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Safeguarding

At Holmbush, we are fully committed to safeguarding.

In all of the work that we do, we believe that the rights, safety and welfare of the children with whom we are involved are paramount. This may mean that we sometimes have to take actions which parents or carers could find threatening. In such cases we will always work to achieve mutual understanding. We will explain our professional and statutory responsibilities and try to give every assurance as to the reasons for our actions. However we must stress that for us, the child's needs must come first.

We are committed to inspiring, challenging and safeguarding our children and enabling them to become:

  • Successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
  • Confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
  • Responsible citizens who make a socially and economically positive contribution to society

We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at the academy. All concerns are passed through the members of staff who are trained as 'designated child protection officers' in school in compliance with the 'sharing of information' guidance.

Miss S Stickley

Principal

Mrs V Rowland

Assistant Principal

Mrs N Pilbrow

Inclusion Lead

Mrs A Hamlet

English Lead

Rose Durban
Safeguarding Link Trustee

Contact a member of our safeguarding team

dsl@holmbushprimaryacademy.org.uk

or call 01273 592471

Cause for concern

All staff are asked to report any causes for concern to the designated child protection officers using our secure online reporting system. Any concerns will be shared with parents/carers as early as possible as more often than not there are extremely reasonable explanations for the concern. Concerns may range from children being visibly upset to persistent lateness to children 'disclosing' concerns.

Support for families

We will always try to access a range of support from a range of agencies other than the academy for families where there is a concern. This is a supportive measure. It may be that joint meetings are considered when the support of a number of agencies, which may or may not include the academy, is required to better safeguard the interests of a child.

Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation is a practice carried out in some cultures. It is illegal in this country. The academy has a duty of care to all the children to ensure that this practice does not occur. If we are concerned that an absence may be used for this practice we will ask for a meeting with parents/carers and, if necessary, we will refer to social care as this is a serious child protection issue.

Prevent

Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, religious extremists and other causes.

From July 2015 all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views in the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence. Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy. These include:

  • Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
  • Challenging prejudices and racist comments
  • Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity
  • Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy

We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into school to work with pupils.

What is Prevent

Different schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community.

Frequently Asked Questions