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Chesswood Junior School

Chesswood Junior School

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Safeguarding Statement

Chesswood Junior School is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This commitment is guided by clear whole school policy and practice, which applies to all staff, governors and volunteers working within school. We recognise that all working within our school environment have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils. This policy applies to all adults, including volunteers, working in or on behalf of the school. In order to fulfil this commitment we:

  • have safeguarding at the heart of everything we do.
  • maximise opportunities to teach our children how to keep safe both in the real and virtual world.
  • support the child’s development in ways that will foster security, confidence and independence;
  • provide an environment in which children and young people feel safe, secure, valued, respected, feel confident.
  • ensure that ALL of our children know a member of staff they can talk to if they are worried about something. (see ‘who you gonna call? Posters)
  • make sure all of our staff, including volunteers know how to contact child protection agencies should they need to.
  • provide a systematic means of monitoring children known or thought to be at risk of harm (Pastoral journey record – Pastoral team), and ensure we, the school, contribute to assessments of need and support packages for those children;
  • emphasise the need for good levels of communication between all members of staff and between the school and other agencies;
  • have and regularly review, a structured procedure within the school which will be followed by all members of the school community in cases of suspected abuse;
  • develop and promote effective working relationships with other agencies, especially the Police and Children’s Social Care;
  • ensure that all adults within our school who have access to children have been recruited and checked as to their suitability in accordance with Part 3 of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023. 
  • have in place, other, up to date policies which support safeguarding. (Please see Policy Links section above for a list of such policies.)
  • make sure all staff are aware of the system within school which support safeguarding. We will explain this on induction together with sharing details of this policy, behaviour policy, staff behaviour policy, the school response to children who go missing from education, and role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

We recognise because of their day-to-day contact with children, school staff are ideally placed to observe and report the outward signs of abuse. All staff receive appropriate child protection training which is updated regularly. Within school we have an appropriately trained designated member of staff for child protection, referred to as Designated Safeguarding Lead, who takes the lead on all safeguarding and child protection matters. We also have a deputy DSL to provide cover in case of absence. Staff refer any concerns to the designated member of staff. Our designated child protection members of staff are as follows:

Safeguarding Manager & First Contact Safeguarding Lead

Sally Harvey (Pastoral Team Leader)

Designated Safeguarding Lead for Child Protection Jez Himsworth (Deputy Headteacher)
Headteacher

Andrew Jolley (Headteacher)

Lead Governor for Child Protection Phillipa Jackson (Governor)

We follow the guidance set out in West Sussex Inter-Agency procedures and take full account any changes in local or national guidance

.A copy of our Child Protection Policy is available on the school website and also available for viewing in reception.