Downholland Haskayne CE Primary School
Designated safeguarding leads are:
Mr David Swindells (Headteacher)
Mrs Jo Gibson (Deputy DSL/Class teacher)
Safeguarding procedures at Downolland Haskayne Church of England Primary School are underpinned by three key principles:
- Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: all staff, governors and volunteers play their full part in keeping our children safe and protecting them from abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns.
- We operate a child-centred approach: a clear understanding of the needs, wishes, views and voices of children.
- All staff, governors and volunteers have a clear understanding regarding abuse and neglect in all forms; including how to identify, respond and report. This also includes knowledge in the process for allegations against professionals.
Early Help
We seek to support families under our Early Help umbrella, referring and signposting families to support and completing applications (EARLY HELP ASSESSMENT FORM) in this respect within the local authority. We action support at the earliest opportunity through a variety of avenues to be able to fully support our children and families.
If you have any questions about safeguarding at Downholland Haskayne Church of England Primary School, please feel free to call the school office during school hours on 0151 5260614 and we will do our best to answer your questions or direct you to the correct person.
Safeguarding is reported termly to Governors via a formal report. Safeguarding procedures are under contact review. Please find the latest Child Protection and Safeguarding policy here
Reporting concerns
Should you have concerns about the safety of a child, please contact the school and speak with Mr Swindells or Mrs Gibson.
If this is outside of school hours, please contact Lancashire Children's Social Care on:
Call 0300 123 6720 or out of hours 0300 123 6722
If the risk is immediate, please contact 999
For more information, please visit the Lancashire CSC website.
What is the Prevent strategy?
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, violent Islamist groups and other causes.
How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?
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 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.
What does this mean in practice?
Many of the things we already do in our 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 and tolerance
- 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. We will carry out our Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of our community.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Prevent relate to British values?
Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy. British values include:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty and mutual respect
- Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?
The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect. Our School will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.
Is extremism really a risk in our area?
Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others. We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.
KEY TERMS
Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Ideology – a set of beliefs
Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause
Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support extremism and terrorism
For more information please read the government guidance on prevent.
In conjunction with Lancashire Police, Downholland Haskayne CE Primary School is involved in a national initiative called “Operation Encompass”. The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in, heard or witnessed a domestic abuse incident.
Following an incident, children will often arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared. Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff are made aware early enough to help and support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe and included.
This is a valuable initiative that means we can help and support students and their families within our school when they need us most.
You can find out more information by visiting the Operation Encompass website (link below) or by contacting Mr David Swindells or Mrs Joanne Gibson at school.
Encompass