Safeguarding
Cowley St Laurence is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We believe that pupils have a right to learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment which includes the right to protection from all types of abuse; where staff are vigilant for signs of any pupil in distress and are confident about applying our safeguarding processes to avert and alleviate any such problems.
We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection Policy which can be viewed in the Policies section of our website.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mrs L. Coady (Deputy Headteacher / Inclusion Manager)
The Deputy Safeguarding Leads are:
- Mr D Davies (Headteacher)
- Mrs J Rindsland (Deputy Headteacher)
- Miss C Nickel (Key Stage One Leader)
- The Safeguarding Governor is Rev Ann Clarridge
PRIVATE FOSTERING
Private fostering is when a child or young person under 16 years old (or 18 if they have a disability) is looked after for a period of 28 days or more by someone who is not a close relative, legal guardian or person with parental responsibility. Close relatives include parents, step-parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents.
Parents and Private Foster Carers should notify the Local Authority about a planned arrangement six weeks in advance of it starting or in an emergency, within 48 hours. This is a legal requirement.
Once informed, the Local Authority will work in partnership with the child, parents and private foster carer to make sure that the best possible arrangements are in place for the child.
If you would like more information regarding private fostering, please follow this link:
Remember our school Designated Safeguarding Lead is always available for help and support also.
Staying Safe Online - Useful Links for Parents
SNAPCHAT - click here for a useful information document about what Snapchat is and how you can help keep your children stay safe when using it.
The NSPCC website has lots of excellent resources and advice to help keep children safte. These include:
- Pokemon Go: a parent's guide
- Minecraft: a parent's guide
- Parental controls
- How to stay safe on social networks, games and apps
For more information on these areas and many more, click here.
Operation Encompass
The school has been given the opportunity to take part in a project that will run jointly between schools and the Metropolitan Police Service. This project is known as Operation Encompass.
Operation Encompass is the notification to schools that a child (under 18) has been exposed to, or involved in, any domestic incident. This will ordinarily be done by the start of the next school day.
Operation Encompass will ensure that a specially trained member of the school staff, known as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), is informed. The DSL can then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to ensure the wellbeing of the child.
The school may be able to make provisions or adjustments to assist the child and their family.
We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
Staying Safe Online- Useful Links for Parents
SNAPCHAT- click here for a useful information document about what Snapchat is and how you can help your children stay safe when using it.
The NSPCC website has lots of excellent resources and advice to help keep children safe. These include:
- Pokemon Go: a parent's guide
- Minecraft: a parent's guide
- Parental controls
- How to stay safe on social networks, games and apps
For more information on these areas and many more click here.
Prevent
What is the Prevent strategy?
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 Islamic groups and other causes.
How Prevent strategy applies 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 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 we as British values such as democracy, law and order. 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 children. Different schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Prevent relate to British values?
Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy.
British values include:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual Liberty
- Mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?
The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect. The school will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.
Is extremism really a risk in our area?
Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others. We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist vies they may encounter, now or later in their lives.
Recognising Extremism – signs may include:
- Out of character changes in behaviour and peer relationships
- Secretive behaviour
- Losing interest in friends and activities
- Showing sympathy for extremist causes
- Glorifying violence
- Possessing illegal or extremist literature
- Advocating messages similar to illegal organisations such as groups like the English Defence League.
How can parents support children and young people to stay safe?
- Know where your child is, who they are with and check this for yourself
- Know their friends
- Keep communication open, listen to your child and talk to them about their interests
- Encourage positivity towards local groups that you can trust
- Talk to them about what they see on TV or on the internet,
- Allow and encourage debate and questions about the world
- Allow and encourage debate about the media and does it show a true reflection
- Encourage your child to consider E-Safety at home
Where to go for more information
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.
You will find more details about radicalisation in our safeguarding policy, available on our website.
We also have information about spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and British values on the website.