Horden Nursery

Safeguarding

Horden Nursery School is committed to promoting the welfare and the safeguarding of all children.

At Horden Nursery School, we regard the safeguarding of children as our main priority. We believe that we all have the right to be happy, to be safe and to learn. We all have the responsibility to make this happen. We expect all staff, parents and volunteers to share this commitment. The school follows Durham Local Safeguarding guidelines and has a whole school policy for Child Protection and Safeguarding.

We will ensure that:

  • The welfare of the child remains paramount.
  • All children whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/ or sexual identity have the right to be protected from harm.
  • All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
  • All staff and volunteers working at our school have a responsibility to report concerns to the Designated Leads for Safeguarding: Natalie Parkinson & Lindsey Johnson

Areas of Safeguarding

Our safeguarding policies cover all areas of school life and include:

  • Staff & Visitors- ensuring they are vetted, informed & trained.
  • Children’s Behaviour- promoting safer & happier behaviours & lifestyles.
  • Parents & Carers- promoting links & supporting families.
  • Premises -keeping them safe, pleasant & fit for purpose.
  • Curriculum -providing positive, life affirming learning experiences.
  • Educational Visits- ensuring safer activities and environments outside school.

Members of Staff Responsible

We are all responsible for ensuring that each child remains safe, however the Designated Lead for Safeguarding is Natalie Parkinson and the Deputy Designated Lead for Safeguarding is Lindsey Johnson.

Safer Recruitment

We follow strict procedures to ensure that everyone who works with our children are vetted, keeping our children as safe as possible.  On-going checks and ‘whistle blowing’ are in line with the current policy.

Staff Training

  • Staff are trained in child protection issues and they are aware of the procedures to follow.
  • Staff are encouraged to be vigilant in order to maintain the safety of our children.
  • All Staff & Volunteers are given a copy of ‘Behaviour Guidelines for Staff & Volunteers’ and are directed to the document ‘KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN EDUCATION’.
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Child Protection with Safeguarding Policy

All staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding children issues and are able to implement the safeguarding children policy and procedure appropriately.  Policies are in line with the current guidance and procedures.

Staff are able to respond appropriately to any:

  • significant changes in children’s behaviour;
  • deterioration in their general well-being;
  • unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse;
  • signs of neglect;
  • comments children make which give cause for concern.

All staff are aware of the need to maintain privacy and confidentiality.

Information Sharing

We have an obligation to obtain necessary information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to school, including:

  • emergency contact numbers;
  • the child’s special dietary requirements, preferences or food allergies the child may have;
  • the child’s special health requirements;
  • information about who has legal contact with the child; and who has parental responsibility for the child.

PARENTS & CARERS MUST TELL US OF ANY CHANGES TO THESE DETAILS.

We take confidentiality very seriously.  Any information which we hold is treated as confidential and shared on a ‘need to know’ basis.

Reporting a Concern of Abuse or Neglect

If you suspect or believe a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, including any form of mistreatment or abuse, you should report your concerns.

If you are a member of the public take the following steps.

Emergency

If a child is in immediate danger, you should contact the police – call 999.

Not an emergency

If there is no immediate danger, or you need advice or information, you should:

  • contact First Contact Service 03000 26 79 79
  • contact the NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000

What happens when you ring First Contact Service?

First Contact are experienced children’s services professionals, who are trained to deal with sensitive issues. They will ask you a few short questions to find out how best to deal with your concern. They work closely with other professionals to make sure that action is taken and the right level of support can be given to the right people at the right time.

Links with External Agencies

Because our first concern must be the well-being of the child, there may be occasions when we have to consult other agencies before we contact parents and carers. The procedures we have to follow have been laid down in accordance with the local authority child protection procedures.

We are fortunate to be supported by a range of external agencies which can be called upon to support the work we do in school. These include Health Practitioners, Educational Psychologist, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Behaviour Support, Social Services and Specialists in supporting Special Educational Needs.

Reporting Concerns or Complaints

Further to the above procedures, we have in place a concerns and complaints policy. This enables children, staff and carers to report anything they feel is of concern.

Concerns should be raised in the following order.

  1. To the Key Worker. Then, if there is no resolution;
  2. To the Head Teacher. Then, if there is no resolution;
  3. To the Chair of Governors. Then, if there is no resolution;
  4. To the Local Authority.

Contact details are available from the school office.

Collecting your child from nursery

Please make sure that an adult always brings and collects your child– this must be someone over the age of 16. If a different adult is collecting your child, please inform a member of staff as we do not allow children to leave nursery with adults who we do not know. You will be asked for a security password, which enables the safety of your child, as part of the admission pack. Any different adult collecting your child will be asked for this password.

Review of Policy and Practice

In order to ensure that best practice is maintained, our policies are reviewed yearly to incorporate the latest statutory guidance.

If you would like more information on safeguarding, please contact our school for all our policies or view them in the policies section on our website.