Safeguarding and Welfare of our Pupils
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Miss Guest
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads: Miss Smith and Miss Dixon
Safeguarding Link Governor: Mrs Howells
The staff and governors at Grove Primary School and Nursery ensure that safeguarding is embedded in our curriculum and in the culture of our school. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children.
We work together to safeguard children by:
Safeguarding and the Grove Curriculum
The safety and wellbeing of children is at the heart of everything we do at Grove Primary School and Nursery. Opportunities are identified in the taught curriculum for children to learn about how to keep themselves and others safe and enable them to contribute positively beyond our school community.
Our bespoke and broad curriculum provides opportunities to experience life in its diversity, to acquire knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure personal development. Personal safeguarding skills are supported by the Behaviour Policy to ensure that our vision ‘Bringing out the best in everyone’ is achieved.
The ‘Jigsaw’ PSHE curriculum covers all areas of Safeguarding. From their earliest starting point, safeguarding strands are revisited and further developed every year. Our knowledge of our children ensures that sensitive strands are taught at an age appropriate level. Where necessary, small group or 1:1 teaching opportunities are provided.
Children are challenged to think carefully about safeguarding matters and to question the world around them, as well as the impact of their individual choices and behaviours. Physical and mental wellbeing is actively promoted.
We follow a ‘4Cs’ curriculum to further develop an awareness of safeguarding matters through 4 core concepts: communication; conflict; culture; conservation. All pupils are taught the skills to explore British Values, personal rights and responsibilities and are made aware of moral concepts that have an impact on us all, whether at a local or global scale.
A programme of practical safeguarding activities, often working with specialist external providers, are used to support the curriculum:
We have developed a nurturing and supportive learning environment in which children feel safe to express their views, seek support and help others. The promotion of equality of opportunity for all helps to prevent any form of direct or indirect discriminatory behaviour.
The Behaviour Policy promotes positive behaviour choices in order to ensure all children can learn and feel safe. Class circle times are for sharing ideas, recognising and celebrating success. However, they are also a time for reflection and to respond to safeguarding matters if they arise.
Assemblies are carefully planned to promote our school values:
Ready, respectful, safe
Within these values, safeguarding matters are promoted. For example, we promote our child-friendly ‘Anti-Bullying’ policy and use reflection time to reflect on the theme of each assembly.
Staff and children act quickly to challenge stereotypes and the use of derogatory language is not accepted in school and beyond. It is a core aim to provide our children with experiences beyond their local community and promote a cultural awareness of life outside of Malvern.
SUPPORTING FAMILIES (Early Help) Offer
In order to 'Bring out the best in everyone' and to support our Safeguarding practice, we work closely with Worcestershire Children First. Early Help Family Support is available for a wide range of reasons from supporting families with attendance to providing help with parenting at home. The Supporting Families document gives full details about support that is available for our famiies in the local are. If you have a concern, please make an appoinment with any member of the Safeguarding team. Class teachers are also on hand to help and can signpost useful resources. Where appropriate, our team will make a referral to get the help that is needed to improve outcomes. Please use the link below to find out more about the Worcestershire Early Help offer.
Worcestershire Early Help Family Support
Worcestershire Virtual Family Hub
On-line Bullying
Cyberbullying and online harassment can be extremely distressing. They can be even classed as criminal offences in some cases. There are lots of places that offer information and help to children and parents.
Here are some of the key websites that you can share with your child at home:
Kidscape: www.kidscape.org.uk
CBBC website: www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc
ChildLine: www.childline.org.uk
BeatBullying: www.beatbullying.org
What is cyber bullying and online harassment?
Making comments or posts that are deliberately abusive, offensive, threatening or inflammatory. Liking and sharing this kind of abuse can also count as bullying and harassment.
There's a very detailed definition of cyberbullying at:
www.bullying.co.uk/cyberbullying/what-is-cyberbullying/
How you can stay safer