Safeguarding
Safeguarding Children at Hugh Gaitskell Primary
- Children and young people spend a large proportion of their lives in School. Hugh Gaitskell Primary School is uniquely placed to play a central role in ensuring that pupils are protected from harm.
- The school's primary responsibility is to facilitate learning and children are more likely to engage in the learning process and achieve their potential if they are safe and well.
- Children who feel supported, listened to and valued at home and in school will welcome the educational opportunities provided for them.
- Hugh Gaitskell Primary will cater for children of different backgrounds, religions, cultures and abilities.
Our ability to safeguard will be evident on three levels:
Universal Safeguarding - this is our desire to keep all pupils safe by creating safe environments. This includes excellent site safety, safer recruitment of staff, strong school rules and codes of conduct and good safety awareness taught across the curriculum.
Targeted Safeguarding - this is our desire to focus on groups of pupils whose personal, social or economic circumstances may result in an increased risk to their safety. For example, looked after children, pupils with special educational needs or children who are subjected to racism.
Responsive Safeguarding - this is our desire to respond quickly and appropriately to situations where students may suffer or have suffered harm. This consists of support through our strong child protection procedures.
Our aim will be to be leading practitioners in:
- Child protection
- Anti-bullying
- Behaviour and attendance
- Special educational needs
- Physical contact
- Intimate and nurture care
- Looked after children
- Staff recruitment
- Continuing Professional Development
- Personal, Social and Health Education/SEAL
- Healthy Schools
What we will do if we have a concern about a child:
- If we are concerned that a child may be at risk of harm we must follow the procedures in our child protection policy. You can look at a copy in school or receive a copy to take home.
- In almost all circumstances we will speak to you about our concerns and we will inform you if we feel we must refer our concerns to children's social care.
- Any child protection records on your child are kept separate to your child's normal school file. All files are confidential and access in school is usually restricted to designated staff.
Hugh Gaitskell Primary School is part of a project that runs jointly between schools and West Yorkshire Police. It has been established to support children who are resident in households where there are incidents of domestic violence and abuse. The initiative has been designed to provide confidential notification to schools on any incidents of domestic violence and abuse which occur within a child’s household that might have an impact on a child whilst he or she is in school. Clearly this enables us to support a child who may come into school potential worries or emotional barriers to their learning.
This project ensures that members of the school staff are trained to use the information that has been shared in confidence and are able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children or their families. We work hard to offer the best possible support to our pupils and we believe this is beneficial for all those involved.
If you would like to speak to someone in school about domestic violence or wish to know more about our involvement in Operation Encompass, please contact Mrs Belton or a member of the pastoral team 0113 2716963 option 2 or email info@hg-ps.org.
If you would like further support or information about domestic violence and abuse please go to www.
https://ldvs.uk/ - Leeds Domestic Violence Services
In School you can contact:
Our Lead Safeguarding Officer:
Mrs S Belton
Designated Child Protection Officers:
Mrs K McNulty
Mrs C Donnelly
Mrs S Belton
Mrs A Armstrong
Overall responsibility as Headteacher:
Mrs K McNulty
Our Safeguarding Governor:
Mr M Morrison
Children's Social Care: 0113 3760336
Children's Social Service: 0113 2224403
Police : 999 (if want to report a crime but not an emergency 101)
NSPCC child protection helpline: 0808 800 5000
Childline: 0800 11 11
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