Safeguarding
A GUIDE FOR VISITORS AND PARENTS
Woodlea School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Mrs Nina Gambier
Our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are: Mr Daniel Cole and Miss Jennifer Rice
Our first and foremost priority is to keep children safe and healthy. We believe that keeping children safe at Woodlea means:
- The health and safety of all children
- Making sure that the adults who work here have undergone safety and security checks
- Protecting children from deliberate harm
- Being an anti-bullying school
- Being proactive against racist behaviour
- Protecting our children from harassment and discrimination
- A positive approach to behaviour management including the use of physical intervention safely, when necessary
- Meeting the needs of children with medical conditions
- Providing first aid
- Protecting children from drug and substance abuse
- Children enjoying safe educational visits
- Caring for children’s personal needs
- Keeping children safe when using the internet and making sure they are aware of cyberbullying. Click here for more information on how to keep your children safe online.
- Making sure our school is secure and safe
- Being a ‘listening school’.
- Ensuring children know who to go in school if they have a problem
- Ensuring our curriculum teaches children how to keep themselves safe and healthy
Child Protection
All staff receive appropriate training in Safeguarding and Child Protection to ensure that they are aware of the school’s procedures for child protection and their responsibilities. We have a written policy and procedures for Child Protection complying with Local Authority guidance. The Designated Safeguarding Leads and Key Adults are Mrs N Gambier (Headteacher), Mr D Cole (Assistant Headteacher) and Miss J Rice (Assistant Headteacher). The designated governor for Child Protection is Mrs S Brain. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is available on our website and in the staffroom.
What is a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)?
Designated Safeguarding Leads are named members of school staff that have the primary responsibility for Safeguarding in school. They will act upon any reported concerns as well as ensuring all staff are familiar with, and adhering, to the Safeguarding Policy. They are the first point of contact for issues of child protection and Safeguarding, both internally, and for members of the public and other external contacts.
Our Designated Safeguarding Leads are: Mrs N Gambier, Mr Daniel Cole and Miss Jennifer Rice
Visiting the school
Any visitors to the school must sign in and out and wear their badge at all times. We encourage everyone to challenge those found on the premises who are not wearing formal identification. Please do not be offended by this, our priority is the children’s safety.
Helping in School
Parents and carers are welcome in school. Classes really benefit from parent helpers and we thank those that give their time in this way. We do ensure that parents/carers are not left alone with a child/group of children. This may necessitate working with readers, spellers and mathematicians in one of our colourful corridors!
We require parent helpers to obtain a DBS Certificate from the school before helping.
Risk Assessments and School Trips
All school trips involve the undertaking of a risk assessment and necessary paperwork is given to all adults accompanying trips. Our adults wear high visibility tabards.
Confidentiality
All adults that help in school or on trips must ensure that they speak to a member of staff regarding any concerns. Such concerns will be dealt with by the school and should not be shared with a third party.
If I have concerns, who do I go to?
If it is regarding a child:
If you have any concern that a child has been harmed, is at risk of harm, or you receive a disclosure, please contact the main reception as quickly as possible and ask to speak to the Headteacher who has responsibility for child protection.
If you are worried about possible bullying, friendship issues, general social difficulty, you should raise your concerns in the first instance with a class teacher.
If it is regarding an adult in school:
You must notify the headteacher as soon as possible. If you have concerns about the headteacher, you are to contact the CEO of Tandridge Learning Trust, Rebecca Plaskitt r.plaskitt@tandridgelearningtrust.co.uk
Additional Resources
OPERATION ENCOMPASS
Woodlea has taken the opportunity to join the Operation Encompass scheme which will run jointly between local schools, Surrey Police and Surrey County Council.
Operation Encompass has been designed to provide early reporting on any domestic incidents that occur outside of school and might have an impact on a child in school.
Operation Encompass will ensure that a member of the school teaching staff, named a ‘Key Adult’ or “Deputy Key Adult”, is informed the next morning that there has been a domestic incident or if a child has been reported as missing. These school colleagues will be those who already have safeguarding responsibilities and are fully aware of the sensitive and confidential issues regarding such information.
Through sharing this information with the Key Adult or Deputy Key Adult, the school can ensure that the child is supported in the most appropriate way during the school day.
We are keen to offer the best support possible for our pupils and we believe this is going to be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
For more information see www.operationencompass.org
Surrey local safeguarding arrangements
Following a national review of Safeguarding arrangements in 2016 (The Wood Review), the Children and Social Work Act gave responsibility for the effective implementation of local safeguarding children arrangement to the Safeguarding Partners (Local Authority, Police and NHS Integrated Care Boards), which abolished the need for Partnership Boards and encouraged the flexibility and collaborative work approach recommended as an outcome of the review. In line with the ‘Working Together 2018’ guidance Surreys arrangements were changed in September 2019 and has lead to the Partnership which you see today.
To view Surrey’s Safeguarding Children Arrangements guidance please click below:
SSCP Local Safeguarding Arrangements
The Chief Officers of the three statutory Safeguarding Partners have approved the new arrangements and are accountable for their operation. Their nominees for day-to-day leadership are:
- Surrey County Council – Executive Director of Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture
- Surrey Police – Assistant Chief Constable
- Surrey Heartlands ICS – Associate Director of Safeguarding Adults and Children
For further information refer to:
CEOP Safety Centre
The CEOP Command works to protect children from the harm of sexual abuse and exploitation both online and offline. The button has been developed to offer children, young people, parents/carers and professionals working with these groups with a simple and convenient mechanism for gaining access to trusted online safety advice, help and support.