Safeguarding

'Nothing is more important than children’s welfare. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving home. Children who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support. This requires individuals, agencies, and organisations to be clear about their own and each other’s roles and responsibilities, and how they work together.'

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2024

What is Safeguarding?

• Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment

• Preventing harm to children’s mental and physical health or development

• Ensuring children are provided with safe and effective care

• Taking action to enable all children to have the best possible outcomes

Safeguarding is about keeping children safe at all times. Child protection is part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to activity undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.

BMPA Safeguarding Statement

At Barling Magna Primary Academy we feel that children have the right to develop emotionally, socially, physically, healthily and academically in a safe and caring environment. Our aim is to ensure all children come to school feeling happy and secure; and that they are encouraged to talk to someone if they are worried. 

Schools and their staff form part of the wider safeguarding system for children. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. In order to fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals 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. (Keeping Children Safe in Education – DfE, 2023).

We have clear and consistent systems in place for reporting concerns. The Designated Lead for Safeguarding is Mrs Clarke, Head of School.

BMPA Staff and Safeguarding 

We ask that all staff provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical and moral development of every child.  We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent, effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at our school.

In addition to our safeguarding procedures, we ensure your child’s safety by:

• Maintaining good relationships with parents- we have an open door policy and a dedicated Family Liaison Officer so that parents may raise concerns in confidence at any time.

• Access to other agencies – we work alongside Southend Extended Services and maintain good relations with other support agencies.

• Our recruitment processes are robust and in line with the guidelines set in Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2023, (KCSiE Sept 23). 

• Not only do we seek references from previous employers and DBS checks we also undertake online searches of individuals and further safeguarding checks relevant to the persons' position in school.

• All of our selection panels include at least one member that has successfully completed their Safer Recruitment Training.

• We have a Single Central Record (SCR) to ensure all staff and volunteers have the required checks and certificates.  Staff are trained annually to ensure they are updated on all current legislation and are clear on what to do if they have a safeguarding concern.  Our staff also complete additional training and refreshers throughout the year.   

• Health & Safety – we ensure that we are compliant with all up to date HSE regulations and take on advice and regular updates from ECC.

Visitor's Safeguarding Procedures

Our Safeguarding Leaflet is displayed in reception and available to all visitors to take. 

• All visitors must sign in at Reception.

• All visitors will be issued with an appropriate pass which must be displayed at all times. If the visitor has a DBS certificate they will be asked to provide this.

• Visitors without a DBS certificate will be under the supervision of a designated member of staff whilst on site.

• Visitors are not permitted to use personal digital equipment to record images of pupils. Please ensure mobile phones etc. are switched off whilst on school property.

• Visitors must not enter children's toilets at any time.

• All visitors must sign out at Reception and return their visitor pass before leaving the site.

Reporting a Concern

There are a number of ways by which you can report a concern about a child in our school. You can:

• Phone and ask to speak with a member of the Senior Leadership Team or a Designated Lead for Safeguarding on 01702 218961. 

• Email the school office on admin@barlingmagna.essex.sch.uk

The following options are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, if your concern needs a response outside of school working hours:

• If you feel someone is at immediate risk of significant harm please contact the Police on 999.

• If you have non-urgent information, related to the wider community please contact the Police on 101.

If your concern is specific to a child or young person please phone the Essex Children and Families Hub on 0345 603 7627 (Mon-Thurs 5.30pm-9am. Fri & Bank Holidays 4.30pm-9am) Out of hours: 0345 6061212 Email: Emergency.DutyTeamOutOfHours@essex.gov.uk

• If you are a child or young person you can speak with Childline on 0800 1111.

• If you are an adult worried about a child you can speak to a trained helpline counsellor with the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

• If you are a professional concerned about a child in the workplace you can speak to an NSPCC trained practitioner via their Whistleblowing Advice line on 0800 028 0285.

If you have shared a concern with someone listed above other than the school, please inform a member of the School Safeguarding Team as soon as possible, to ensure that the school is aware of any concerns regarding children that attend Barling Magna Primary Academy.

School Policies 

The following school policies can be found under the ‘Academy Documents’ tab. They all link to the safeguarding of children:

• Anti-Bullying

• Attendance

• Behaviour & Relationships

• Child Protection

• Child on Child Harmful Sexual Behaviour

• Code of Conduct

• Drugs Education

• Educational Visits

• E-safety

• Equalities Information & Objectives

• Health, Safety & Wellbeing

• Intimate & Personal Care

• Physical Intervention

• Prevent

• Relationship Health & Sex Education

• Safer Recruitment

• SEN - Special Educational Needs

• Staff Code of Conduct

• School Security

• Young Carers

Should you require a copy of any of our policies, the school office will be happy to assist.