Safeguarding
Safeguarding and Child Protection
At Watton at Stone Primary and Nursery School we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our pupils and we require all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
If a child makes a disclosure regarding a safeguarding concern or we notice something which causes us concern, then we have a duty of care to all our pupils to share any information wit the appropriate authorities.
We endeavour to work in an open and transparent way and, unless the welfare of a child is believed to be at risk, we would share any concerns with parents before sharing information with other professionals.
If you have any questions about Safeguarding and Child Protection, or you have any concerns about a child, you can speak with one of our Child Protection Leads.
Safeguarding at Christmas Time
Dear Families,
We are wishing you a fabulous Christmas break and we are sure that having some time to spend together as a family is very much welcomed by both parents and children.
Although a joyous time of year, the Christmas period can also be difficult for some families.
Contact with School:
School is closed from the 21st December to the 9th January and the admin team will not be responding to emails or contact during this time. Therefore, any immediate concerns should be reported to the relevant service (for example the Police or Children’s Services). However, the safeguarding@wattonatstone.herts.sch.uk email is available for non-emergency concerns. This inbox will be checked intermittently by the safeguarding team during the break.
Online Safety:
Children use smartphones so frequently and confidently that we forget how much access they have to the world through these devices and through social media. Any reminder of this is timely and important.
During this festive period, please continue to monitor your child’s online activity and talk openly to them about their use of social media. With apps like Snapchat, young people can easily share their location with others and talk to strangers. This can be incredibly dangerous and it is important we continue to remind our children about these risks and monitor activity. Some of our children may be lucky to receive new devices this Christmas – please remind them of the responsibility that comes with them.
The UK Safer Internet Centre provides support as to how to protect young people online on a range of devices.
Winter Safety:
Stay safe in winter – the dangers of frozen waters.
Over the last week or so, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue have attended water and ice incidents where people have been at risk of falling through frozen lakes and rivers due to rescuing a pet or not seeing the dangers of such activities.
Children and pets are particularly at risk when tempted to play on the ice formed on open water, and adults can find themselves at risk in attempting to save them.
Taking a nice walk in cold weather with your family, friends or dogs in tow can be really refreshing, just make sure you know some simple tips on how to stay safe in winter.
Areas with frozen lakes, ponds, canals and reservoirs can be beautiful places to visit during the winter months but all too often many people risk their lives by venturing onto frozen water.
Here are some useful tips to help you know what to do in an emergency:
- Teach children not to go onto the ice under any circumstances
- Don’t go onto ice or into the water to rescue a dog, move to somewhere that the dog will be able to climb out and call them towards you
- Keep dogs on their leads when near ice and don’t throw sticks or toys onto the ice.
- Only use well-lit areas
- Time your walks to make the most of the daylight; if you need to walk in the evening only use well-lit areas or take a route not alongside water
- When walking alongside water keep back from the edge
Here is a link to more information.
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass is a police and education early information sharing partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse. Information is shared by the police with a school's designated safeguarding person prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended a domestic abuse incident thus enabling appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.
Children experiencing domestic abuse are negatively impacted by this exposure; domestic abuse has been identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience and can lead to emotional, physical and psychological harm. Operation Encompass aims to mitigate this harm by enabling immediate support, making a child's day better and giving them a better tomorrow.
Operation Encompass believes that children are victims of domestic abuse in their own right and should be acknowledged as such.
Further information can be found HERE
Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy has been updated to reflect this new procedure.
Prevent
The Governing Body fully accepts the school's responsibility to implement the Prevent Duty.
The Prevent Duty Guidance (under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 ) was released by the Government in March 2015 which places a duty on schools, and other agencies, to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This legal duty came into force on 1st July. The duty placed on schools covers 4 areas:
- Action plan
- Working in Partnership
- Staff Training
- IT Policies
More information from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/439598/prevent-duty-departmental-advice-v6.pdf
Below is a link to our parent leaflet for further information for on the Prevent Strategy.
Mrs N.Etienne
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs S.Gill
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Ms Jessica Bentley
Safeguarding Governor
Miss E.Chatman
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead