St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School

Growing Together in Faith, Love and Learning

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The safety and well-being of all children

The safety and well-being of all children and young people is of paramount importance.  Parents and carers send their children to school each day with the expectation that the school provides a safe and secure environment in which their children can flourish. We, therefore, have to ensure that this expectation becomes reality. In order to achieve this, a wide range of measures are put into place.

The Governing Board keep these policies under regular review. They ensure the Head Teacher provides termly updates on safeguarding as part of her report to Governors. The Governing Board appoints a named Governor for Child Protection and Looked After Children.

Safeguarding children and young people is everyone’s responsibility.

Should you have any concerns about a child you can contact: 

Children’s Social Care Team: 01942 828300

Or you can contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) via this link: https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Resident/Health-Social-Care/Children-and-young-people/LADO-notification-form.aspx

The Wigan Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) oversees all organisations in Wigan and Leigh that work with children and young people and have a responsibility for safeguarding them.

The board has a legal duty to supervise the work of the child protection system and the work of the supporting groups, helping agencies communicate and work together effectively, tackling any problems to meeting priorities, and maintaining the principles and values.

https://www.wiganlscb.com/home.aspx

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a national charity which works to fight child abuse.

Click here to visit the NSPCC website

 St. Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. 

  • We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support children, families and staff at school. 
  • We ensure that all staff receive appropriate training, guidance and support to undertake the effective safeguarding of children.

Any concerns are passed through the designated safeguarding leaders within the school.                                                                   

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a unique Police and Education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people exposed to domestic abuse. 

Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools before the start of the next school day when a child or young person has been involved or exposed to a domestic abuse incident the previous evening. 

The information is given in strict confidence to a school’s Key Adult to enable support to be given dependent on the needs and wishes of the child. 

St. Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School is engaged with this scheme. 

“For schools to be able to effectively play their part in supporting children who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence early information is essential. This simple but invaluable sharing of information will help schools prepare for the needs and potential behaviours of a child immediately following an incident. Schools already work closely with police and social services but early notification can only strengthen that relationship improving the overall support to the child.”

Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of the NAHT 

“… actually Operation Encompass is doing exactly the right thing”

Bradley Simmons, South West Regional Director, OFSTED

ONLINE SAFETY

At St. Bernadette’s we recognised the importance of working together with our Parents/Carers to ensure our children are ready for the digital world that can have lots of benefits to their childhood. They are growing up in a digital world that they interact with on a daily basis. Therefore, it is our jobs at school in partnership with yourselves at home, to equip them with the knowledge of both the positive benefits the online world can bring to their life and the potential risks of the online world they live in.

At St. Bernadette’s e-safety requirements are a whole school responsibility & are taught across the curriculum, becoming part of the life of St Bernadette’s – they are not just something for computing lessons. We have designed our Computing Curriculum to teach Online Safety unit at the start of each academic year and this also weaves though all the lessons that we teach within Computing but also PSHE and other curriculum areas.

Our approach to online safety is primarily guided by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety’s framework for online safety… Education in a Connected World.

Online Curriculum coverage and progression

  • Our e-safety Long Term Planner ensures progression and coverage, ensuring that all pupils are able to develop skills to keep them safe online. 
  • Opportunities for learning about online safety are part of PSHE and reinforced whenever technology is used.
  • Clear rules for online safety are agreed by each class at the beginning of every year.  Parents and pupils sign a Parental consent form & Acceptable user policy at the start of each new academic year. The class rules are then signed annually by pupils and shared with parents. 
  • The school supports the international Safer Internet Day each February and provides opportunities for pupils to consider cyberbullying as part of Anti-Bullying week in the autumn term.
  • Opportunities are taken whenever possible to reinforce messages of a healthy lifestyle.
  • The school has an online safety policy in place that details how the principles of online safety will be promoted and monitored.

NSPCC

The NSPCC has a wide variety of resources and support guides that cover a wider range of current and new and emerging risks. These are really useful resources from Primary School through to High School.  

Childnet

Like the NSPCC, Childnet has a wealth of guidance and advice booklets to support you on topics ranging from screen time, social media, live streaming, online grooming and much more. 

Internet Matters

Internet Matters gives advice by age group, so it focuses on apps, websites and advice that is current and relevant to each age group. 

ThinkuKnow

ThinkuKnow is a website we use for resources to support our online safety lessons within school.  The website is a really useful tool to help your child to the most out of the Internet and Online devices in the safest way.

How can I support my child at home?

At St. Bernadette’s we recognise the importance of working together with our Parents/Carers to ensures our children are ready for the digital world around them as they are growing up. Therefore, it is important that you are also aware of the potential risks that an online world can bring for your child.

Downloads & Links

Stay Safe Newsletter

Risk Assessments