Safeguarding
Leaders ensure there is a strong safeguarding culture of keeping children safe. Staff receive regular and up to date safeguarding training. They have a clear understanding of what to do when they have a concern about a child. Clear procedures are in place for reporting concerns about pupils welfare. Leaders provide the support pupils and their families need.
Leaders ensure that recruitment checks are carried out rigorously. Through the curriculum, pupils are taught how to stay safe. They know about the dangers they may face online. Staff are aware of the wider issues that could affect pupils within the local. Staff are aware of the wider issues that could affect pupils within the local community.
Ofsted, July 2022
Safeguarding is a top priority at Eastrop.
Safeguarding means:
Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
Protecting children from maltreatment, whether the risk of harm comes from within the child’s family and/or outside, including online
Preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
Promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the child
Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with those set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.
Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation applies to all children up to the age of 18.
We have a strong culture of safeguarding at Eastrop Infant School and recognise the importance of educating children to be safe too. Each term we have a different safeguarding theme which is shared with parents and carers via a safeguarding newsletter. In addition to this, the children have a weekly safeguarding assembly through which they explore the theme including ways to keep safe and healthy.
Click here for an overview of our Safeguarding themes
Click below to view our safeguarding newsletters
Term 1 - What is safeguarding?
Term 2 - Anti-Bullying
Term 3 - Internet safety
Term 4 - Keeping Healthy
Term 5 - Mental health and well-being
Term 6 - Keeping safe outside of school
Key People
Our Designated Safeguarding Leader (DSL) is Mrs Warburton, Executive Headteacher.
Our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leaders (DDSLs) are Mr Mazonowicz (main school) & Mrs Cackett (Nursery)
The named governor responsible for safeguarding is Sev Poncelet.
If you are ever concerned about the safety or wellbeing of any child, please speak directly to:
- one of the named safeguarding leaders above
- any member of Eastrop's staff team
- a member of the NSPCC safeguarding helpline on 0808 800 5000
- a member of Swindon's Family Contact Point on 01793 464646
Our Duty of Care
All staff have a duty of care to report concerns when they arise. Parents and carers will be informed of such concerns unless to do so would increase the risk to the child.
A written record of any concern will be kept on file and shared with other safeguarding professionals as necessary. Written records will be transferred to the children's new schools when they leave Eastrop. Copies will not be kept on site.
Our Policy
Please click here to read our current Safeguarding and Child Protection policy.
What do we do?
To keep up-to-date with local and national statutory guidance, training, serious case reviews and best practice, we employ the services of an independent consultant, Sarah Turner. Sarah has supported us with an annual, external review of safeguarding and has provided outstanding, bespoke training for all members of staff here at Eastrop.
Training
- All members of staff receive Level 1 safeguarding training annually.
- Every member of staff is expected to read and understand Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education as well as Annex A.
- All members of staff are expected to undertake online Prevent Duty training
- All members of staff are expected to read and follow Safer Working Practice guidance
- All members of staff are expected to read, understand and strictly follow the guidance in our Staff code of conduct.
- Mrs Warburton. Mr Mazonowicz & Mrs Cackett have up to date Level 3 DSL training with Swindon's Safeguarding Partnership
- Mrs Warburton (Executive Headteacher) & Mr Wilson (Director of Education) have up to date Safer Recruitment training and Managing Allegations training with Swindon's Safeguarding Partnership.
- Mrs Warburton takes part in annual Level 1 'Train the Trainer' training with Sarah Turner Consulting.
- In staff meetings, we regularly review safeguarding scenarios and share termly safeguarding updates from Swindon Safeguarding Partnership, Family Contact Point and Sarah Turner Consulting.
Domestic Violence and ENCOMPASS
Eastrop is part of a project that runs jointly between schools and Wiltshire Police:
ENCOMPASS. This is the way in which Wiltshire Police will report to schools, by the next school day, when a child or young person has affected by a domestic incident.
ENCOMPASS will ensure that a member of the school staff, known as a Key Adult, will be shared the information in confidence, while ensuring that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have been involved in, affected or exposed to a domestic abuse incident.
We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our children and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
The Wider Context of Safeguarding at Eastrop
First Aid and Medicines
Please click this link to read our policy on Supporting Children with Medical Conditions.
We have a dedicated team of First Aiders here at Eastrop who receive paediatric first aid training regularly. We also work closely with our school nurse.
Health and Safety
We work hard to keep our premises safe and secure. We undertake fire drills regularly and we also have an emergency plan. We ensure that all trips that the children attend are properly risk assessed. When on site, all visitors are expected to sign in and out and must wear an Eastrop identification badge.
Safer Recruitment
We expect all staff and volunteers to share our commitment to safeguarding. All staff and volunteers are expected to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We also carry out identity, professional qualification and disqualification by association checks before any person undertakes any role within our school.
E-Safety
Through the London Grid for Learning, we apply strong filters and safety systems on all our school computers and tablets. All internet use by children is overseen by a member of staff and we actively teach children about keeping safe online through our cross-curricular Computing curriculum.
Web Links for Parents and Carers
NSPCC Pants - The Underwear Rule
Think U Know - a guide for parents about online safety
Online Safety
Just like in real life, children need our help to stay safe online. Teach your child to be #ShareAware with @NSPCC and @O2 by clicking this link.