Chetwynde School

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Our School fully recognises the contribution we can make to protect children from harm and to support and promote the welfare of all children who are registered pupils at Chetwynde School. The elements of our policy are prevention, protection and support.

This applies to all pupils, staff, parents, Board members, volunteers and visitors.

Key personnel and details

1. The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for child protection is Dr Helen Polley

Email: h.polley@chetwynde.cumbria.sch.uk

Tel: 01229 824210

2. The Deputy Designated Leads are:

Email:  Mr Reece Edwards (Deputy Head / Head of Primary) r.edwards@chetwynde.cumbria.sch.uk

 Email: Mrs K Stepanian (Phase 1 - EYFS – Yr. 3) k.stepanian@chetwynde.cumbria.sch.uk

 Email: Mrs K Costa (Phase 2 – Yrs. 4-7) k.costa@chetwynde.cumbria.sch.uk

 Email: Mr H Halliwell (Phase 3 – Yrs. 8-11) h.halliwell@chetwynde.cumbria.sch.uk

 Tel: 01229 824210

3. The nominated Safeguarding Governor is Mrs Sue Jackson

Please contact Sue via the school on 01229 824210 or info@chetwynde.cumbria.sch.uk 

Completed Referral Forms must be given to the DSL if any member of staff has a safeguarding concern.

Immediate emergency referrals made straight to CSCP Safeguarding Hub – 0333 240 1727

If the designated leads are unavailable or are the subject of a complaint, their duties will be carried out by the Head of School.

Procedures for managing concerns:

Every member of staff including volunteers working with children at our school is advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned. When concerned about the welfare of a child, staff members should always act in the interests of the child and have a responsibility to take action as outlined in this leaflet.

All staff are encouraged to report any concerns that they have and not see these as insignificant. On occasions, a referral is justified by a single incident such as an injury or disclosure of abuse. In these circumstances, it is crucial that staff record and pass on concerns in accordance with the school policy to allow the DSL to build up a picture and access support for the child at the earliest opportunity. Reliance on memory without accurate and contemporaneous records of concern could lead to a failure to protect.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) should be used as the first point of contact for concerns and queries regarding any safeguarding concern in our school. Any member of staff or visitor to the School who receives a disclosure of abuse or suspects that a child is at risk of harm must report it immediately using the forms in the staff room to the DSL or, if unavailable, to the deputy Designated Lead.

If, at any point, there is a risk of immediate serious harm to a child a referral should be made to the Safeguarding Board immediately. Anybody can make a referral.

The Prevent Duty

The School will provide a safe environment for discussing controversial issues and helping our students understand how they can participate in decision-making. We will continue to encourage our students to express their views but we will also teach them to appreciate the impact their views can have on others, to take responsibility for their actions and to understand that the use of violence to further any cause is criminal. We also need to recognise that young people can be exposed to extremist influences or prejudiced views, including via the internet, from an early age and will monitor their use of the internet at school and assess the risk of radicalisation through this. Any concerns re radicalisation should be treated in the same way as any other safeguarding concern.