Safeguarding

All children have the right to be protected from harm. This right is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child. The United Kingdom has accepted this right and has developed legislation that allows professionals to intervene if they are concerned about the kind of care a child is receiving.

Castilion takes its responsibility to safeguard children seriously. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect and require all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Castilion Primary School requires all staff and volunteers to undergo background checks consummate with the role they will perform in school and recruits all staff in accordance with Safer Recruitment Guidelines.

Castilion as robust safeguarding reporting mechanisms and provides regular training in identifying and reporting abuse. We work closely in partnership and cooperate fully with other agencies including Bexley Local Authority, Children’s Social Care and the Police wherever this is necessary.

		The Safeguarding Team is made up of:
		Designated Safeguarding Lead	Miss C Annansingh (Assistant Principal)
		Deputy Safeguarding Lead	Mrs Y Bishop (Principal)
		Safeguarding Team	Mrs D Whittaker (SENCO)
		Governance Representative	Mrs S Young, Director of Education. LGB Chair.

		Trust Leadership Team (DSL trained)
		Chief Executive Officer	Mr P Rhodes
		Director of Education	Mrs S Young
		Chief Finance and Operations Officer	Mrs S Bridges

If you have a safeguarding concern, please email the safeguarding team: dsl@castilion.bexley.sch.uk

At Castilion ensuring the safety of children is paramount:

providing a safe environment for children to learn
listening to what children tell us
identifying children who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, and taking appropriate action with the aim of making sure that they are kept safe both at home and in the education setting.

To achieve this objective, we:

identify instances where there are grounds for concern about a child’s welfare and initiate or take appropriate action to keep them safe.
contribute to effective partnership working between all those involved in providing services for our children.
aim to prevent unsuitable people from working with children.
promote safe practice and challenge any poor or unsafe practice.
Ensure staff receive training as specified by legislation:
- Induction for staff on entry to the school
- Annual safeguarding and child protection training for all staff.
- Annual PREVENT strategy training for all staff.

Prevent Strategy

HM Government has published guidance for authorities, including schools, on their responsibilities under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, which came into effect on 1 July 2015. Under the Act, schools and other authorities have a duty to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.

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

Contact the school: If you have any questions or concerns about the Prevent strategy and what it means for your child, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

External sources: The following sources may also be useful for further information:

Prevent duty guidance: for England and Wales, HM Government www.homeoffice.gov.uk
Frequently asked questions, Prevent For Schools http://www.preventforschools.org/?category_id=38
What is Prevent? Let’s Talk About It http://www.ltai.info/what-is-prevent/