Safeguarding and child protection

Safeguarding is our duty of care to minimise the risk of harm to children regardless of their age, gender, religion or ethnicity. We are committed to the highest standards of protecting and safeguarding the children entrusted to our care. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Mrs Sage and our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mrs Godwin. Please see more details here.

We will support all children by:

• promoting a caring, safe and positive environment within the school
• encouraging self-esteem and self-assertiveness
• effectively tackling bullying and harrassment
• promoting all aspects of the Equality Act 2010

The purpose of our safeguarding policy is to provide a secure framework for our workforce in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of each one of our pupils. It also ensures that procedures are in place so that every child who attends our school is and feels safe and protected.

The policy aims to ensure that:

• All our pupils are safe and protected from harm
• Other elements of provision, policies and guidelines are in place to enable our pupils to feel safe and adopt safe practices
• Staff, pupils, governors, visitors, volunteers, parents and carers are aware of the expected behaviours and the school’s legal responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our pupils

Please find our full child protection and safeguarding policy on our policies page here.

Visitors to school

We have an expectation that all staff and visitors to our school will behave in a way that ensures our children are safeguarded at all times. This expectation involves a duty for any safeguarding concerns to be reported. Please see the visitor and volunteer safeguarding declaration here.

Reporting concerns

If you are concerned about the welfare of any child or vulnerable adult then please discuss this with the DSL: Dawn Sage (Head Teacher): 01225 872185 or the deputy DSL: Gemma Godwin (Inclusion Leader): 01225 872185.

If you think a child is in immediate danger then you should contact the police 999 or BaNES First Response Team Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm: 01225 396313 or 01225 396312 or Out of Hours 01454 615 165. Full BaNES safeguarding and child protection contact information is available online here.

If children are unhappy they can contact Childline on 0800 1111.

Online safety

Our duty of care to minimise the risk of harm to pupils in our school extends their use of the internet. Read our online safety page on this site for links to a range of information and guidance on keeping your child safe online.

Talking to your child

The NSPCC has broadcast a TV advert to encourage parents to talk to their children about staying safe from sexual abuse. It has also produced a pack for parents to make it easier to talk to children about this by "talking PANTS". This is a campaign that has been used in schools for many years. You can take a look at the advert here: https://youtu.be/nMIKUsZjirA and get the parents' PANTS pack here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/underwear-rule.

Report Abuse in Education helpline

The Department for Education has commissioned the NSPCC to launch a helpline called Report Abuse in Education. Young people and adults can call 0800 136 663 or email help@nspcc.org.uk.

The helpline can provide support to:

• children and young people who want to share current and non-recent experiences of sexual abuse and harassment
• children and young people who want to talk about being involved in or witnessing any incidents
• anyone who works or volunteers in a school setting and needs support and guidance
• adults who have experienced non-recent abuse
• parents and carers who are concerned about their own child or other children.

For more information, please see the NSPCC website: learning.nspcc.org.uk/news/2021/april/sexual-abuse-in-education-helpline-launched

Prevent: protecting children from extremism and radicalisation

The "prevent" approach at Saltford School is very much part of our curriculum, culture and processes. We see it as an integral aspect in promoting the safeguarding and well-being of our children.

The Prevent strategy

Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. At Saltford, we also believe that this work extends to supporting children's thinking skills so that they grow up without developing extreme views.

The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes.

How the Prevent strategy applies to schools

From July 2015 all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist, extreme or violent views in the same way as we protect them from drugs or gang violence. This is part of our wider efforts to safeguard children and protect them from harm.

Importantly, as an educational setting, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves. We believe it is important for children to have an environment in which they feel safe to discuss challenging views.

What this means in practice

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy. These include:

• exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
• challenging prejudices (behaviour that contradicts any aspect of Equality Law)
• developing thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity
• promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy

We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist, extreme or terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils. Different schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community.

Frequently asked questions

How does Prevent relate to British values?

Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy. British values include:

• democracy
• the rule of law
• individual liberty and mutual respect
• tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

Please see our British values page to see how we promote British values at Saltford School.

Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?

The Prevent strategy is not simply about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect. The school will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.

Is extremism really a risk in our area?

Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others. We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives. See the Educate Against Hate website for advice and trusted resources for safeguarding children from radicalisation and building resilience to all types of extremism.

You can access government advice on protecting children from extremism and radicalisation by taking a look at the Let's Talk About It website here. 

Key terms

Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

Ideology – a set of beliefs

Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause

Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support extremist behaviour

Why radicalisation is a child protection issue

The NSPCC explains why radicalisation is a child protection issue in an article that you can read here.