Safeguarding
Happiness and belonging are key elements in our school vision and making sure that everyone in our school community is safe is a crucial part of achieving this. At Woodsetts Primary we have a Safeguarding Team to lead on this key area of work. We regard seeking to identify and overcome all barriers to learning as an important part of the partnership between school and families.
Staff in school, by law, have a duty to report any concerns that they may have that any child may be suffering harm, particularly as a consequence of possible abuse. It is a Department for Education requirement that each school in the country nominates a senior member of staff who will have special responsibility for Child Protection. In Rotherham, this member of staff is known as the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and must have been in receipt of advanced safeguarding training.
As a school, we have close contacts with the School Health Service, Children's Services and the Police, any or all of who may become involved if abuse is suspected or alleged. The school has a responsibility to collate basic information such as who has parental responsibility for a child, and to pass this information to the relevant agencies if so requested. In the event of an investigation into possible child abuse, the school has a duty to cooperate with the investigating agencies to the best of their ability to promote the welfare of the child. Whilst the school will always attempt to work in partnership with parents and carers, and try to ensure that they are fully informed of, and participate in, any action concerning their child, if there is a conflict of interest; the welfare of the child must be the paramount consideration.
School takes very seriously the appointing of new staff and follows the 'Safer Recruitment' advice from the Local Authority. Our staff and volunteers are DBS checked to ensure all our pupils stay safe. Should you wish to discuss child protection and the safety of your child, or indeed, any other topic involving your child, please feel free to contact a member of the Safeguarding Team.
Woodsetts Primary School Safeguarding Team
Miss E Batterham (Designated Safeguarding Lead)
Mrs J Ross (Deputy Safeguarding Lead)
Mr M Revill (Deputy Safeguarding Lead)
Please explore the documents and links below to find out more.
Safeguarding in our curriculum
At Woodsetts Primary School, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment where all children can thrive. Our curriculum is carefully designed to promote safeguarding and ensure that pupils understand how to stay safe, both in and out of school.
Our dedicated PSHE and RSE curriculum plays a key role in delivering vital safeguarding messages. These curricula provide age-appropriate learning about healthy relationships, emotional wellbeing, online safety, and personal boundaries. Through these lessons, children are equipped to recognize risks, seek help, and develop strategies for staying safe.
To enhance this learning, we work closely with charities such as the NSPCC, using their resources and campaigns to teach children about keeping themselves safe, including key messages like "Speak Out, Stay Safe." We also invite guest speakers and organisations, such as local PCSOs and community groups, to deliver workshops and talks that reinforce safeguarding themes and provide real-world insights.
Key safeguarding messages are further promoted through Wellbeing Week, Healthy Week, and our Computing and Online Safety curriculum, which teaches children to navigate the digital world responsibly and become safe digital citizens. Our commitment to inclusion and respect is supported by our No Outsiders Programme, which helps children celebrate diversity and stand against prejudice.
Safeguarding themes are consistently highlighted across school life, from assemblies and class briefings to weekly newsletters, ensuring children, staff, and families are well-informed. Additionally, our Personal Development offer, including Woodsetts Wonders, provides opportunities for children to explore resilience, growth, and wellbeing, further embedding safeguarding into their school experience.
By combining a robust curriculum with partnerships, events, and a culture of care, we ensure safeguarding is not just a policy but a lived priority, equipping every child at Woodsetts Primary School with the tools to stay safe, make informed choices, and flourish in a supportive environment.
Our safeguarding culture and support for staff
At Woodsetts Primary School, safeguarding is a fundamental part of our ethos, ensuring the safety, wellbeing, and security of every child. We believe safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and we are committed to maintaining a vigilant, proactive, and collaborative culture.
Our safeguarding culture is built on comprehensive training, robust systems, and a commitment to continuous improvement:
- Regular Training: All staff receive annual Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) training, alongside regular updates on key safeguarding practices. This includes focused training on the accurate and effective use of CPOMS, our secure system for reporting and monitoring concerns.
- Ongoing Professional Development: We engage staff through innovative approaches such as 3-minute safeguarding reads, quizzes, and online training sessions on key issues like PREVENT, FGM, and County Lines.
- Advanced Training: Key members of staff, including DSLs, undertake advanced training in areas such as Advanced Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment, ensuring they are equipped to lead safeguarding practices effectively.
- Supervision and Collaboration: Our safeguarding team benefits from trust-wide DSL Networks and supervision, fostering collaboration and ensuring best practices are shared and implemented.
We work closely with external partners to enhance our safeguarding provision:
- Early Help: We have a strong partnership with Early Help, including regular meetings with a dedicated link worker, ensuring a coordinated approach to supporting vulnerable children and families.
- Inter-Agency Collaboration: Our safeguarding team maintains robust relationships with external agencies to ensure swift and effective responses to concerns.
Safeguarding is reinforced across the school through regular vulnerable child meetings, where the team discusses ongoing cases and implements tailored support strategies. This proactive approach ensures no child is left unsupported.
Our commitment to safeguarding is further demonstrated through:
- An annual safeguarding calendar to ensure key tasks and priorities are addressed throughout the year.
- Regular trust-wide reviews of safeguarding measures to ensure they remain rigorous and effective.
- A culture of vigilance, driven by the belief that, while we are a small school, “it could happen here.”
At Woodsetts Primary, safeguarding is not just a responsibility but a shared commitment, ensuring every child is protected, supported, and empowered to thrive.
Documents
You can access our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy by clicking here or by using the navigation bar to find our policies page.
Useful links
Prevent Duty
Background
As part of our ongoing safeguarding and child protection duties we are fully behind the government’s Prevent Strategy.
From 1 July 2015 all schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty for Schools.
The statutory guidance refers to the importance of Prevent Duty awareness training to equip all staff to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. The Home Office has developed a core training product for this purpose. All our staff have received training sessions on what Prevent is about and how to deal with any issues they may see inside or outside school
Click the links below for further information:
- Please click here for information regarding the Prevent Strategy.
- Please click here for information regarding the Government Guidance on the Prevent Duty for all schools.
- Prevent Covid - 19 SRP guidance can be found here
Spot the signs
The Let’s Talk About It website has published some useful information for parents/guardians that explains how online groomers and negative influences can use the internet, social media and online gaming to spread their extreme ideas. It also sets out possible signs that someone may need help. This is useful information for front-line workers.
What to do if you are worried - Notice - Check - Share
Notice that a person is vulnerable to being radicalised or exploited by extremists. Check your concerns with your line manager or other colleagues who may be working with the person or their family. Share your concerns with the safeguarding or Prevent lead for your organisation. They will advise you about the next steps, including relevant safeguarding interventions such as the Channel programme.
Key contacts
If a child or adult is in immediate danger, call 999. Prevent concerns should be referred via your organisation’s safeguarding pathway. Concerns can also be passed directly to the South Yorkshire Police Prevent team via email or telephone 0114 2964346.
For concerns about children you can contact the Rotherham Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 01709 336080 or, for adults, the Single Point of Access on 01709 822330.
If you see or hear anything that could be terrorist related you can report it to the confidential Anti -Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
For more information speak to your organisation’s Prevent lead or contact Carol Adamson, Community Safety Officer (Prevent and Communities), RMBC.
