Safeguarding
Safeguarding at
St. John’s Junior School
“Safeguarding is Everybody’s Responsibility”
“Always Vigilant”
At St John's Catholic Junior School, we know there can be no greater importance to parents and carers than the safety of their child(ren). It is a priority that our safeguarding procedures keep our children safe.
We have a team of staff responsible for keeping children safe and supporting those most vulnerable to harm and neglect. Our Designated Safeguarding Leads (Advanced Safeguarding Award) are Mrs E.B. Mullins (Head Teacher), Mrs S. Storer (Deputy Head Teacher), Mrs D. Chalmers (Upper Key Stage 2 Lead), Mrs L.Symons (Lower Key Stage 2 Lead) and Tina Forster (Pastoral Support Worker) . Mrs G Dyche is the nominated governor for safeguarding and Miss M Penny is our e-safety lead. Our safeguarding team pay particular attention to the meticulous and systematic implementation of policies and routines.
Safeguarding involves every member of the community. If you are concerned about a child’s welfare, please record your concern and report it to one of the safeguarding team as soon as possible. Please do not conduct your own investigation.
If your concerns relate to a member or staff, please report this directly to the Headteacher or Chair of Governors. Sometimes, we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child. If a suspicion of abuse is recorded, parents and carers will be informed at the same time that the record is made. School policies are in place to ensure that there is a consistent approach to practices throughout the school. All policies and guidance applies to all staff and volunteers working in the school. The Governing Body monitors the school’s adherence to policies and procedures and reviews the school’s policies.
The school has a firmly embedded Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which can be downloaded below. The policy gives details as to the procedures to identifying and reporting suspected abuse. A high priority is given to staff training in safeguarding so that all staff feel fully informed and suitably trained. All of our staff receive full Safeguarding training at least every year. Staff also receive training when new updates are required. A Single Central Record lists every adult who comes in to contact with children in our school and the safety checks that have taken place to ensure everyone is safe to work with children. This is checked by the Headteacher and safeguarding governor.
Our curriculum is used to promote safeguarding by teaching children how to stay safe, how to protect themselves from harm and how to take responsibility for their own and other’s safety. We use the NSPCC "PANTS" programme with our PSHE "Jigsaw" Scheme of Work to help children understand about keeping safe. The information leaflets for parents and guides for children can be found below. More information can also be found at: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/pants-underwear-rule/
Links to Key Documents:
E-Safety/ Online Safety
E-Safety and Online Safety is an important aspect of teaching and learning at St John's Catholic Junior School. With technology updating so quickly and becoming so much cheaper, it is fantastic that we now have the world at our fingertips and can learn in new and engaging ways. However, we have to make sure we are using new technology safely and appropriately and that our children are aware of the dangers of chatting online or sharing personal information.
Online-Safety is taught to all children each year explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online; the children will be learning about being safe on the internet during assemblies and class teaching sessions. All the children have signed an Acceptable User Policy (AUP) to promise to follow E Safety rules, not just in school but also at home. If they fail to follow the rules then they may not be able to use the technology. This is in order to keep them safe from harm. Please click on the buttons below to look at your child's AUP and our E-Safety Policy:
Please come into school if you have any concerns at all and we'd be happy to help where we can.
Top Tips
Always ask a grown up before you use the internet. They can help you find the best thing to do.
Don’t tell strangers where you live, your phone number or where you go to school. Only your friends and family need to know that.
Don’t send pictures to people you don’t know. You don’t want strangers looking at photos of you, your friends or your family.
Tell a grown up if you feel scared or unhappy about anything.
You can also call ‘Childline’ on: 0800 1111 to talk to someone who can help.
We have extensive security measures in place in school, which are monitored both internally and externally, to help safeguard children from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Any Online-Safety incidents are recorded and managed in accordance with our E-Safety Policy.
There is lots of information on the internet to support parents and children and the link below to the Thinkuknow Website (http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/) is well worth the visit to ensure that your child/children are safe when accessing the internet at home.
Also take a look at this website on a Safer Internet usage.
There is a safer search engine (just like Google but heavily restricted) which is recommended by CEOP called Swiggle - please use this with your children at home for research. http://www.swiggle.org.uk
Please also look at these guides for parents on keeping your children safe online as well:
Other Useful Websites
Family Online Safe Institute: www.fosi.org
Internet Watch Foundation: www.iwf.org.uk
Internet Safety Zone: www.internetsafetyzone.com
Parent What's App/Social Media Groups: I know that many of you are in class What's App groups or use Facebook/ other social media groups to communicate with other parents, which can be a wonderful way of sharing information and supporting each other. Could I remind you however, that private groups, Facebook, or personal social media must not be used to:
Complain about or criticise the school or members of staff. This is not constructive and the school can’t improve or address issues if they aren’t raised in an appropriate way.
Complain about, or try to resolve, a behaviour issue involving other pupils. Please contact the school and speak to the appropriate member of staff about any specific behaviour issue or incident.
Upload or share photos or videos on social media of any child other than your own child unless you have permission from other children's parents/carers.
Children's names, Staff names or the school name must also not be used in any communications.
Thank you for your cooperation and working with the school in ensuring that it is a safe, happy and supportive place for everyone.