Safeguarding at Holy Trinity

Safeguarding Statement

At Holy Trinity Church of England First School we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of all our children.

Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility.  This safeguarding statement applies to all staff, governors, volunteers, and other adults working in, or on behalf of, our school.  It is an over-arching document which pulls together all of our safeguarding policies and procedures, including our Child Protection Policy which can be found here.

All school staff and governors undertake annual child protection training, and children are made aware of the adults they can talk to if they have any concerns. We know how important it is to listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us.  Staff are trained to look out for signs of physical/emotional harm or neglect and are required to report these to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).  On rare occasions where our concern about a child means that we have to consult other agencies, we ensure that these concerns are discussed with parent/carers first in line with our Child Protection Policy, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare. In this case school is obliged to follow the Child Protection procedures and inform Social Services of the concern.

All members of staff have undergone enhanced DBS checks, we also ensure that any volunteers regularly working with children undergo the vetting procedures outlined above.

The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) is Mr Shaw (Headteacher) – 01289 306142

If Mr Shaw is not available, concerns can be discussed with Mrs Green (Assistant Headteacher) who is the deputy DSL – 01289 306142

The governor with responsibility for safeguarding in our school is Joyce Currie.

We follow the procedures set out by the Northumberland Children and Adults Safeguarding Partnership (NCASP) and take account of all guidance issued by the Department for Education.  The Northumberland website has lots of additional information and advice on a whole range of Safeguarding issues for parents/carers and children and can be found here. 

If you are worried about a child, please contact us immediately through the school office.

Holy Trinity benefits from a very secure site and have full CCTV facilities and restricted access.  Parents and carers can help maintain high standards of security by only entering the premises via the main entrance, during the school day.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Holy Trinity, like all schools and colleges in England, follows the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance from the Department for Education when carrying out our duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.  This guidance can be accessed here.

Safer Recruitment and Selection

We ensure that all appropriate measures are applied in relation to everyone who works in the school who is likely to be perceived by the children as a safe and trustworthy adult, including volunteers and staff employed by contractors.

Our safer recruitment practice pays full regard to current DFE guidance Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education and Keeping Children Safe in Education.  

Safeguarding Information for Pupils

All children in our school are aware of a number of adults in school who they can talk to. The school is committed to ensuring that pupils are aware of behaviour towards them that is not acceptable and how they can keep themselves safe.  Children are taught, through PSHE lessons, assemblies, awareness days and through day-to-day interactions with adults, ways they can keep themselves safe both in real life situations and online.