Safeguarding

Under the Education Act 2002 (Section 175), schools must make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Parent/carers should know that the law (Children Act 1989) requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. 

The staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with the parent/carer, and where possible, seek their consent to a referral to Social Care.  This will only be done where such discussion will not place the child at increased risk of significant harm. 

Schools will seek advice from Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.  Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded.  Parents/carers will appreciate that the designated person for child protection was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.

Operation Encompass

Safeguarding our children is of paramount importance to us at Gorefield primary academy, it is with this in mind that we are now part of an initiative called ‘Operation Encompass’. The designated safeguarding leads have been trained as a key adult.  This initiative in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough schools informs schools by 9am if any of our children have been witness to or involved in a domestic incident the prior evening. This enables us as a school to support individual children and families in an effective and proactive manner. Working with families to ensure positive and successful outcomes for all.

We have a number of policies that support our safeguarding.

Key People

Miss Aimee Garner and Miss Dawn Freeburn are your Designated safeguarding leads. Miss Aimee Garner is both Safer Recruitment trained and the Prevent Lead.  

Prevent

Since 2010, when the Government published the Prevent Strategy, there has been an awareness of the specific need to safeguard children, young people and families from violent extremism. There have been several occasions both locally and nationally in which extremist groups have attempted to radicalise vulnerable children and young people to hold extreme views including views justifying political, religious, sexist or racist violence, or to steer them into a rigid and narrow ideology that is intolerant of diversity and leaves them vulnerable to future radicalisation.

Gorefield Primary Academy values freedom of speech and the expression of beliefs /ideology as fundamental rights underpinning our society’s values. Both students and teachers have the right to speak freely and voice their opinions. However, freedom comes with responsibility and free speech that is designed to manipulate the vulnerable or that leads to violence and harm of others goes against the moral principles in which freedom of speech is valued. Free speech is not an unqualified privilege; it is subject to laws and policies governing equality, human rights, community safety and community cohesion.

Gorefield Primary Academy is committed to providing a secure environment for pupils, where children and young people feel safe and are kept safe. All adults at the school recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility irrespective of the role they undertake or whether their role has direct contact or responsibility for children or not. Our Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Policy is one element within our overall school arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children. 

Our staff and governors are all trained in the prevent agenda.

Regular training and links with external agencies ensure we are up to date with relevant advice to ensure we effectively safeguard our children. 

E Safety -

Children are taught a stand alone internet safety lesson every term.  

For information on how to keep children safe online and resources, please see Parent page.