Safeguarding
Outwoods Primary School is a child centred school. The child’s needs and welfare are paramount. All children have a right to be protected from abuse and neglect and have their welfare safeguarded. We all have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and to maintain a professional attitude of ‘it could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned. We recognise that staff at our school play an important role as they are in a position to identify concerns early and provide help for children to prevent concerns from escalating.
Our school is committed to safeguarding children and promoting children’s welfare and expects all staff, governors, volunteers, and visitors to share this commitment and maintain a vigilant and safe environment. Everyone has a responsibility to act without delay to protect children by reporting anything that might suggest a child is being abused or neglected. It is our willingness to work safely and challenge inappropriate behaviours that underpins this commitment. The school seeks to work in partnership with families and other agencies to improve the outcomes for children who are vulnerable or in need. All staff and regular visitors will, through training and induction, know how to recognise indicators of concern, how to respond to a disclosure from a child and how to record and report this information. We will not make promises to any child and we will not keep secrets. Every child will know what the adult will have to do with any information they have chosen to disclose.
‘Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.’ (Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021)
Please click here to see our Safeguarding Policy.
What to do if you have a safeguarding concern:
If you are concerned about the safety or welfare of a child, then speak to Mrs Cutbush, who is the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Miss Toal, Mrs Taylor or Mrs Hunt, who are the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads. Other contacts, out of school hours, can be found on our safeguarding poster, which is also displayed around the school.
Should you feel that you need to report an issue (you can remain anonymous) related to on-line material promoting terrorism or extremism, please do so immediately via the government website.
Operation Encompass
The school has been given the opportunity to take part in a project that will run jointly between schools and Staffordshire Police. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced, any domestic abuse.
Operation Encompass will ensure that a member of the school staff, (Designated Safeguarding Lead) known as a Key Adult, is trained to allow them to liaise with the police and to use the information that has been shared, in confidence, while ensuring that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have been experienced a domestic abuse incident.
We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
Click here to see further information;