Safeguarding
Every person who works with our children understand their responsibility in keeping children safe and should be confident in how they will do that.
Our school community has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are our pupils. This means that we have safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures in place, which we refer to in our prospectus and on our website. All staff, including volunteers and supply staff, must ensure that they are aware of our procedures.
Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child's welfare. We will always ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with their parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that this is not in the child's best interests, or a child is a significant risk or in immediate danger.
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding means:
- protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
- preventing harm to children's health or development
- ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
- taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
Safeguarding Procedures at Otley Street Community Primary School
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibilities
Report your concerns
If you have any concerns regarding the welfare of a pupil, please report it to a designated Safeguarding Leader (DSL) or Deputy Safeguarding Leaders (DDSL).
If you believe a child is in immediate danger, please call 999
Ms Emma Bennison
Designated Safeguard Lead and Headteacher
Mrs Emma Rostron
Yellow room class teacher and
Deputy Designated Safeguard Lead
You can contact our DSL and DDSL by telephoning 01756 793075
Our safeguarding link governor
Mrs Estelle Scarth
estelle.scarth@otleystreet.n-yorks,sch.uk
Our Chair of Governors
Andrew Scott
CofG@otleystreet.n-yorks.sch.uk
Should you have any concerns outside of school hours, then you should report them to the North Yorkshire Multi Agency Safeguarding Screening Team, please call 0300 131 2131. Additional information about making a referral can be found on their website by clicking here.
We follow the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP) procedures.
Parents and carers can also visit the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership website for more advice and information: NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk).
Or call NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.
For pupils, the NSPCC Childline number is 0800 1111.
We aim to maintain a positive relationship with all parents. The school will, in most circumstances, endeavour to discuss all concerns with parents about their child/ren. However, there may be exceptional circumstances when the school will discuss concerns with Social Care and/or the Police without parental knowledge (in accordance with Child Protection procedures)
The school’s Child Protection policy is available in the policy section of the school website and below. A paper copy can be requested via the school office.
For more information, please click on the links below:-
Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2023.pdf
Working_together_to_safeguard_children_2023_-_statutory_guidance.pdf
Child Protection Policy 2023 - 2024 OSCNS.pdf
Prevent Duty
As part of Otley Street Community Primary School’s safeguarding and child protection duties, we are fully behind the government’s Prevent Strategy. From 1 July 2015 all schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty for Schools.
At Otley Street Community Primary School, we build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling our pupils to challenge extremist views. The statutory guidance refers to the importance of Prevent Awareness Training to equip staff to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas, and we constantly participate in training, so our knowledge is up to date.
Our school is part of Operation Encompass.
Operation Encompass is a national police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people who experience Domestic Abuse, and which is in place in every police force in England and Wales.
Children were recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act.
Operation Encompass means that the police will share information with our school about all police attended Domestic Abuse incidents which involve any of our children PRIOR to the start of the next school day.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead has completed the Operation Encompass Key Adult training and they will cascade the principles of Operation Encompass to all other school staff and governors.
North Yorkshire Duty Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
The North Yorkshire Duty LADO can be contacted on 01609 533080 should you wish to speak to somebody in relation to managing an allegation against a member of staff or a volunteer who works in North Yorkshire with children. please contact the relevant area LADO. For more information go to NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)