Child Protection Statement

We recognise that Batley Parish CE Primary Academy has a clear duty (upheld by law) to ensure arrangements are in place for safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of our children; and that only children free from physical and emotional harm will develop to realise their full potential and entitlement.

All members of the school community aim to establish and maintain a safe and stimulating environment where children can feel secure; are safe from physical harm; are encouraged to talk to adults they can trust; and are listened to.

Through training, all staff are able to recognise the signs of abuse and understand their responsibilities when a child may be at risk of harm. Training of all staff is updated regularly in line with national guidelines. Our designated safeguarding lead professionals are:

• Mrs Sennett (Headteacher)
• Mrs Aka (Assistant Head & SENDCO)
• Mrs Somerville (Assistant Head)
• Mrs Chothia (EYFS Leader)
• Mrs Bairstow (Safeguarding & Inclusion Officer)
• Mr Richard Martin is our Safeguarding Governor.

All staff are responsible for recording and passing on any concerns which are collected and reviewed by the designated staff, who in turn ensure that children generating concerns are monitored and where necessary, that concerns are passed on to the appropriate social care agencies. We also commit to working in partnership with external agencies in order to support and protect children. Similarly if you as parents have child protection concerns about any child, please speak to one of the safeguarding team.

Whilst we always strive to work confidentially and in partnership with parents, it should be noted that, where there are concerns relating to the safety of a child, in some situations, it is necessary to share information with other agencies and authorities without parental consent.

In line with the ‘Safer Recruitment’ guidance, all staff, including volunteers who have access to children, in our school have been carefully selected and screened and all have had enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks. Should allegations be made against members of staff we will follow LA guidance in dealing with them. This guidance ensures that the safety of the child is paramount.

Safeguarding Policy

Operation Encompass

Our school is part of Operation Encompass. This is a police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people who experience Domestic Abuse.

Operation Encompass means that the Education Safeguarding Service will share information about Domestic Abuse incidents with our school PRIOR to the start of the next school day when the police have been called to a domestic incident.

Once a Designated Safeguarding Lead has attended at an Operation Encompass briefing, they will cascade the principles of Operation Encompass to all Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads’.

Our parents are fully aware that we are an Operation Encompass school.

The Operation Encompass information is stored in line with all other confidential safeguarding and child protection information.

The DSL has also led training for all school staff and Governors about Operation Encompass, the prevalence of Domestic Abuse and the impact of this abuse on children. We have also discussed how we can support our children following the Operation Encompass notification.

We are aware that we must do nothing that puts the child/ren or the non-abusing adult at risk.

The Safeguarding Governor will report on Operation Encompass in the termly report to Governors. All information is anonymised for these reports.