Safeguarding
What is Safeguarding?
The Department for Education defines safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as:
- Protecting children from maltreatment.
- Preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development.
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
For safeguarding purposes, a child is anyone under the age of 18.
Our safeguarding practice is guided by:
- Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024
- Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
At East Dene Primary School, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. By working together with children, families and partner agencies, we strive to ensure that every child feels safe, supported and ready to learn.
East Dene Primary School’s Commitment to Safeguarding and Child Protection
At East Dene Primary School, safeguarding covers many different areas. While some risks have always existed, others have emerged as children spend more time online and in the wider community. Our role is to educate, protect and support children and families, ensuring every child feels safe, valued and able to thrive.
Below you will find information and guidance on the different areas of safeguarding that we teach, monitor and support within school.
At East Dene Primary School, the safety, wellbeing and happiness of every child are at the heart of everything we do. We are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and expect every member of our school community to share this commitment.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We work together with children, families and partner agencies to ensure that every child is safe, supported and able to achieve their full potential. We recognise that children can face a range of safeguarding risks, both inside and outside of school, including online, and we are committed to providing a safe, caring and inclusive environment where every child feels valued, listened to and protected.
Our staff receive regular safeguarding and child protection training to ensure they can recognise concerns, respond appropriately and act swiftly to keep children safe. All safeguarding concerns are taken seriously and managed in line with our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy, as well as statutory guidance issued by the Department for Education.
The Child at the Centre- Safeguarding
Every child deserves to grow up feeling safe, supported and valued. At East Dene Primary School, the needs, wishes and wellbeing of every child are at the heart of everything we do.
Most children and families will receive all the support they need through school and universal services. However, when additional help is needed, we work closely with families and a range of professionals to ensure the right support is provided at the right time. This may include Early Help, Child in Need support, Child Protection services or, in some circumstances, Local Authority Foster Care.
The flowchart below explains the different levels of support that may be available and how agencies work together to safeguard children. It is important to remember that every family’s journey is unique, and children will only move through these stages if additional support is required.
Our aim is always to work in partnership with families, listen to the voice of the child, and ensure that every child has the opportunity to feel safe, achieve their potential and thrive.
If you have any questions about safeguarding or would like to discuss the support available, please speak to a member of our Safeguarding Team. We are always here to listen, offer advice and help families access the support they need.
Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers
We believe that safeguarding is most effective when schools and families work together. Wherever possible, we will discuss any concerns we may have with parents and carers and work collaboratively to identify the best support for their child. There may be occasions, however, where we have a statutory duty to share information with other agencies without parental consent if doing so is necessary to protect a child from harm.
We are committed to maintaining open, honest and supportive relationships with families and ensuring parents understand our responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare.
Safeguarding Through the Curriculum
Helping children to understand how to keep themselves safe is an essential part of school life. Safeguarding is taught throughout our curriculum and is reinforced through assemblies, themed events and everyday learning opportunities.
Children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to:
- Keep themselves safe both online and offline.
- Build healthy, respectful and positive relationships.
- Recognise unsafe situations and know how to respond.
- Understand the importance of consent, personal boundaries and respecting others.
- Develop resilience, confidence and emotional wellbeing.
- Know who their trusted adults are and how to ask for help if they are worried.
These important messages are taught through our Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education, Relationships Education, Computing, Online Safety, British Values and the wider curriculum, ensuring safeguarding is embedded throughout school life.
