Safeguarding

 

Safeguarding our Pupils

At Stocksbridge Junior School, the governors and staff are committed to safeguarding our children. We recognise that the safety and protection of all pupils is of paramount importance and that all staff, including volunteers, have a full and active part to play in protecting pupils from harm. We believe that the school should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment which promotes all pupils’ social, physical, emotional and moral development.
Ultimately, effective safeguarding of children can only be achieved by putting children at the centre of the system, and by every individual and agency playing their full part, working together to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children in line with: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 and Keeping Children Safe in Education.

We ALL have a statutory duty to ‘safeguard and promote the welfare of children’. This means:

  •  providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
  • protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
  • preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
  • ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, DfE 2023

 

Our Safeguarding Team

A senior member of the school’s leadership team is designated to take the lead responsibility for dealing with child protection issues, providing advice and support to other staff, liaising with the local authority, and working with other agencies. This role is also supported by several Designated Safeguarding Deputies.

  • Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs Lucy Ross.
  • Designated Safeguarding Deputies: Miss Ruth Davy, Mrs Jane Lea-Jones and Mrs Amanda Woods.
  • Looked After Children Designated Teacher: Miss Ruth Davy
  • SENCo: Mrs Amanda Woods
  • Online Safety Coordinator: Mrs Lucy Ross
  • Link Governor for Safeguarding: Mr Martin Booth

Sharing Your Concerns

If you have any concerns about a pupil at this setting, please share this information with us straight away. Issues such as appearance, hygiene, behaviour, can be shared with teaching or support staff. Do not worry about reporting small matters – we would rather you tell us than miss a worrying situation.

If you think that a pupil or an adult who cares for them has been or might be harmed; please talk to a member of our trained safeguarding team immediately. You can ask any member of staff to find them to speak to you about a confidential and urgent matter.

Early Help

Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years. ‘Early help’ is support that improves a family’s resilience and outcomes which can often reduce the chance of a problem getting worse. It is important that children receive the right help at the right time to address risks and prevent issues from escalating.

Any child may benefit from early help.  School aim to work in partnership with our families to provide timely support.  This support may be provided though our internal early help systems in school or through external professionals, for instance, Sheffield Family Intervention Service (FIS). School can set up an advice session with our Link Worker from who can work with us to identify what support is required.

Safeguarding Policies & Procedures

Our school Safeguarding policy is reviewed annually in line with changes made in Keeping Children Safe in Education.

 

Sheffield schools are subject to the local arrangements that are set out by the Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership.

Parents’ Contact Details

It is essential that we are able to contact parents during the school day. Please ensure that we have current contact details for every person who has parental responsibility plus the details of two additional contacts in case we need to contact you in an emergency.  Parents will, no doubt, appreciate the need to keep this information up-to-date and it is vital that the school is notified of a change of address, contact phone numbers, email addresses and any change in circumstances as early as possible.

To update the information we hold for you or your child, please download and return our data collection form.