Newtown Linford Primary School is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, all staff share this commitment. The Health & Safety of all our children is paramount.
The school provides a safe, secure and caring environment in which their children can flourish. To meet this expectation, we closely follow our school’s Safeguarding & Child Protection policy and Health & Safety policy. Details of these policies can be found in the policies section of the website.
Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL)
All schools have a Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Safeguarding Leads. These are the staff who take lead responsibility for child protection for safeguarding within the school. However, all staff are responsible for being vigilant, reporting concerns and promoting safeguarding issues.
Our DSLs are:
- Mrs Kirsten Kennedy & Mrs Louise Proudman (Lead)
- Mrs Denise Hamm & Mrs Natalie Burfoot (Deputy)
Reporting a Safeguarding Concern
If you have a safeguarding concern about a pupil in school you should report it to either a DSL in school or Leicestershire County Council using the link below:
Within school hours you can contact the school office to discuss a concern. Outside of school hours you can call the First Response Children’s Duty 24/7 on 01163050005.
It is important for parents to be aware that:
Staff and volunteers in the school have a duty to report concerns about a child, whether this means the child may be in need of additional support or help of some kind or whether it is thought that a child may have been abused or be at risk of abuse.
There are 4 categories of abuse:
- physical
- sexual
- emotional
- neglect.
In some cases the school is obliged to refer children to the Social Services Department, for children to be assessed for their needs or if an investigation into possible child abuse is required. In many cases there will already have been discussions between school staff and the parents of the child, and the situation and concerns will not be a surprise to the parents. However, parents may not be told that the school has referred their child to the Social Services Department if it is thought that this might put the child at risk.
The Social Services Department tries to carry out its enquiries in a sensitive fashion. It has to gather information and generally it can be open with parents about the steps being taken.
- If you think your child may have been abused, contact Leicestershire County Council First Response Team or
- If you think that the abuse may have happened in school, contact the Headteacher.
- If you think your child has been hurt, arrange to visit your doctor.
- Comfort and reassure your child.
If school staff need to express concerns about a child or refer a child to the Social Services Department, it is understood that this can cause distress or anger for the child’s parents. It is important that all parties (including parents and school staff) try to discuss these matters as calmly and sensibly as possible.
Poster EncompassE-Safety
It is our aim to create confident e-learners, who:
- Can find access and process information.
- Have the skills to choose and use technology efficiently and adapt their skills to meet the challenge of new technologies.
- Use a range of technologies to communicate effectively and appropriately.
At Newtown Linford Primary School we have a strong commitment to E-Safety. All our pupils are taught about keeping safe as a regular part of our curriculum. We embrace the use of technology at school and ensure that our pupils not only master the skills of using this technology, but most importantly the knowledge and awareness of how to keep themselves safe while doing so.
We also feel that it is crucial for parents to fully understand how to ensure their child is safe when using the Internet at home and as a school we do all we can to support you in this.
Please see our family wellbeing portal for further information on E-Safety.
