Safeguarding
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The school implements various measures to create a safe environment, including:
Comprehensive policies:
We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy which can be viewed in the Policies section of our website.
Staff training:
All staff members, including teachers and support staff, receive regular training on safeguarding. This training equips them with the knowledge and skills to identify signs of abuse, respond appropriately to disclosures, and understand their responsibilities in safeguarding children.
Clear reporting mechanisms: The school provides clear channels for reporting safeguarding concerns. Students, parents, and staff are aware of the designated safeguarding leads who can be approached to report any concerns or disclosures. The school ensures that these reports are taken seriously, investigated promptly, and appropriate action is taken.
Partnership with external agencies: St Mary Magdalen's collaborates with external agencies, such as local authorities and child protection services, to ensure a coordinated and effective response to safeguarding concerns. This partnership allows for timely interventions and support when required.
Operation Encompass
Our school participates in Operation Encompass. This is a nationwide initiative, thoroughly researched and devolved by the Home Office. From Information available in April 2018, Operation Encompass was already in place in 33 out of 43 police forces in England and Wales and has been recognised and supported as best practice by the education bodies of both police and education.
Each school will be informed of all Domestic Abuse incidents, not just those where an offence can be identified or those which are graded as high risk. The partnership recognises that all incidents of Domestic Abuse can be harmful to children and young people.
A nominated member of staff known as a Key Adult, has been trained to liaise with the police. At St. Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School the Key Adults are Mrs McKinnon and Mrs Nolan-Williams. They will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the school makes provision for possible difficulties experienced by the children or their families.
The Key Adult will keep this information confidential, and will only share it on a need to know basis, for instance, to teaching staff for the child or young person. It will not be shared with other school students.
Promoting a culture of safety: The school fosters a culture of safety and open communication. It encourages students to speak up if they have concerns and provides avenues for anonymous reporting. Regular assemblies, workshops, and lessons are conducted to educate students about personal safety, boundaries, and online safety.
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 his/her parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child's welfare.
Our Designated Senior Lead in Child Protection (DSL) is Mrs C McKinnon (Headteacher).
Our Deputy DSLs are Mrs Nolan-Williams and Mrs Bradley.
Prevent Duty
Preventing Radicalisation in school
Building resilience in our young people and the promotion of British values is at the heart of preventing radicalisation. We do this by providing a safe place in which children can discuss issues, and we aim to give them the knowledge and confidence to challenge extremist beliefs and ideologies. (Click here to see British Value Policy)
Prevent duty, is carried out under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which legally requires us to take steps to prevent pupils from being drawn into terrorism. We take this duty seriously and carry out the four main actions responsibly, namely: risk assessment, working in partnership, staff training and IT policies. If we assess a child as at risk, we will refer to the Channel Programme, which focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.
In terms of training, staff do annual Prevent training to familiarise them with the Prevent Duty. In terms of internet safety, we ensure suitable filters are in place to keep children away from extremist materials, in keeping with Lancashire guidelines.
We recognise that we play a vital role in keeping children safe from harm, including from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and in promoting the welfare of children in our care.
What we do if there is a concern
If we have a concern about a particular pupil we will follow the school’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the school’s designated safeguarding lead, and where deemed necessary, with children’s social care. In Prevent priority areas, the local authority will have a Prevent lead who can also provide support.
We may also contact the local police force or dial 101 (the non-emergency number). They can talk to us in confidence about concerns and help us gain access to support and advice.
The Department for Education has dedicated a telephone helpline (020 7340 7264) to enable staff and governors to raise concerns relating to extremism directly. Concerns can also be raised by email to counter.extremism@education.gsi.gov.uk. Please note that the helpline is not intended for use in emergency situations, such as a child being at immediate risk of harm or a security incident In an emergency situation we will follow the recommended emergency procedures.
Additional help:
