Safeguarding At St Mark’s

How do we keep everyone safe at St Mark’s?

Find out by reading the page below

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Keeping everyone safe at St Mark's! Yes, it could happen here! Find out about the various ways we keep everyone safe here

Safeguarding DSLs and Governors

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Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

  • Lead designated person (DSL) for Child Protection, and 2 Deputy DSLs
  • 2 Named Governors for Safeguarding
  • All staff have annual and termly updates/ training for Child Protection
  • Termly Safeguarding newsletters
  • Clear procedures are in place to ensure that any suspicions about neglect or abuse are reported to the relevant
  • Notes of concern are raised and kept on CPOMS
  • CPOMS is monitored daily by DSLs
  • Dedicated area on school website for safeguarding.
  • Whistleblowing procedures are clear.

Safeguarding policies

  • Child & Safeguarding Protection policies, in-line with Hampshire County Council.
  • Whistleblowing
  • Safeguarding and CP reviewed annually
  • Dealing with Medical Needs in School
  • Anti-Bullying,
  • Relationships and Behaviour
  • Health and Safety
  • RSE
  • GDPR
  • Management of Allegations against Staff,
  • Recruitment and Selection
  • Equality Statement
  • SEND
  • Code of Conduct for all Staff in the Staff (including mobile Phone use)

Training

  • Clear Induction procedures includes Safeguarding, CP, Prevent – practice and procedures
  • All DSLs attend refresher training every two years
  • Governors have regular safeguarding training and updates in committees and at Full Governor meetings. Governors receive training on induction.
  • All staff attend regular safeguarding training. 
  • Designated lead attends relevant training on specific issues
  • First aid training for all staff
  • Induction training for all staff on an annual basis includes extensive safeguarding training.

Recruitment and Vetting

  • All adults working with pupils in school have enhanced DBS checks. This includes any adult who comes into school on a regular basis as volunteers.
  • Named Governors, Headteacher and Deputy Heads are safer- recruitment trained in ensuring that Safeguarding is a priority when interviewing new staff.
  • Safer recruitment procedures are followed using HCC policy and documentation
  • Rigorous induction process in place – see here and our safeguarding menus on our website.

Visitors

  • All visitors report to front desk to sign in and are given a visitors lanyard which they wear throughout their visit
  • All visitors receive a safeguarding information pamphlet.

Parents

  • Parents are supported by our fantastic pastoral team.
  • Parents who volunteer follow the same rigorous processes as our non-parental volunteers. This is the same as our FOSM PTA members.

Volunteers

  • Volunteers meet with the DHT for safeguarding training, when starting the volunteering process within school
  • All volunteers in regulated activity are DBS checked.
  • All volunteers not in regulated activity are supervised by a member of staff
  • Safeguarding policy shared with volunteers
  • Volunteers go through our induction process.

Inter-agency working

  • Educational Psychology Service
  • LADO
  • CAMHS
  • HCC Children’s services -Social Services
  • Health Visitors
  • School Health Service
  • NSPCC
  • Hampshire Primary Behaviour Team (PBS)
  • VI , HI, PD and SEND Teams
  • Speech and Language Therapists
  • Occupational/Physio Therapists
  • Information sharing with secondary schools about families
  • Information sharing with previous settings
  • Virtual School (LAC)

Curriculum

Worships regularly and throughout the year when out and about (e.g. road & safety).

Our weekly worships cover keeping safe – drip-feed approach

HeartSmart PSHE Scheme of work

‘Keeping Safe’ assemblies, e.g. NSPCC, bullying, internet safety

Relationship and Sex Education – part of HearSmart curriculum

NSPCC ‘Pants’ campaign every 2 yrs with workshops

Circle Times

Specific to St Mark’s Curriculum: Safety in parks (Y3); Building sites (Y4); Anti-social behaviour (Y5); Drugs including “Just say no” (Y6)

Internet Safety

  • E-Safety team, led by our computing leads
  • Full and thorough Online Safety Policy
  • Incidents are logged on CPOMS.
  • E-Safety resources on website & on newsletters
  • Parental permission for use of photographs and other media
  • Natterhub resource used weekly to instill in children how to keep themselves safe and healthy online.
  • Internet Safety Day annually
  • Workshops offered to parents annually
  • Acceptable use policy
  • Internet filtering by our IT company (see here for more information)
  • Dedicated IT Technician who has responsibility for safety in tech.

Behaviour

  • Clear Relationships and Behaviour policy, based on rights and responsibilities and our values.
  • Individual Behaviour Plans for SEMH children.
  • Systems and reporting followed by all members of staff
  • Referral to other agencies when needed
  • Use of Zones of Regulation throughout the school.

Pastoral Support

  • 2 FTE members of pastoral team – “Pastoral and Family Support Team”
  • Open door policy
  • Young Carers Club
  • We look after our team and offer supervision sessions to all staff.
  • We sign post families to other agencies for support – such as Early Help Hub
  • Home visits for EYFS pupils when starting school
  • Extensive range of pastoral provision, including ELSA.

Attendance

  • Admin team contact families of absent children by 09:20
  • Persistent absentees and lateness tracked by pastoral lead.
  • Pastoral and SEND team work with families to improve attendance.
  • EHH, ALP (LTS) and referrals may take place if attendance isn’t improving.
  • Bespoke tracking system in place which integrates with our MIS system. This enables us to track attendance over time.

Anti-Bullying

  • Clear policy and procedures for pupils to report bullying
  • Kindess Week (Anti-Bullying) to raise awareness of bullying
  • Racist incidents are reported on CPOMS and to the Gov Body and LA

Health and Safety

  • Termly Health and Safety audits take place
  • Regular Fire Risk Assessments and evacuation drills
  • Clearly labelled exits
  • Fire Safety Training completed by all staff
  • Regular Health and Safety Checks carried out – weekly/monthly/termly
  • Secure site with padlocked gates
  • Risk assessments carried out for all on & off-site activities carried out in school using Evolve System
  • Risk Assessments for pupils with medical needs completed (PEEPS)

Medical Needs

  • Clear policies in place
  • First Aid Trained members of staff, including paediatric first aid.
  • All staff trained in management of anaphylaxis shock in the use of epi-pens
  • Admin Team share allergies info with staff thorugh medical booklet.