policies and procedures, information from other sources will be posted to give advice, facts and resources to support parents to help protect their children.
Internet Safety
Children and young people spend lots of time on the internet. They may go online to research information for homework or to play games, chat with friends and make new ones.
The internet holds a massive amount of useful information and can also be a really good way of learning about new things and keeping in contact with friends and family. It can also be a very dangerous place so it is important that children are protected and monitored when they are online.
CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection)
This organisation has lots of information about how to keep your children safe online and parental controls. The link to the website is: www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents
The NSPCC also offers lots of helpful tips and advice parents can use to keep their children safe on the internet and social networks.
The link below outlines the risks and dangers children face when using the internet and provides advice on how to set parenting controls on computers, tablets and mobile phones:NSPCC Online Safety
Child Sexual Exploitation
Child Sexual Exploitation, or CSE, is a form of sexual abuse which sees children/young people being manipulated or coerced into sexual activity for receiving ‘something’ such as; gifts, money, food, attention, somewhere to stay etc.
Technology is very often used to groom victims. This may occur through social networking sites and mobile phones with internet access.
CSE has gained a large amount of media attention over the last year as lots of services involved with children and young people have noticed a big rise in cases involving CSE.
Charities such as NSPCC and Barnardos have been campaigning to raise the profile of this form of child abuse. Information regarding CSE can be found here:
www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/resourcesforprofessionals/sexualabuse/cse-introduction_wda97566.html
www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/our_projects/sexual_exploitation.htm
PACE (Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation) is a national charity that works with parents and carers whose children are sexually exploited. PACE offers one-to-one telephone support, national and local meet-ups with other affected parents and information on how parents can work in partnership with school, police and social care:
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
In April 2014 every school in England received new safeguarding guidelines and detailed information on identifying and responding to Female Genital Mutilation.
FGM is a procedure carried out on young girls between the ages of infancy and 15 years of age.
Female Genital Mutilation is classified as a form of Child Abuse in the UK. It therefore makes the procedure of it a serious Child Protection issue.
It is illegal for anyone to perform FGM in the UK or to arrange for a child to be transported to another country for the procedure. The maximum sentence for carrying out FGM or helping it to take place is 14 years in prison.
There is lots of information and support available online for parents concerned about this subject or if you know someone who is at risk:
Contact the Police if you think that a girl or young woman is in danger of FGM and is still in the UK.
Contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (020 7008 1500) if she’s already been taken abroad.
The Daughters of Eve website helps to raise awareness of this issue and sign-posts those affected by it to supportive services: www.dofeve.org
The NSPCC has detailed advice on how to spot the signs, symptoms and effects of FGM and provides support for people who are concerned about a child or who have been affected themselves:
The NSPCC offers a free and anonymous FGM 24 hour helpline. Call; 0800 028 3550 or email fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk
Preventing Radicalisation
From 1 July 2015 schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.
Hatch Ride Primary School is clear that extremism and radicalisation should be viewed as safeguarding concerns. We value freedom of speech and the expression of beliefs and both pupils/students and adults have the right to speak freely and voice their opinions.
Our school ethos seeks to build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling them to challenge extremist views.
DfE guidance on the Prevent Duty can be found here: Prevent Duty Departmental advice for Schools and Colleges
The NSPCC have information for parents/carers about radicalisation and dangers associated with extremism. There is also links to other supportive services on the NSPCC web page:https://www.nspcc.org.uk/fighting-for-childhood/news-opinion/why-radicalisation-child-protection-issue/
NSPCC
The NSPCC has a wide range of resources that help adults keep children safe from abuse and other dangers, both online and in the physical world.
P.A.N.T.S: Teach your child the Underwear Rule and help protect them from abuse. It’s a simple way that parents can help keep children safe from sexual abuse:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/underwear-rule/
Share Aware: Help your child stay safe on social networks, apps and games.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/share-aware/
Online safety: Helpful advice and tools you can use to help keep your child safe whenever and wherever they go online.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
Staying safe away from home: Your guide to when your child’s old enough to be out on their own, and how to teach them to keep safe while they’re away.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/staying-safe-away-from-home/
Home alone: How to decide when it’s safe for your child to be home on their own, and what you can do if they’re too young.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/leaving-child-home-alone/