Safeguarding
Our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy can be found on our Policies page linked below:
PoliciesSafeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility…
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is of paramount importance and is everyone’s responsibility.
It is the responsibility of every member of staff, volunteer and regular visitor to our school to ensure that they carry out the requirements of this policy and, at all times, work in a way that will safeguard and promote the welfare of all of the pupils at this school. This includes the responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn.
At English Martyrs’ we recognise that staff at our school play a particularly important role as they are in a position to identify concerns early and provide help for children to prevent concerns from escalating. All staff are advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned. When concerned about the welfare of a child, staff members must always act in the best interests of the child.
Our school will establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, are listened to and are safe. Children will be able to talk freely to any member of staff at our school if they are worried or concerned about something.
All staff and regular visitors will, through training and induction, know how to recognise indicators of concern, how to respond to a disclosure from a child and how to record and report this information. We will not make promises to any child and we will not keep secrets. Every child will know that an adult will have to share and follow procedures with any information they have chosen to disclose.
Throughout our curriculum we will provide activities and opportunities for children to develop the skills they need to identify risks and stay safe. This will also be extended to include material that will encourage our children to develop essential life skills.
At all times we will work in partnership and endeavour to establish effective working relationships with parents, carers and colleagues from other agencies in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) and local safeguarding partners’ procedures.
We are an Operation Encompass School. Operation Encompass
Safeguarding Governor:
Our Governor for Safeguarding and Child Protection is Mr. P. Douglass, who can be contacted in confidence by calling school on 0191 2747463 or by emailing concerns to Office@emcps.co.uk
Are you worried about a child?
Report a concern about a child or young person:
- If you are ever concerned that a child is in immediate danger call the police on 999.
- If you are worried about a child or young person living in Newcastle call Children's Social Care on 0191 277 2500.
During office hours:
If you are concerned about a child or young person:
- Report a concern about a child or young person online, call us on 0191 277 2500 (weekdays 8:45am to 5pm)
- You can also discuss any concerns with someone who works with children and families, for example your health worker, social worker, school nurse or teacher (all schools have a teacher responsible for child protection).
If you are a professional working with families and children please report a concern about a child or young person as a professional online.
Out of office hours:
If the issue cannot wait until the next working day, call our Emergency Duty Team on 0191 278 7878.
Report a concern about a child or young person
Designated Safeguarding Leads
Miss M Elliott
Headeacher
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs K Stephenson
Deputy Headteacher
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mr A Young
Assistant Headteacher
Deputy DSL
Mrs J Kenny
School Business Manager
Deputy DSL
Miss L Moran
Family Support Officer
Deputy DSL
Operation Encompass
English Martyrs' is an Operation Encompass school.
Operation Encompass is an initiative from Northumbria Police whereby they alert schools when they have been called to an address and the family have children.
If a child/children has been present during an incident the key member of staff must report back to Operation Encompass information around attendance and wellbeing. Parent are not spoken to about the incident however they do receive a letter to say whether their child has been/ or has not been (if a child was not present) spoken to during the school day.
Please see the attached PDF for more information
E-Safety
We take online safety very seriously at English Martyrs' and we try to make sure we educate both our children and parents in the best ways to stay safe online.
We seek parental permission for children's photographs to be added to the school website and we never name children or include any personal information. Please scroll down for website links and information.
Children at English Martyrs' use the internet for many different aspects of their curriculum. The internet is a fantastic source of information, it enhances learning and really can make learning fun. However, the internet can also be a dangerous place as it is so vast and easily accessible. We want children to gain the most from being able to use the internet and that is why it is essential that children are aware of the risks and boundaries in order to keep themselves safe while they are online.
In school there is a filtering system put in place to ensure no inappropriate sites can be accessed. E-safety is embedded within the curriculum where using the internet is concerned. As a school, we have had e-safety days where children take part in activities and games to inform them about sensible online behaviour and what to do if they see something they are not sure about.
This section of our website will provide you and your child with some guidance and tips on how to stay safe online at home
BRITISH VALUES
The government set out their definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy. These were reinforced in September 2014. These new regulations will sit alongside the requirements of the Equalities Act, which also applies to all types of schools.
Schools are expected to focus on, and be able to show, how our work with pupils is effective in embedding fundamental British values.
The Department for Education’s five-part definition of British values covers:
- democracy
- rule of law
- individual liberty
- mutual respect
- tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
We incorporate democratic principles, value the rule of law, support individual liberty and foster a community in which different faiths and beliefs are respected in our school.
Democracy
A culture built upon freedom and equality, where everyone is aware of their rights and responsibilities.
Individual Liberty
Protection of your rights and the right of others.
Mutual Respect
Respecting the values, ideas and beliefs of others whilst not imposing our own others.
Rule of Law
The need for rules to make a happy, safe and secure environment to live and work.
Tolerance
Understanding that we all don’t share the same beliefs and values.
Protected Characteristics
The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone in Britain is protected. This is because the Equality Act protects people against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have. Under the Equality Act, there are nine Protected Characteristics:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Marriage or civil partnership
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy and maternity
Under the Equality Act you are protected from discrimination:
- When you are in the workplace
- When you use public services like healthcare (for example, visiting your doctor or local hospital) or education (for example, at your school or college)
- When you use businesses and other organisations that provide services and goods (like shops, restaurants, and cinemas)
- When you use transport
- When you join a club or association (for example, your local tennis club)
- When you have contact with public bodies like your local council or government departments
The 9 Protected Characteristics are actively promoted in school through:
- Our school ethos statements, SDP, and SEF
- Our school core values
- Our school behaviour policy
- Conscious role modelling by all adults in the school community
- Active engagement and communication with parents and carers
- Assemblies
- British Values themes for a day, week and term
- Discussion within curriculum subjects, taking a cross-curricular approach
- Promoting articulation by building appropriate language and a coherent vocabulary
- Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) sessions
- Religious Education (RE) lessons, RSE lessons and Protected Characteristic talks/assemblies
- Sporting, Art and Cultural Events
- Pupil Voice
- Educational visits
- Real-life learning outside the classroom
- Guest speakers
- Developing links with local, national and international communities
- Extra-curricular activities, after-school clubs, charity work and work within the local community
Embedding Protected Characteristics into the whole ethos of English Martyrs' promotes:
- Self-esteem, self-knowledge and self-confidence
- Respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process
- Acceptance of responsibility for their own behaviour
- Respect for their own and other cultures
- Understanding of how they can contribute positively to school and home life and to the lives of those living and working in the locality and further afield
- An understanding of Equality, Human Rights and Protected Characteristics
- An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
- An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety
- An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
- An acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
- An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination
