Safeguarding all of the children in our care is our highest priority.
All of our staff are highly trained. We are complemented by staff in a number of different roles who help us to ensure that our children fully are safeguarded and get the best personal development support they can.
Support Network
We work closely with many different agencies through the wide ranging elements of our safeguarding work. We believe that this is vital to ensure that children get the best from us and that we are able to support children and their families in the best ways we can. We always take every opportunity to work in partnership with families so that together, we can improve outcomes for children.
Getting Help
If you have any concerns about a child at St Mary's you should report these to a member of staff. If you feel a child is at risk, or is the subject of abuse, you should contact:
Ewa Parker is our designated Safeguarding Lead and Head of School
You may also speak to Mrs Parker if you have a concern about any member of staff. If Mrs Parker is unavailable, the alternate Designated Safeguarding Leads will be able to help you.
The alternate Designated Safeguarding Leaders are: Mrs Mann (Reception teacher), Mr Lambert (SENCO), Miss Crowe and Miss Brown.
Donna Van Damme is our Safeguarding Governor. Ask the School Office for her contact details if you wish to communicate with her.
For more information please read the documents below:
Prevent Duty: Preventing Radicalisation in school
Building resilience in our young people and the promotion of fundamental British values is at the heart of preventing radicalisation. We do this by providing a safe place in which children can discuss issues, and we aim to give them the knowledge and confidence to challenge extremist beliefs and ideologies. Our new prevent duty, is carried out under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which legally requires us to take steps to prevent pupils from being drawn into terrorism. We take this duty seriously and carry out the four main actions responsibly, namely: risk assessment, working in partnership, staff training and IT policies. If we assess a child as at risk, we will refer to the Channel Programme, which focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.
In terms of internet safety, we ensure suitable filters are in place to keep children away from extremist materials, in keeping with Suffolk guidelines. We recognise that we play a vital role in keeping children safe from harm, including from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and in promoting the welfare of children in our care.
What we do if there is a concern
If we have a concern about a particular pupil we will follow the school’s normal safeguarding procedures, including discussing with the school’s designated safeguarding lead, and where deemed necessary, with children’s social care. In Prevent priority areas, the local authority will have a Prevent lead who can also provide support. We may also contact the local police force or dial 101 (the non-emergency number). They can talk to us in confidence about concerns and help us gain access to support and advice.
The Department for Education has dedicated a telephone helpline (020 7340 7264) to enable staff and governors to raise concerns relating to extremism directly. Concerns can also be raised by email to counter.extremism@education.gsi.gov.uk. Please note that the helpline is not intended for use in emergency situations, such as a child being at immediate risk of harm or a security incident In an emergency situation we will follow the recommended emergency procedures.
Online Safety
Keeping safe online is a vital part of safeguarding the pupils of our School. We have an useful Online safety page that parents can use to help support the work we do in school in this area and to help teach their children basic online safety at home.
NSPCC Keeping Children Safe Online
Guide to social networks, apps and games
ICT and the internet is an amazing resource and it has a huge impact on our daily lives! However, if you would like some extra guidance on how to keep your children safe online then please speak to a member of staff or click on one of our links to find out more about online safety.
TOP TIP: You can go into O2 stores and speak to an O2 guru about setting up parental controls on any device. You don’t have to be an O2 customer!
If you're worried about something a child or young person may have experienced online, you can contact the NSPCC helpline for free support and advice. Call them on 0808 800 5000 or contact them on their website.
Children can contact Childline any time to get support themselves on 08001111
