At Southcoates Primary Academy, ensuring the safety of children is paramount.
We do this by:
- providing a safe environment in which the children can learn
- listening to what children tell us
- identifying children who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, and taking appropriate action with the aim of making sure that they are kept safe both at home and in the education setting.
To achieve this objective, we:
- identify instances where there are grounds for concern about a child’s welfare and initiate or take appropriate action to keep them safe.
- contribute to effective partnership working between all those involved in providing services for our children.
- aim to prevent unsuitable people from working with children.
- promote safe practice and challenge any poor or unsafe practice.
The Designated Lead for Safeguarding and Child Protection at Southcoates Primary Academy is Mrs Dawn Thurston.
The Academy Improvement Committee supports the ethos of safeguarding children and also protecting the adults within our school. Academy Improvement Committee members believe that it is not enough to assume that adults within the Academy have an understanding of what is expected of them in terms of conduct.
They will:
- keep children safe by clarifying which behaviours constitute safe practice and which behaviours should be avoided;
- assist adults working with children to work safely and responsibly and to monitor their own standards and practice;
- support the school in giving a clear message that unlawful or unsafe behaviour is unacceptable and that, where appropriate, disciplinary or legal action will be taken;
- minimise the risk of misplaced or malicious allegations made against adults who work with children and young people;
- Safeguard against the incidence of positions of trust being abused or misused.
Key Staff
Our Principal is Mr T Libera
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead, SENCO, (LAC) Looked After Children's Lead and Inclusion Manager is Mrs D Thurston
Our Emotional Well-being Worker is Mrs R Gleadhill
Our Attendance Officer are Mrs J Hepworth
Key Documentation available from the academy;
Anti-Bullying Policy
E-Safety
Health and Safety
Intimate Care
Physical Intervention
Safeguarding and Child Protection
Social Media
Whistle blowing
Prevent Strategy
Operation Encompass
Southcoates Primary Academy is part of a project run by Humberside Police called Operation Encompass.
The project aims to support children who are affected by Domestic Abuse.
As a result, following any domestic abuse incident, specialist police officers will make contact with the school and communicate relevant and necessary information to nominated and trained school staff. This will ensure that the school is made aware, before the start of the next school day, and can subsequently provide support in a way that means the child feels safe.
Prevent
HM Government has published guidance for authorities, including schools, on their responsibilities under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, which came into effect on 1 July 2015. Under the Act, schools and other authorities have a duty to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.
Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent groups and other causes.
How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?
From July 2015, all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from other dangers. Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so that they better understand how to protect themselves.
What does this mean in practice?
Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy.
These include:
- Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity.
- Challenging prejudices and racist comments.
- Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity.
- Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy.
We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils. Different schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Prevent relate to British values?
Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy.
British values include:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty and mutual respect
- Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?
The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect.
The school will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.
Is extremism really a risk in our area?
Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others.
We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.
Key Terms
- Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
- Ideology – a set of beliefs.
- Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause.
- Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support extremism and terrorism.
Safeguarding Policy