Safeguarding is a preventative agenda that helps children to achieve their full potential, regardless of negative factors such as poverty or social exclusion, by providing services and support to overcome barriers to achievement.
Rhodes Avenue recognises that pupils may face many barriers to learning that may affect their prospects in later life. The school will safeguard and promote pupils’ welfare by focusing on preventative actions and services, so that all pupils are able to fulfil their potential. Rhodes Avenue will promote pupils’ health by educating them on healthy diets and lifestyles, using the healthy schools programme and through school policy, for example: E-safety, Behaviour for Learning, Sex and Relationships Education, Drugs Education and Anti-bullying.
Rhodes Avenue will work closely with health professionals to monitor pupils’ health and ensure that pupils’ with health needs receive the extra support they need to fully participate in education.
Designated Safeguarding Officer
A Definition of Safeguarding
Safeguarding is a broad agenda and covers the following:
- protecting children from maltreatment;
- preventing impairment of children’s health or development;
- ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
- enabling children to have optimum life chances so they can enter adulthood successfully.
Safeguarding Aims
Rhodes Avenue aims to provide a safe learning environment where pupils are:
- kept safe from accidents whilst at school and during outings;
- protected from maltreatment through the implementation of Haringey Safeguarding Children Board’s Safeguarding procedures and Safe Recruitment practices;
- taught to keep themselves safe via safety messages delivered through the curriculum and other forums;
- taught how to stay safe on-line and report any inappropriate material;
- made aware of the adults in school who they can talk to;
- able to feel supported, safe and protected and able to raise concerns.
Safety messages will be delivered via the curriculum, and pupils will be provided with opportunities to discuss issues they feel are affecting their safety, at school and within the community.
E-Safety
Currently it is Rhodes Avenue School policy that photographs are permitted to be taken by parents at school events but are for their private use only, and that images (including video) that include children other than their own cannot be uploaded to the internet or posted on social media. Please refer to the school’s Safe Use of Images Policy for greater detail.
Prevent
From the 1st July 2015 schools and childcare providers have been issued with new advice and social media guidance to help them keep children safe from the risk of radicalisation and extremism.
The advice has been published to coincide with the new prevent duty, introduced as part of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which legally requires a range of organisations including schools to take steps to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.
Schools and childcare providers already play a vital role in keeping children safe from harm, including from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and in promoting the welfare of children in their care.
The Prevent Duty: DfE Guidance (June 2015) can be accessed here: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/439598/prevent-duty-departmental-advice-v6.pdf
See link below for Government guidance and support for Parents, Carers and Educators.
Safeguarding Guidance
Keeping Children safe in Education 2016
Safeguarding Leaflet for Parents and Carers
E-safety Leaflet for Parents and Carers: Keeping Safe Online
Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE 2015)
Inspecting Safeguarding in Early Years Education and Settings (Ofsted 2016)
