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Safeguarding Advice
Ermine Street Church Academy understands the vital importance of safeguarding and child protection.
Safeguarding at Ermine Street Church Academy
Please click below to view our current Safeguarding Policy.
Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175/157), schools must "make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children". We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. The school will therefore be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.
Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child's welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The school should make parents/carers aware that records of welfare concerns may be kept about their child. They should be informed that school staff will seek, in general, to discuss any concerns with them regarding referrals to other agencies. However, in situations where the child is suspected to be at risk of harm, the law says that schools may take advice from other agencies without informing parents/carers.
In accordance with local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proprtionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service. Schools will seek advice from Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school with responsibility for child protection (known as the Designated Person for Child Protection) was carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.
Under Section 3 (5) of the Children Act 1989, schools or any person who has care of a child "may...do what is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the child's welfare". This means that on rare occasions, a school may need to "hold" a child in school whilst Social Care and the police investigate any concerns further.
Other key documents are Keeping Children Safe In Education 2024 and Working Together To Safeguard Children. All staff are fully up to date with the requirements of these documents and implement them at all times.
Through the delivery of Relationships Education we intend to further our school’s aims of providing a curriculum which is relevant to the needs of pupils, both now and in the future. It will enable pupils to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes which enhance their personal development and wellbeing and their own safeguarding as they grow into young adults. We seek to enable our children to:
- develop interpersonal and communication skills including learning to disagree well
- develop positive, personal values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions and behaviour
- respect themselves and others, their views, backgrounds, cultures and experiences
- develop respectful, caring relationships based on mutuality, reciprocation and trust
- develop their ability to keep themselves and others safe, physically and emotionally, both on and off line
- develop their understanding of a variety of families and how families are central to the wellbeing of children
- recognise and avoid coercive and exploitative relationships and how we can ask for help if we find ourselves in a coercive or exploitive relationship
- explore relationships in ways appropriate to their age and stage of development
- value, care for and respect their bodies and mental well-being
- build confidence in accessing additional advice and support for themselves and others including digital resilience.
Useful Links and Resources:
Childline – www.childline.org.uk Tel: 0800111
NSPCC – www.nspcc.org.uk
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Support for Children and Young People
Designated Safeguarding Lead - Mrs McDonnell - Headteacher
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads - Mrs Martin, Assistent Headteacher and Mrs Lawrence, Family Support Worker.
Prevent Statement
On 1 July 2015 the Prevent duty (section 26) of The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 came into force. This duty places the responsibility on local authorities and schools to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
Ermine Street Church Academy is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils. As a school we recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is as important as safeguarding against any other vulnerability.
All staff are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We believe that children should be given the opportunity to explore diversity and understand Britain as a multi-cultural society; everyone should be treated with respect whatever their race, gender, sexuality, religious belief, special need, or disability.
As part of our commitment to safeguarding and child protection we fully support the government's Prevent Strategy.
Staff have completed the Prevent training. Channel is a programme which focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.