Safeguarding at Tonacliffe Primary School
At Tonacliffe, the welfare of the child is paramount. Everyone who comes in to contact with children and families has a role to play in safeguarding children and this includes all the staff at Tonacliffe - safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone's responsibility. Schools are particularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse, neglect, changes in behaviour and failure to develop. Our approach is child centred, this means at all times we consider what is in the best interests of the child. This may mean identifying children who would benefit from early help. Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges. Parents should be aware, therefore that staff are obliged as part of Tonacliffe’s Child Protection Policy to report their concerns and, where necessary, contact Children’s Social Care.
If there are any educational, medical or other problems you wish to discuss please contact your child’s teacher or Mrs Heap. Remember, we are here to help. The Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy can be found below.
The Designated Safeguarding Leads at Tonacliffe Primary School are:
Joanne Heap: Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Iain German: Assistant Headteacher and Deputy DSL
Amy Griffiths: Deputy DSL, SENCO and Designated Teacher for Looked after Pupils
Charlotte Clutterbuck: Deputy DSL and Early Years Lead
Lauren Sutcliffe: Deputy DSL and Equality and Diversity Lead
Ruth Noble: Deputy DSL and Computing and Online Safety Lead
Please also look under the 'Parents' Section' for further early help advice regarding safeguarding, child protection and online safety.
As part of Tonacliffe Primary School’s commitment to keeping children safe, we are proud to be part of Operation Encompass.
Operation Encompass is a unique police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people exposed to domestic abuse.
Being part of Encompass means our school will receive a notification from Lancashire Police before the start of the next school day when a child or young person has been involved in or exposed to a domestic abuse incident the previous day. The information is given in confidence to the schools Key Adult and will enable us to provide the best possible support for the child.
The Key Adults at our school are Joanne Heap (Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead) and Liz Mooney (Assistant Headteacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead).
If you have any questions or wish to know more about our involvement in Operation Encompass, please do not hesitate to contact Joanne Heap on 01706344609.
PREVENT DUTY
What is the Prevent duty?
The aim of the Prevent Duty is to reduce the threat of terrorism in the UK by working actively to stop individuals from supporting terrorism or becoming terrorists. The expectation placed upon schools and childcare settings is that they will work closely with a multi-agency support network (including contacts such as the Police and the Local Safeguarding Children Board) to raise awareness of issues of extremism, and to support individuals who are vulnerable of being drawn into terrorism.
The current legislation surrounding Prevent duty came into force on 1st July 2015, and remains a staple feature of every UK school, college, nursery, or other childcare setting’s safeguarding policy. If you are a teacher, or work in any of these institutions, you will undoubtedly require Prevent training.
At its heart, Prevent is another form of safeguarding; an extension of the policies that should have already been in place prior to the Prevent strategy’s introduction.
The Prevent duty guidance requires that:
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School staff have undertaken training in the Prevent Duty as identified by their leaders and managers including the headteacher.
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School staff are aware of when it is appropriate to refer Prevent related concerns about students, learners or colleagues to the Prevent officer, usually the provider’s safeguarding officer - Mrs Heap.
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School exemplify British values of “democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs” into their practice.
Our Commitment
Tonacliffe Primary School is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all learners. We recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation and extremism is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability. All our staff, learners and services are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of human rights and British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
This statement reinforces our expectation that staff are fully engaged in being vigilant about radicalisation and extremism; that they overcome any professional disbelief and understand that such issues could happen here and ensure that they work alongside each other, professional bodies and external agencies to ensure our learners are safe from harm.
Whistleblowing
What is Whistleblowing?
You are a whistleblower if you’re a worker and you report certain types of wrongdoing. This will usually be something you’ve seen at work - though not always.
The wrongdoing you disclose must be in the public interest. This means it must affect others; for example, the general public. As a whistleblower, you are protected by law - you should not be treated unfairly or lose your job because you ‘blow the whistle’.
You can raise your concern at any time about an incident that happened in the past, is happening now, or you believe will happen in the near future.
Low-Level Concerns
Tonacliffe Primary School ensures that all staff are aware of how to recognise and report low level concerns around staff behaviour or conduct.
The term ‘low-level’ concern does not mean that it is insignificant. A low-level concern is any concern, no matter how small, and even if no more than causing a sense of unease or a ‘nagging doubt’ that an adult working in or on behalf of the school may have acted in a way that:
• is inconsistent with the staff code of conduct, including inappropriate conduct outside of work and
• does not meet the harm threshold or is otherwise not serious enough to consider a referral to the LADO.
