A Guide for Parents

Newhall Infant and Nursery School is committed to creating a happy and safe environment for our children to learn. This leaflet will help you understand how we keep your children safe by telling you:

• How children can be harmed

• What we must do to keep your child safe from harm

• What you must do as a parent to help your child be safe and enjoy school

Child Protection

This is an important area in which all staff receive regular training. Our priority is to work with you but there may be times when we have to involve other people. Everyone has a responsibility to keep all children under the age of 18 safe. Harm is identified in four ways:

Physical—This is when a child is deliberately hurt or injured;

Sexual—This is when a child is influenced or forced to take part in a sexual activity. This can be a physical activity or none physical, eg, being made to look at an inappropriate image;

Emotional—this is when a child is made to feel frightened, worthless or unloved. It can be shouting, using threats or making fun of someone. It can also be when children see their parents or visitors to the home, fighting or using violence;

Neglect—This is when a child is not being taken care of by their parents. It can be poor hygiene, poor diet, not keeping appointments for additional support, not attending school or being left home alone.

Attendance

Your child's attendance is monitored daily and significant absences are always followed up. A healthy child is expected to achieve an average of above 95% attendance and when attendance falls below this amount, progress in their academic achievements can be seriously affected.

Behaviour

Newhall has clear behaviour rules for the whole school community that must be followed to keep everyone safe and happy. We understand that children do sometimes have disagreements and this will be dealt with by an adult who will listen to the children involved and help the resolve the situation. For more information, see the Behaviour Policy which is available on our school website.

Bullying

The school takes all cases of bullying very seriously and we will always work with children and families to try and resolve any problems. The school has an Anti Bullying Policy which can be found on the website. Health and Safety—Everyone at Newhall has a responsibility to keep each other safe. The school has a clear Health and Safety Policy which everyone must follow. The school has a number of first aiders to deal with any accidents in school.

E-safety

The school recognises that technology plays an important role in the education of our children and is committed to safeguarding children in the virtual world. We follow the SMART code (Share, Meet, Accepting, Reliable, Tell) throughout school. To support parents, we have an Online Safety Policy on our website.

Complaints

If you have any complaints about how the school is working with you or your child, please feel confident to speak to us. Mrs White, the Headteacher, will always be happy to speak to you to resolve any difficulties. It is better to speak to us as soon as you have a concern so that it does not become a bigger issue. If you feel the matter has not been resolved, you can raise your concerns with the Governing Body. Our complaints procedure can be found on the school website.

What School Must Do

A child should be able to go to school and feel safe so that they can achieve their very best.

• Everybody who works or volunteers at Newhall will have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to make sure they are safe to work with children and.They are trained to identify child abuse and what to do if they are concerned.
• The school has a Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs White and three Deputy Safeguarding Leads: Miss Butler, Mrs Dicken and Mrs Pooley who are fully trained in Safeguarding procedures.
• We will always listen to you and work closely with you if we are concerned about your child but, in rare circumstances, we may not be able to discuss our concern with you. The school has a Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy which tells you more about this and when we must speak to the Police or Children’s Services directly. You can see this policy on the school website.
• We will help your child to learn about keeping themselves safe. Lessons can include Healthy Eating, Stranger Danger, Anti-Bullying, E-Safety, Road Safety, Relationships and Sex Education as well as Drug and Alcohol Awareness. As part of these lessons, your child will be told what to do if they are worried or concerned about their safety.

What Parents/Carers Must Do

Parents are the most important people to keep their children safe. You should always:

• Feel confident to raise concerns about your child.
• Talk to school if you need help or support.
• Read the school policies about safeguarding issues (available on the school website).
• Let the school know if your child has a medical condition.
• Let the school know if you have any court orders relating to the safety of your child.
• Let the school know if there is a change in your circumstances such as: a house move, a new contact number, a change of name or a change of parental responsibility.
• Let us know who will be dropping off or collecting your child.
• Provide two emergency contacts.
• Inform the school of any changes to agreed arrangements.
• Let the school know if your child is going to be absent and the reason why.
• Inform the school (confidentially) if you have any concerns or suspicions about the safety of any other children.