First Federation Trust
Aveton Gifford C of E Primary School COVID-19 school closure arrangements for Safeguarding and Child Protection
At Aveton Gifford Primary School, we strongly recognise the need for vigilant awareness of safeguarding issues. All staff and volunteers have received appropriate training and induction so that they understand their roles and responsibilities and are confident about carrying them out. Staff, pupils, parents, volunteers and governors feel secure that they can raise any issues or concerns about the safety or welfare of children and know that they will be listened to and taken seriously. This is achieved by maintaining an ethos of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. At our school we are not afraid to challenge each other to keep our children safe.
We all have a safeguarding responsibility and have a duty to refer any safeguarding issues to external agencies that need to be involved.
Aveton Gifford Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy 2023
The Designated Leads for Child Protection at Aveton Gifford are:
Designated Safeguarding Lead - Mrs Fern de Beer
Level 3 Trained
(Head of Teaching and Learning)
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads
At Aveton Gifford Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that all children are safe during their time with us. Our safeguarding covers many aspects including:
- Recruiting staff and volunteers
- Allowing visitors into the school
- Checking attendance and following up any low attendance
- Ensuring play-times are safe and enjoyable for all pupils
- Educating our pupils about bullying, on line safety, staying safe in the community, drug and alcohol awareness and health education
- Training staff and volunteers
Our procedures for visitors, volunteers and parents:
- All parents, volunteers and visitors who come into the main school MUST sign in on our electronic ipad which will be in the main reception and have a visible blue ‘parent visitor’ sticker before entering the school. The only exception is Thursday Celebration assembly and productions where an adult will be around to guide parents and visitors into the hall.
- During open classrooms, parent evenings and school lunches, when we invite parents into school, a blue sticker must be worn by parents. This will be collected from Reception. All parents will need to be visible by a school adult.
- There will be no direct access to the classrooms before or after school. All access to the school must be through the main office. Parents can still take children to the playground in the morning. There will be staff on the playground who will collect children at the beginning of the day although we encourage you to use the MyEd messaging system should you have any questions for staff as in the morning staff will be setting up their classrooms.
- Mobile phones or recording devices should not be used by any parents or visitors. The exception to this is during school performances however this should never be put onto social media and should only be of your child.
- Volunteers will only be allowed into school to help with our children once they have had this training. All volunteers must have a visible lanyard on them at all times so children are aware that they are safe to be around.
- Staff have been told if lanyards or stickers are not visible, they will take the adult to School Reception so the correct procedures can be put in place.
Aveton Gifford C of Primary School
Visitor’s information
Safeguarding
‘Sowing the Seeds for Success’
While with us, please ensure the following values are upheld:
All children have the right to be safe, no matter who they are or what their circumstances
Keeping children safe is everyones responsibility
We all need to listen to children; even though we may not be comfortable with what we hear
During your time at school, we kindly ask that you do not use your mobile phones. If you do need to use it, then please to go the school office or approach a member of staff and they will direct you to an appropriate room.
At our school, these are the adults who you should speak with if you hear or see something that causes you a concern including how adults conduct themselves.
Safeguarding Protocol
Before letting a visitor into the school, we will make sure:
- that ID is checked
- the school's safeguarding procedures will be given to the visitor to read
- visitors must sign that they have read and understood the safeguarding procedures
- that the school's policy in the use of mobile devices is clarified while visiting
- that the visitor lanyard is required to be worn where it can be seen at all times
- that should a concern exist about a child or adult, any visitor return to reception so that a DSL team member can be found
- visitors must return their lanyards when leaving the school premises
If you have a complaint or need to make an allegation about a member of staff or volunteer at the school, please contact the Head of Teaching and Learning, Mrs Fern de Beer, in the first instance by email at admin@avetongifford.devon.sch.uk, by telephone 01548 550262 or in person by popping into the reception. If you are still unhappy or the complaint or allegation is about the Head of Teaching and Learning, please contact the Executive Head of Teaching and Learning, Rachael Caunter, by email at admin@firstfederation.org.uk or by phoning 01626 821316 (option 4). All allegations and complaints are treated in the strictest confidence and will be dealt with immediately.
The First Federation Trust schools aim to deal with concerns as quickly, sympathetically and effectively as possible. It is hoped that most concerns will be settled amicably without recourse to the formal Complaints procedure. Parent and carers should talk about their concern to their child's class teacher in the first instance. If they feel their concern has not been dealt with appropriately, parents and carers should then make an appointment to discuss it further with the Head of Teaching & Learning.
If the complainant remains dissatisfied, they will be directed through the formal stages of the First Federation Complaints procedure, which can be found here.
Devon's multi agency safeguarding hub is called MASH and its website has lots of advice if you are concerned about a child:
What is Early Help?
Early help means taking action to support a child, young person or their family early in the life of a problem, as soon as it emerges. It can be required at any stage in a child's life from pre-birth to adulthood, and applies to any problem or need that the family cannot deal with or meet on their own.
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/early-help-early-intervention/
E-Safety
The internet has changed all of our lives and our children are no exception. For parents and carers, this opens up a whole new world of things to be aware of.
Gaming, social networking, chatting, sharing, internet browsing and using mobile phones are all a part of our every day lives now but they all come with risks, such as:
- Grooming
- Cyber-bullying
- Inappropriate websites
- Losing control over pictures and video
- Viruses, hacking security
One thought provoking statistic about the risks our children face online: 21% of 8 to 11 year olds have been deliberately targeted, threatened or humiliated by an individual or group through the use of mobile phones or the internet.
We urge you to take this issue seriously and take some time to find out how to keep children safe online.
Policies
To access the First Federation Trust policies relating to safeguarding, for example the E-safety policy and child protection & safeguarding policy, please click here.
Devon CAP (Devon Child Assault Prevention Project)
Here at Aveton Gifford C of E (VC) Primary School the safety and well-being of our children is of paramount importance to us. To this end we work very closely with Devon CAP (Devon Child Assault Prevention Project) on a yearly rolling basis.
Devon CAP is a school based programme that offers education, guidance and support by giving children positive messages on how they can protect themselves. Devon CAP work with each school as a whole - children, staff, parents and carers - leading workshops, during and after the school day, where children can learn to recognise unsafe situations and develop the confidence to act on them, so that they remain "Safe, strong and free".
If you would like to find out more about Devon CAP, please take a look at their website: www.devoncap.org.uk
Further help and useful information can be found on the ChildLine website: www.childline.org.uk
CAP UK (Child Assault Prevention Project) is a community project in Devon that brings parents/carers, school staff and children together to understand how to effectively reduce children’s vulnerability to child abuse and build safer communities for children.
Other useful links:
Child Sexual Exploitation
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/child-sexual-exploitation/
Protecting Children from Radicalisation
CHILDLINE
Operation Encompass
https://www.operationencompass.org/
The school has been given the opportunity to take part in a project that will run jointly between schools and Devon and Cornwall Police
Operation Encompass reports schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has exposed to, or involved in, any domestic incident.
Operation Encompass will ensure that a member of the school staff, known as a Key Adult, is trained to allow them to liaise with the police and to use the information that has been shared, in confidence, while ensuring that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have been involved in, or exposed to, a domestic abuse incident.
We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
County Lines
County lines is when criminals from major cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, London and Birmingham expand their drug networks to other areas of the country. This activity brings violence, exploitation and abuse to rural communities. ... County line networks are having a massive impact on rural counties.
