The latest Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance can be found here.

School can be contacted regarding any Safeguarding concerns at safeguarding@standrewsce.rochdale.sch.uk

The Government paper ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2023) states that ‘Safeguarding children is everyone‘s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play.’

Children’s Voices in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (DfE)

The Department for Education has published a child-friendly version of Working Together to Safeguard Children, including a downloadable booklet and animation to help young people understand safeguarding processes.

The guide, titled A Guide to Safeguarding for Children and Young People, explains how professionals like social workers, teachers, doctors, and police collaborate to keep children safe. It encourages children to speak up and reassures them that help is available.

This guide responds to calls for greater inclusion of children’s voices in safeguarding. Access these child-friendly resources here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children–2

View Rochdale Safeguarding information here

Safeguarding Statement

St Andrew’s CE Primary School & Nursery is committed to its legal and moral duty to promote the well-being of children, protecting them from harm and respond to child abuse all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

In this statement we would like to share with you school policies and practices with regards to ensuring that children are taught and encouraged to live healthy lifestyles and adopt safe practices.  School Policies are in place to ensure that there is a consistent approach to practices throughout the school and that they are adhered to by staff, governors and volunteers.

Adults have a tremendous impact on young children and with this in mind adults at St Andrew’s CE Primary School & Nursery strive to:

• Work in close partnership with parents to support children in every way possible
• Identify where there are child welfare concerns and take action to address them, in partnership with other organisations where appropriate
• Work together with other agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children
• Be good role models for children
• Enjoy work and working with children
• Welcome and support visitors in school
• Recognise and value strengths in each other and use these to support everyone
• Work within the agreed policies of the school
• Promote a calm, caring and safe school
• Encourage children to think for themselves, ask questions and find answers
• Create and maintain a safe learning environment for our children
• Develop our children’s understanding of how to keep themselves safe
• Create an environment of trust
• Challenge and support children in their learning

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which can be founded on our centralised policy page here.

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with his/her parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare. To achieve our commitment, we will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust safeguarding processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our staff and volunteers. 

All adults are also expected to read the DfE booklet: Keeping Children Safe in Education which has been updated for 2024. Everyone employed at St Andrew’s CE Primary & Nursery has a responsibility in terms of child protection and we understand that every child has the right to feel safe and protected at all times and in any situation. We accept that we have a primary responsibility for the care, welfare and safety of the pupils in our charge, and we will carry out this duty through our teaching and learning, extra-curricular activities, pastoral care and extended activities.

We hope that both parents and children will feel free to talk about any concerns and will see school as a safe place to discuss any difficulties.

All staff have child protection training and all adults who work with children in school have had an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. School has designated staff for child protection/safeguarding who receive regular and additional training and a nominated governor.

Parents and carers send their children to this school each day with the expectation that we will provide a secure environment in which their children can flourish. The school therefore will aim to ensure that this expectation becomes reality.

We actively support the Government’s Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.

Your help in supporting our safeguarding work is appreciated by the school and most importantly by the children in our care.  The systems contribute to partnership working between all those involved with providing services for children which includes our community police officer, school nurse and social care.

Green ‘concern’ forms are available from each class teacher and also kept in the school office or details can be recorded on CPOMS. If possible please complete the CPOM or form and pass it to the Safeguarding and Child Protection Designated Staff. If the form is not available ensure that the full details are recorded including date, time, child’s name, your name and a factual account of what was said or observed. We ask that you do NOT conduct your own investigation and keep all concerns or information confidential.

Everyone in the school community has a responsibility to act on any concerns that they have about a child’s wellbeing. If you are concerned about a child’s welfare, please record your concerns, and any observations or conversation heard, and report this as soon as possible the same day.

The local authority requires staff to report any obvious or suspected cases of child abuse. This includes non-accidental injury, physical neglect and emotional or sexual abuse. This procedure is intended to protect children at risk and we take the attitude that it is better to be safe than to be sorry where there are grounds for suspicion. This does mean that this may sometimes upset parents by reporting cases which may on further investigation prove unfounded. It is hoped that parents appreciate school will always act in what they believe to be the interests of the child.

If children are going home with another parent (for example for tea) we ask for written consent, if a child is going home with an unfamiliar adult we ask for written consent. We will always question and challenge anyone who is unknown to us. If you have not followed procedure and told us about changes to the home time routine of your child we will refuse to allow your child to leave the premises until we have spoken with you. We make no apology that this can be inconvenient for parents. Please help us to keep your child and others safe by following our start and end of day procedures and communicating any changes at all times to the school office and/or class teacher.

Around school you will see many of our safeguarding procedures in action. These include signs, visitors (including parents, staff and governors) must sign in and out. The front door is coded and termly unannounced fire drills take place. We ask that you do not attempt to speak to staff during this busy time so we can ensure children leave the premises safely accompanied by known adults. This is especially vital during the autumn term when staff are becoming familiar with new parents and family members. Appointments / messages can be arranged through the front office staff.

We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is that children will enjoy their time as pupils at this school and as a result make the best progress possible. The health, safety and well-being of every child is our paramount concern.

First Aid

In school there are always trained members of staff who volunteer to oversee first aid. First aid kits are situated around school. When a child becomes ill, or has suffered an accident in school or on the playground there is a protocol for staff to follow:

• A trained first aider is consulted
• The incident is logged in the accident book
• For head injuries a Head Note is issued
• If there is any doubt about the child’s well being a parent is contacted

Illness

From time to time children are sick (vomit) either at home or at school. Unfortunately, it is not possible to distinguish between the causes, and therefore it is essential that the same rule of exclusion applies in all cases of vomiting or Diarrhoea.

In the Health Protection Agency document, “Guidelines for the Control of Infection and Communicable Disease in School and Early Years Settings”, the guidance is:

DIARRHOEA AND VOMITING EXCLUSION
Diarrhoea and/or vomiting commonly affects children and staff and can be caused by a number of different germs, including viruses, parasites and bacteria. Infections can be easily spread from person to person (by unwashed hands), especially in children. In general, it is recommended that any staff member or child with diarrhoea and/or vomiting symptoms must stay away or be excluded from the school or early years setting until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours (the ‘48 hour rule’) and feel well. Personal hygiene whilst ill must be very strict.

If your child is sick at school, we will ask you or your emergency contact to take your child home. They should not return for 48 hours. We appreciate that this is inconvenient in many cases, and you may not believe your child is ill, but you will appreciate that we do this in all cases and it should reduce the risk of infection for all children in school.  As an example, if your child is sick at lunchtime on a Tuesday, they should not return to school until after lunch on Thursday, provided there have not been any further episodes of vomiting.

For further information, please click here.

Site Security

• Gates are locked during the course of the school day.
• Visitors, volunteers and students must enter through the main entrance and signing in at the office.
• Children will only be allowed home with adults with parental responsibility or confirmed permission.
• Children should never be allowed to leave school alone during school hours, and if collected by an adult, signed out.

Attendance

Children’s attendance and punctuality at school is monitored on a daily basis and notable absences or patterns of absences are followed up, in more serious cases the Education Welfare Officer may be involved.

Safer Recruitment and Selection

Governors and the school ensure that all staff new to the school and volunteers who work in school on a regular basis undertake a DBS check and full references are acquired before any person takes up a post in school. New staff are inducted into safeguarding practices.  Newly appointed staff are assigned a mentor for the induction period.  It is the responsibility of the mentors to familiarise new staff with procedures and policy, which affect the health and safety of all at school.

Child Protection

This is a sensitive area in which all staff receive regular training.  The school and other services for children and families all work together to support the needs of children.  

Curriculum

Subjects such as Personal, Social and Health Education support children in the development of healthy lifestyles and the understanding of how to keep themselves safe.   The school curriculum is designed so that safety issues within subjects are discussed and safe practices taught, such as using equipment properly in PE and Design and Technology. At all times there has to be appropriate staffing levels and when the curriculum is taken out of school appropriate and agreed pupil/adult ratios are maintained. The lead adult always assesses visits as to the level of risk and all trips are finally authorised by the Headteacher. Visiting speakers, with correct clearance are often invited to enrich children’s learning and development.

Internet Safety

Use of the internet is part of our school curriculum and internet use at KS2 may form part of children’s homework. Teachers regularly discuss e-safety strategies with children. Advice and information for parents supporting e-safety at home is sent out through the newsletter. Parents are asked if they agree to their child using the internet. Pupils will never be unattended whilst online and teachers should ensure that this does not happen. If teachers know of misuse, either by a teacher or child the issue will be reported to the Headteacher without delay.

Equal Opportunities

St Andrew’s CE Primary School & Nursery is fully committed to equality of opportunity. We offer high quality education for all; when children have specific needs we make arrangements to work with children and families in designing specific programmes to support learning. We promote diversity in our workforce which reflects the population of Rochdale. Applications to work in school are welcome from all, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Behaviour

At St Andrew’s CE Primary School & Nursery we have high expectations for respectful and positive behaviour which in turn support the positive and purposeful learning environment throughout out school.  Our core values – friendship, forgiveness, honesty and respect is underpinned by Christian values, forms a major part of our behaviour strategy, the behaviour policy can be found on the school website.  However, as we all know children do fall out from time to time.  Where this is the case, it is dealt with sensitively by an adult; children are given time to explain what the problem is and are helped to find a resolution.

Behaviour, Rewards and Bullying Prevention Policy

St Andrew’s CE Primary School & Nursery works hard to promote positive and respectful relationships and does not tolerate any form of bullying behaviour.   Children are taught to identify bullying behaviour and report them. All allegations of bullying are reported to and addressed by a member of the school leadership team who will determine the course of action needed. A detailed Anti-bullying Policy, (available from the school website) outlines the strategies we put in place to address incidents of bullying behaviour.

Racial Equality

Along with the equal opportunities statement there is a statement in the prospectus that asserts:  

“At St Andrew’s CE Primary School & Nursery School pupils will be prepared for an ethnically diverse society. The school will work hard to promote racial equality and harmony by preventing and challenging racism.”

Photographing and Videoing

There has been a lot of controversy recently about adults photographing and filming young people. The concerns are genuine and at St Andrew’s CE Primary School & Nursery we have taken a sensible approach, which allows:

Parents’ consent to school taking photographs/video clips by signing a permission slip upon entry to school. School photographs that are for use outside of school (e.g. the school website) are anonymous unless specific permission has been received from parents.
Parents can take photographs of their own children in school but we ask that as we can’t guarantee the online safety of images taken in school by parents, that video’s and photographs are not taken during Family Assemblies but time will be given at the end for parents to take their child’s photograph.  (This is a result of a discussion with our focus group of parents, staff and governors to discuss ‘keeping our children safe’.)

Whistleblowing

If members of staff ever have any concerns about people working, paid or unpaid, they have a professional duty to inform the management accordingly. This can be done in writing or verbally but staff should be prepared to discuss issues in the confidence that any such matter will be dealt with sensitively and with the necessary degree of confidentiality. The school follows the Trust policy on Whistleblowing. A copy of this can be found on the Watergrove Trust Policy page.

School can be contacted regarding any Safeguarding concerns at safeguarding@standrewsce.rochdale.sch.uk

We are Committed to Safeguarding

St Andrew's CE Primary School and Nursery is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff, visitors and volunteers to share this commitment. Should you have a question or comment there is a dedicated email address safeguarding@standrewsce.rochdale.sch.uk

In an emergency situation please contact EHASH

EHASH 8am – 4.45pm

0300 303 0440 ehash@rochdale.gov.uk

Emergency Duty Social Worker 4.45pm – 8am & weekends 0300 303 8875

LADO – Local Authority Designated Officer (Louise Hurst) 0300 30 303 50  lado@rochdale.gov.uk

The latest Keeping Children Safe in Education documentation can be found here.

Operation Encompass

https://www.operationencompass.org/

As part of our 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 Greater Manchester 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 Mrs Judith Rainford, Mrs Jane Hodgson and Mr Paul Lynch. If you have any questions or wish to know more about our involvement in Operation Encompass, please do not hesitate to contact to school.

We are an Operation Encompass School which means we work with the police to support children and families experiencing domestic abuse.

Additional services and support for domestic abuse available here from Rochdale Council.

View Rochdale Safeguarding information here

Safe After School campaign

The Safe After School campaign was launched to support parents with advice and guidance on out of school activities.

Clubs, classes and tutorial sessions offer great ways for children and young people to develop their skills and confidence as well as having fun, but it comes as quite a shock to many parents that they may actually not be regulated. Even people who have committed criminal offences can legally continue to work in roles like children's entertainer or private tutor.

There have been many instances, nationally as well as locally, about inappropriate behaviour and abuse perpetrated by adults in a position of trust at an after school activity.

Rochdale launched the Safe After School campaign to help parents and carers make sure their children will be happy and protected in after school and extra-curricular activities.What should parents ask providers?

Who to contact

If you have any concerns or questions please E-mail lado@rochdale.gov.uk

Related Links

Links (open in new window)

• Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Partnership (RBSCP)

Download links (download in browser)

• Safe after school - parent booklet (2MB pdf)
• Safe after school - parent questions card (408KB pdf)
• Safe after school - provider booklet (11MB pdf)

Child Safety and Dark Nights

Whilst younger children are at risk, the data shows that 11 - 15 year olds are actually at more at risk from accidents or result in serious injury.

The resources below will help remind children, especially teenagers, about road safety and safe cycling.

Teaching Road Safety: A Guide for Parents https://www.rospa.com/media/documents/road-safety/teaching-road-safety-a-guide-for-parents.pdf

Safety First – Cycling at Night https://www.cycletraining.co.uk/cycle-training-and-cycle-safety/safety-first-cycling-at-night/

Teaching road safety: guide for educators https://www.brake.org.uk/assets/docs/Teachroadsafetyguide-Sept14.pdf

Road safety teaching resources for children https://www.think.gov.uk/education-resources/

Be Bright, Be Seen Poster https://6282.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Be_Bright_Be_Seen-A5-Flyer.pdf