At St Clare’s, we regard the safety of our pupils as our top priority.  It is everyone’s responsibility to be vigilant and to ensure that pupils stay safe.

There are four elements to our safeguarding procedures:

  • Prevention – A positive school atmosphere, explicit teaching of safeguarding aspects, pastoral support to pupils and safer recruitment procedures.
  • Protection – Following agreed procedures, ensuring staff are trained and supported to respond appropriately and sensitively to Child Protection concerns.
  • Support – Support to pupils and school staff and to children who may have been harmed or abused.
  • Working with parents – Working with parents to ensure appropriate communications and actions are undertaken.

 

Our full safeguarding policy can be found here: Safeguarding And Child Protection Policy 23 24

The school has a statutory responsibility to share any concerns it might have about a child in need of protection with other agencies and in particular police, health and children’s services. Schools are not able to investigate concerns but have a legal duty to refer them.

 

In most instances, the school will be able to inform the parents/carer if it needs to make a referral. However, sometimes the school is advised by Children’s Social Care or police that the parent/carer cannot be informed whilst they investigate the matter. We understand the anxiety parents/carers understandably feel when they are not told about any concerns from the outset. The school follows legislation that aims to act in the best interests of the child.

Safeguarding out of hours or emergency

If you are concerned that a child is an immediate danger you should ring the police.

If you are concerned about the safety or well-being of a child during the school holidays, please contact children’s social care: First Response – 0116 3050005

 

Online Safety

In today’s connected world, with most children accessing online content from a very young age, it is vital that children are supported to use the internet safely.

At St Clare’s, children undertake age appropriate online safety lessons every year.  However, school access to the internet is restricted through firewalls and filters which prevent most unsuitable content form being accessed.  Those fail safes are not, however, generally used at home.  We therefore strongly encourage parents to follow steps to prevent inappropriate content from being accessed and support their child to report anything that concerns them whilst online.

Step by step guidance can be found here: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/support-your-child-at-home/

 

Harmful online challenges and online hoaxes – this document gives valuable information for parents to avoid these online dangers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/harmful-online-challenges-and-online-hoaxes/harmful-online-challenges-and-online-hoaxes

This document gives information about Domestic Abuse: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/media/186616/friends-and-family-guide.pdf