Safeguarding

Safeguarding Children

Safeguarding children is of paramount importance to us here at Henry Chichele. We believe that "all children have the right to feel safe all of the time" and that if for any reason that is compromised, they "have the right to speak to someone about it, even if it feels awful or small". These two beliefs are the firm foundation of our curriculum at school and are derived from a programme we deliver called protective behaviours

Concerns about children can be raised through a variety of different ways. It may be that the child tells an adult something that the adult feels the child needs support in managing. It may be that an adult observes unusual behaviour from a child that, again, may indicate they require support. 

If a concern is raised about your child, in most cases we inform you of this. In most cases, this allows the concern to be dealt with in an appropriate way. Sometimes, families require our support in addressing some difficulties and we are more than happy to provide this. With the families agreement, our staff can carry out an Early Help Assessment to fully appreciate the challenges within the family. As a result of this assessment, other agencies may be accessed in order to find the best support available.   

In a few cases, we may feel that a referral to children's services may be required, if the concern is not addressed quickly enough or it is a concern that the school does not have capacity to support. In most cases you will be made aware of this referral. However, if we deem that sharing that information with you puts the child at further risk then we may refer without informing you.    

For further information, please see our Safeguarding Policy on our Policies page or in the side panel of this page.

Finally may we remind parents to speak to us if you are worried at the earliest convenience. If you are worried about a child outside of school time you can call the local Multi Agency Support Hub for advice (anonymously if needs be) on 0300 126 1000 or follow the following links to these useful websites: Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Board and Young Northants (designed specifically for children aged 13+). 


How to contact us

We have a Designated Safeguarding Lead at HCPS which is our headteacher, Mrs. S Hope.

We also have a team of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads. They are:

Mrs. S O’Brien Jones (Deputy Head)

Mrs. A. Pakenham (SENCo)

Mrs. E Andrew (Assistant SENCo)

Mrs G Edwards (Assistant SENCo)

If you have any concerns that you wish to share with a safeguarding lead, please feel free to contact any of the above staff members who will be happy to discuss with you.


NSPCC Pants

Another useful resource that is available free of charge is from the NSPCC. The NSPCCs "Let's talk pants" campaign is designed to teach children that the parts of your body that are covered by your underwear are private. We use this resource in school,along with their teacher support pack to ensure children hear these messages. However, you can also speak to your children about this important subject and the NSPCC have produced some guides to help you. Please follow these links to access the support pages: 

Parents guide

Guide for parents with a learning disability

Guide for foster parents

There are also guides available for children: 

Guide for children

Guide for children with learning disabilities

Guide for children with autism

Follow this link to find the video for keeping deaf children safe.


Keeping Children Safe Online

Ensuring children are safe online is vital and even more so in todays society with the advance in technologies. The children have all received a series of internet safety lessons appropriate for their age and we continue to have discussions about this throughout the year as and when the children may have questions. 

For more information on up to date online safety news, please see our monthly published newsletter on our website by using this link.


A Practical Guide for Parents and Carers whose Children are Using Social Media

Here is a link to a very useful guide, written by 5 different organisations with an interest of keeping children safe online, for parents of children who use social media. This guide will help you: 

  • understand the risks your child faces when using social media 
  • how these risks could affect them
  • with practical tips to help minimise the risks 
  • make a report of inappropriate or unsafe use

National Online Safety Resources

In addition to our online safety newsletters, please see the album of images below that give information about a variety of social media platforms and are full of advice for parents about how to keep children safe online. 


NSPCC Share Aware Resources 

It can be hard to keep track of what your child is doing on social networks, apps and games. Or know how to keep them safe.That's why NSPCC, togethr with O2, are helping parents untangle the web and teach their children to be Share Aware. Because, just like in real life, kids need your help to stay safe online. Please see the NSPCC Share Aware support guide for further information. 

 


Be SMART

The following image explains the steps to take in order to use the internet safely. Be SMART! 


Safety at home is just as important...

Ensuring appropriate access control measures are in place on your home equipment is just as important as at school. You may find this website useful for information on how to ensure you are utilising all access control measures on your home devices.