To promote a safe environment for pupils, our selection and recruitment policy includes all checks on staff and regular volunteers’ suitability, including Criminal Records Bureau checks, as recommended by Buckinghamshire County Council in accordance with current legislation.
In accordance with our responsibilities under section 175/157 of the Education Act 2002 and “Keeping Children Safe in Education“ Sept 2021, we have a Designated Safeguarding Lead for Child Protection, Mrs Small, who is a member of the senior management team, and she has received appropriate training for this role. Mrs Watson, Headteacher also Miss Boxall and Miss Johns, Assistant Headteachers are also trained and support the DSL. It is their responsibility to ensure that all staff in contact with children receive child protection awareness training on a regular basis.
Occasions do arise when our concern about a child mean we have to consult other agencies. Whilst we would always aim to work in partnership with parents there may be exceptions to this when concerns are raised for the protection of a child.
On very rare occasions Social Care, whilst undertaking an investigation under s47 of the Children Act 1989, may want to speak to a child without a parents’ knowledge. This would be a decision made in collaboration with partner agencies and would only be done in situations where a child might be at immediate risk. To gain consent at this point may increase the level of risk to the child or cause evidence of a crime to be lost.
The procedures, which we follow, have been laid down by the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board, and the school has adopted a Child Protection Policy in line with this for the safety of all. If you want to know more about our procedures, please speak to the Headteacher, Mrs Watson or your child’s class teacher: the Policy can be found by clicking on the Safeguarding policy link to the left of this text.
Rachael Small is the nominated Mental Health First Aid lead at Lent Rise.
