Safeguarding
The Croft school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We provide a safe and welcoming environment underpinned by a culture of openness where both children and adults feel secure, able to talk and believe that they are being listened to. The school has a comprehensive ‘Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy’ so that we can provide staff, volunteers and governors with the framework they need in order to keep children safe and secure in our school and to inform parents and guardians how we will safeguard their children whilst they are in our care.
If anyone has any concerns regarding the safeguarding and well-being of children at our school, these should be brought to the attention of:
| Mr James Ferris | Deputy Head Pupil Welfare & Safeguarding, Designated Safeguarding Lead |
|---|---|
| Mrs Alison Webber | Early Years Manager, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead |
| Mr Jacob Burrows | Head of Emotional & Physical Development Faculty, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead |
| Mrs Katie Scott | Class Teacher, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead |
All members of staff have completed the relevant Child Protection Training and receive regular Safeguarding updates and training.
Definition of ‘Safeguarding’
‘Keeping children safe in Education, DfE, 2024, defines safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as:
‘providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge; protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online; preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development, ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children; taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework.’
The Taking Care Project
Each year at The Croft, all children from Reception to Year 6 take part in the Taking Care Project as part of the PSHE (Physical Social and Health Education) curriculum and in Form Tutor time. It is a programme about Protective Behaviours that helps prevent abuse and harm. In order to protect children, everybody needs to take responsibility for their own behaviour towards them. Through this programme the children will have age appropriate information that will help them identify when they don’t feel safe and it equips them with skills and strategies so they can get help to feel safe again.
Staff regularly take part in 'Taking care' training and updates to develop consistency, knowledge and understanding across our school of how to promote the best and safest environment in which children can learn, grow and thrive.
There are two themes in Protective Behaviours:
- We all have the right to feel safe at all times
- We can talk with someone about anything, even if it’s awful or small
As a school, we value the care and welfare of each one of us and value the responsibility we have to ensure that children understand the importance of feeling safe and that they can develop a network of people who they can choose to talk to. Through this programme we can teach children to be aware of their safe feelings, recognise how they feel in different situations, who they can talk to and the importance of their own body privacy.
Importantly, it is a programme that supports children taking responsibility for their behaviour and recognising that we should all respect other people’s right to feel safe.
