Safeguarding

Safeguarding is about ensuring that everyone is:

• Safe from harm; 
• Safe from bullying; 
• Safe from people who could abuse; 
• Safe from discrimination or harassment; 
• Safe in our environment.

Designated SAFEGUARDING LEADS ARE:

• Mr Booth - Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Mrs Platts - Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

All staff, including temporary staff and volunteers are subject to stringent background checks including clearance with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to ensure their suitability for working with children.

Our aims

Whilst the prime focus of Wentworth C of E School is to secure the best educational provision for the child, the safety, welfare and care of children is paramount. We are therefore committed to the highest standards in protecting and safeguarding the children entrusted into our care at all times.

We ensure that arrangements are in place for:

• all reasonable measures to be taken to minimise the risks of harm to children’s welfare
• all appropriate actions to be taken to address concerns about the welfare of a child, or children, working to agreed local policies and procedures in full partnership with other local agencies
• all persons working at this school to be made aware of this policy

We recognise that some children may be the victims of neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Staff of the school will often, by virtue of their day to day contact and knowledge of the children, be well placed to identify such abuse and offer support to children in need.

In order to protect our children, we aim to:

• Create an atmosphere where all our children can feel secure, valued and listened to.
• Recognise signs and symptoms of abuse.
• Respond quickly and effectively to cases of suspected abuse.
• Monitor and support children at risk.
• Use the curriculum to raise children’s awareness, build confidence and skills.
• Work closely with parent/carers and support external agencies.
• Ensure that all adults within our school/service who have access to children have been checked as to their suitability.

Wentworth C of E School will support all children by:

• Encouraging self-esteem and appropriate self-assertiveness whilst not condoning aggression or bullying
• Promoting a caring, safe and positive environment within the school.
• Liaising and working together with all other support services and those agencies involved in the safeguarding of children
• Notifying Social Care Services via the approved mechanisms as soon as there is a significant concern.
• Providing continuing support to a child about whom there have been concerns who leaves the school by ensuring that appropriate information is forwarded under confidential cover to the child’s new school.

Useful resources

In this section you will find a number of resources which we feel will help you with matters around safeguarding. 

Keeping Children Safe In Education 2022

The Rotherham Safeguarding Children Board - Provides lots of information, advice and useful resources.

Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Manual

To access our safeguarding policies, please click the link to be taken to the policies section of our website.

PREVENT DUTY

BACKGROUND

As part of our ongoing safeguarding and child protection duties we are fully behind the government’s Prevent Strategy.

From 1 July 2015 all 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”. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty for Schools.

The statutory guidance refers to the importance of Prevent Duty awareness training to equip all staff to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. The Home Office has developed a core training product for this purpose. All our staff have received training sessions on what Prevent is about and how to deal with any issues they may see inside or outside school

Click the links below for further information:

• Please click here for information regarding the Prevent Strategy.
• Please click here for information regarding the Government Guidance on the Prevent Duty for all schools.
• Prevent  Covid - 19 SRP guidance can be found here 

SPOT THE SIGNS

The Let’s Talk About It website has published some useful information for parents/guardians that explains how online groomers and negative influences can use the internet, social media and online gaming to spread their extreme ideas.  It also sets out possible signs that someone may need help. This is useful information for front-line workers.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE WORRIED - NOTICE - CHECK - SHARE

Notice that a person is vulnerable to being radicalised or exploited by extremists.  Check your concerns with your line manager or other colleagues who may be working with the person or their family.  Share your concerns with the safeguarding or Prevent lead for your organisation.  They will advise you about the next steps, including relevant safeguarding interventions such as the Channel programme.

KEY CONTACTS

If a child or adult is in immediate danger, call 999.  Prevent concerns should be referred via your organisation’s safeguarding pathway.  Concerns can also be passed directly to the South Yorkshire Police Prevent team via email or telephone 0114 2964346.

For concerns about children you can contact the Rotherham Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 01709 336080 or, for adults, the Single Point of Access on 01709 822330.  

If you see or hear anything that could be terrorist related you can report it to the confidential Anti -Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.

For more information speak to your organisation’s Prevent lead or contact Carol Adamson, Community Safety Officer (Prevent and Communities), RMBC.