Safeguarding

"Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families has a role to play. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all practitioners    

should make sure their approach is child-centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child…. School and college staff are particularly important as they are in a position to identify concerns early, provide help for children, and prevent concerns from escalating.     

All staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn."    

Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, 2024)   

Key People

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Laura Noonan

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Charlotte Milligan

Headteacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Karen Frazer

Safeguarding Governors: Siobhan Murray and Hester Carro

At St Peter’s, we recognise the importance of creating and maintaining a strong safeguarding culture that will help all pupils to feel safe, secure and respected; encourage them to talk openly; and enable them to feel confident that they will be listened to. We are committed to providing and maintaining a safe environment where children can play, learn, develop and achieve and where they are safeguarded and are enabled to disclose if they are being harmed in some way. We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and follow our policies and procedures to ensure that all pupils receive effective support, protection and justice.   

Our school core safeguarding principles are:   

• That schools are an important part of the wider safeguarding system for children
• It is a whole school responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
• All children (defined as those up to the age of 18) have equal rights to protection regardless of age, gender, ability, culture, race, language, religion or sexual identity
• All children have a right to be heard and to have their wishes and feelings taken into account
• All staff understand safe professional practice and adhere to our code of conduct and other associated policies and procedures

All staff have a responsibility to recognise vulnerability in children and act on any concern

Visiting St Peter's Primary School

All visitors must sign in at the main reception area and will be issued a visitor badge along with a safeguarding leaflet. Visitors without appropriate DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) clearance will not be left alone with children. Regular volunteers receive safeguarding training before starting their work with children.

Training and Professional Development

Child protection training is provided regularly for all staff and is a mandatory part of the induction process for new staff. Our Safeguarding Team attends briefings and additional training led by the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and other expert organisations, including the NSPCC and the Department for Education (DfE), to stay updated on the latest safeguarding practices.

Reporting Safeguarding Concerns

All staff are fully aware of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy DSLs and understand the processes for reporting ANY concerns related to child protection and safeguarding, no matter how minor they may seem. We use the CPOMs system to record and monitor all safeguarding concerns. This ensures that no information is overlooked, and any patterns or emerging issues are identified. We follow Social Services' guidance on referrals and information sharing.

Policy and Guidance

All staff are familiar with the DfE's Keeping Children Safe in Education document, which underpins our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy. You can access the full policy on our Policies section of this website. We also follow the guidance set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children.

We are dedicated to maintaining a safe and supportive environment where every child can thrive. For any safeguarding concerns or further information, please contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead at the school office.