Safeguarding
All the governors and staff at Great Milton C of E Primary School strive to keep children safe by:
- providing a safe environment in which to learn
- 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
- preventing unsuitable people from working with the children
- promoting safe practice and to challenge any poor or unsafe practice
- identifying instances where there are grounds for concern about a child’s welfare and initiate or take appropriate action to keep them safe
- contributing to effective partnership working between all those involved in providing services for our children.
All staff follow the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance published regularly by the DfE.
Great Milton C of E Primary School's Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy was updated in September 2024 to reflect the new guidance from DFE. Usually this policy, and others linked to Safeguarding, are updated and ratified by governors at least every 12 months. You can find it below.
The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Designated Safeguarding Leads at Great Milton C of E Primary School
We have five Designated Leads (DLS) in school. They are:
- Mrs Alyson Frost (HT)
- Mrs Nicola Bennett (EYFS/KS1 Leader)
- Mrs Sue Green (Deputy Head/KS2 Leader)
- Sarah Taylor (Pastoral Lead)
- Nikki Howlett (Teaching Assistant/Forest School Lead)
Raising Concerns
Safeguarding is everyone's business, so do report any worries or concerns you have. If you have any concerns about the welfare or safety of a child, you can do any of the following:
- Contact the school's Designated Safeguarding & Child Protection Leads listed above
- Contact Nicky Noake (Safeguarding Governor) at safeguarding@greatmiltonschool.co.uk
- Call Oxfordshire County Council MASH Team (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) on either 0345 050 7666 or on the Out of Hours number 0800 833 408
More information on how you can help keep children safe can be found at http://oscb.org.uk/
Where to go for further information
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/leaflets/parent-leaflets
Policies
Please find our school policies below. As each policy is updated and approved by Governors, we will aim to have them available here for you. Schools Financial Benchmarking Service Gov.UK website
Prevent
'Prevent' is part of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy and schools now have a responsibility to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
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 responsilbility to protect children from extremist and violent views in 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 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.
Where to go to for more information
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 Alyson Frost (Headteacher and Safeguarding Lead). The following websites will also give you more information: