Safeguarding Our Children
At Birdham CE Primary School we take all safeguarding issues very seriously, and our mantra is: Be continuously curious … It could happen here!
As such, all those working in school will be professionally enquiring and actively seek to identify and spot early signs of any worrying behaviour. We follow all local and national guidance, and our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy is reviewed every autumn term. The latest version is below
Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
In our school, we have three Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL):
Mr Mark McCadden (Headteacher)
Mrs Emily Ellis (Deputy Headteacher)
Mrs Tracey Holcombe (Receptionist)
In addition, Mr David Rigglesford is the governor responsible for safeguarding.
Keeping children safe in education (KCSiE) is statutory guidance that schools and colleges in England must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Governing bodies of maintained schools are asked to ensure that all staff in their school or college read at least Part one of the guidance. This guidance is also released nationally every autumn term and the latest version is below
Keeping Children Safe in Education Sep-23
Operation Encompass is an initiative that enhances communication between the police and schools where a child is at risk from domestic abuse. The purpose of this information sharing is to ensure schools have more information to support safeguarding of children. By knowing that the child has had this experience, the school is in a better position to understand and be supportive of the child's needs. Operation Encompass complements existing safeguarding procedures
All professionals have a statutory duty to report safeguarding concerns, and indeed all adults can make a referral about any child at any time. In West Sussex, this would be to the West Sussex Integrated Front Door (formerly MASH), using the following link:
https://socialcareportal.westsussex.gov.uk/s4s/FormDetails/FillForm?formId=295
Online safety is also a priority at Birdham. We have several IT policies in place (electronic filtering systems) and systems to ensure both children and staff can report any concerns or issues with content accessed on our internet devices. If a child shares any concern with a staff member, or if a parent hears or sees any concerns, then the Headteacher and IT technician will meet to review the relevant processes and implement fixes where possible.
You can contact any of our DSLs by emailing dsl@birdhamprimary.co.uk or ringing the school office on 01243 512399
