Safeguarding

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding is a term that relates to the action taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. 

At Repton Manor Primary School we ensure that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and that all staff, visitors, parents and carers understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe.

We believe that children have the right to learn in an environment that is safe, caring, inclusive and supportive. This includes being protected from all types of abuse, in both the children's physical and virtual environments. Online Safety is an important aspect of safeguarding our children and therefore more information can be found to support families here. Adults in the school recognise when children need additional support and are confident in applying our safeguarding procedures.

Safeguarding encompasses everything that we do in school, so that children are safe, well, healthy and ready to learn:

Staff are trained annually in how to manage disclosures and we are continually checking issues like poor attendance and lateness as this can be an indication of other concerns. Staff are supported with developing their understanding of the Prevent Duty which aims to keep children, young people and each other safe in terms of spotting signs of potential radicalisation.

Safeguarding is defined in the government document, "Keeping Children Safe in Education" as:

• providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge 

• protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online

• preventing the impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development

• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Staff at Repton Manor Primary School have clear roles and responsibilities relating to keeping children safe within our care. Whether this is related to supervising children safely at break times, ensuring our behaviour policy is fully implemented, carrying out health and safety checks, reminding families about road safety or undertaking risk assessments, we are always on high alert to ensure that every child is safe and families are supported. We work together with parents, professional colleagues and the Kent Safeguarding Children’s Board to identify and investigate any concerns.

How do we ensure our children feel safe?

At Repton Manor Primary School, we ensure that our pupils feel secure, are encouraged to talk, are listened to and are safe. Throughout our curriculum, including assemblies, we provide activities and opportunities that equip our children to stay safe and develop essential life skills. We do this through our focus on core values and developing personal, social and health education. We focus on the skills and knowledge to help children feel safe in the digital world through regular discussions and implementation of Project Evolve.

Senior Leaders regularly talk to the children to find out their opinions of school life and how well we keep them safe. We also have a  school council with a representative from each class. We regularly discuss with all our children how they can share worries or concerns at school.

Safeguarding Contacts:

If you are ever concerned about the safety or wellbeing of someone at our school, please ask at the office to speak to a member of our Safeguarding Team;
Hannah Ferris, Safeguarding and Pastoral Director (spd@lightyear.kent.sch.uk)
Louise Summers, Acting Headteacher (headteacher@reptonmanor.kent.sch.uk)
Sam Graham, Assistant Headteacher (sam.graham@reptonmanor.kent.sch.uk)

Policies relating to safeguarding can be found on our policy page.

Our School Council developed a child version of our Safeguarding Policy to further the other children’s understanding of how to be safe and what to do if they are not.

These are displayed in every classroom around the school: