Safeguarding Statement

Our aim is for children to enjoy their time as pupils in this school. We want to work in partnership with you and your child to ensure he/she enjoys a positive learning environment which supports them to achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution. To promote a safe environment for pupils, our selection and recruitment policy includes all checks on staff and regular volunteers’ suitability, including Disclosure and Barring checks, as recommended law.

We are also mindful of our responsibilities under the Education Act and the latest edition of "Keeping Children Safe in Education". We have a Designated Safeguarding Lead for Child Protection is our Proprietress and Headteacher. They have received appropriate training for this role. In addition all staff receive child protection awareness training on a regular basis to support them to develop their understanding of risks both in the real world and online, which may impact on our students and their welfare. As a school we believe safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility Occasions do arise when our concern about a child requires us to consult other agencies. Whilst we would always aim to work in partnership with parents there may be exceptions to this when concerns are raised for the protection of a child. On very rare occasions Social Care, whilst undertaking an investigation under the Children Act, may want to speak to a child without a parents’ knowledge.

This would be a decision made in collaboration with partner agencies and would only be done in situations where a child might be at immediate risk of harm. To gain consent at this point may increase the level of risk to the child or cause evidence of a crime to be lost. The procedures, which we follow, have been laid down by the Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Partnership, and the school has adopted a Child Protection Policy in line with this for the safety of all. If you want to know more about our procedures, please speak to our Headteacher Mrs Peal or your child’s class teacher.