Safeguarding

Safeguarding and Welfare of our Pupils

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Miss Guest

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads: Miss Smith and Miss Dixon

Safeguarding Link Governor: Mrs Howells

The staff and governors at Grove Primary School and Nursery ensure that safeguarding is embedded in our curriculum and in the culture of our school. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children.

We work together to safeguard children by:

protecting children from maltreatment;
preventing impairment of children’s health or development;
ensuring that children develop and grow in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes;
teaching children how they can keep themselves safe;
teaching children how they can keep others safe around them;
taking action to ensure that children attend school every day.

Safeguarding and the Grove Curriculum

The safety and wellbeing of children is at the heart of everything we do at Grove Primary School and Nursery. Opportunities are identified in the taught curriculum for children to learn about how to keep themselves and others safe and enable them to contribute positively beyond our school community.

Our bespoke and broad curriculum provides opportunities to experience life in its diversity, to acquire knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure personal development. Personal safeguarding skills are supported by the Behaviour Policy to ensure that our vision ‘Bringing out the best in everyone’ is achieved.

The ‘Jigsaw’ PSHE curriculum covers all areas of Safeguarding. From their earliest starting point, safeguarding strands are revisited and further developed every year. Our knowledge of our children ensures that sensitive strands are taught at an age appropriate level. Where necessary, small group or 1:1 teaching opportunities are provided.

Children are challenged to think carefully about safeguarding matters and to question the world around them, as well as the impact of their individual choices and behaviours. Physical and mental wellbeing is actively promoted.

We follow a ‘4Cs’ curriculum to further develop an awareness of safeguarding matters through 4 core concepts: communication; conflict; culture; conservation. All pupils are taught the skills to explore British Values, personal rights and responsibilities and are made aware of moral concepts that have an impact on us all, whether at a local or global scale.

A programme of practical safeguarding activities, often working with specialist external providers, are used to support the curriculum:

Road and rail safety
Bike-ability
Pool and water safety in the PE curriculum
Fire awareness and visits to Malvern Fire Station
Visits to school from medical staff
Work with our Community Support Officers to respond to local issues
Work with charities such as NSPCC, Macmillan and The Dogs’ Trust
A 2 year programme of high school transition opportunities, with additional support for children with SEND.
Plays and shows
Termly assemblies for Jigsaw and the 4Cs curriculum to promote whole school awareness
Promoting personal risk assessment skills through visits, as well as during play and outdoor learning
The safe use of technology

We have developed a nurturing and supportive learning environment in which children feel safe to express their views, seek support and help others. The promotion of equality of opportunity for all helps to prevent any form of direct or indirect discriminatory behaviour.

The Behaviour Policy promotes positive behaviour choices in order to ensure all children can learn and feel safe. Class circle times are for sharing ideas, recognising and celebrating success. However, they are also a time for reflection and to respond to safeguarding matters if they arise.

Assemblies are carefully planned to promote our school values:

Ready, respectful, safe

Within these values, safeguarding matters are promoted. For example, we promote our child-friendly ‘Anti-Bullying’ policy and use reflection time to reflect on the theme of each assembly.

Staff and children act quickly to challenge stereotypes and the use of derogatory language is not accepted in school and beyond. It is a core aim to provide our children with experiences beyond their local community and promote a cultural awareness of life outside of Malvern.

SUPPORTING FAMILIES (Early Help) Offer

In order to 'Bring out the best in everyone' and to support our Safeguarding practice, we work closely with Worcestershire Children First. Early Help Family Support is available for a wide range of reasons from supporting families with attendance to providing help with parenting at home. The Supporting Families document gives full details about support that is available for our famiies in the local are. If you have a concern, please make an appoinment with any member of the Safeguarding team. Class teachers are also on hand to help and can signpost useful resources. Where appropriate, our team will make a referral to get the help that is needed to improve outcomes. Please use the link below to find out more about the Worcestershire Early Help offer.

Worcestershire Early Help Family Support

Worcestershire Virtual Family Hub

Safeguarding Child Protection Policy Grove 2023 2024.pdf

Supporting Families Early Help Offer.pdf

Operation Encompass

What is Operation Encompass?

Our school is part of Operation Encompass which is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces.

Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced domestic abuse.

As a school we have ensured that a member of our staff, (Designated Safeguarding Lead) known as a Key Adult, has been trained in the Operation Encompass procedures allowing us to then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to support the child/ren in our care.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 identifies children who experience domestic abuse as victims of domestic abuse in their own right.

You can find more information here Operation Encompass Website

Prevent?

Prevent is a national initiative to safeguard children, adults and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is 1 of the 4 elements of CONTEST, the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

What does PREVENT do?

Responds to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views.
Provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support.
Works with a wide range of sectors (including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, online and health) where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to deal with.

Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare

If you have any concerns and would like to discuss them with a member of staff, please speak to any member of the Safeguarding team.

Radicalisation

Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies. If you are worried someone close to you is becoming radicalised act early and seek help. The sooner you reach out, the quicker the person you care about can be protected from being groomed and exploited by extremists.

Police forces across the country have specially trained Prevent officers who work with professionals in health, education, local authorities and charities, as well as faith and community groups to help vulnerable people move away from extremism. They are here to listen and offer help and advice. Receiving support is voluntary.

Friends and family are best placed to spot the signs, so trust your instincts and share your concerns in confidence.

They can help if you act early. You won't be wasting police time and you won’t ruin lives, but you might save them.

To find out more about how to help someone close to you visit actearly.uk

Starting Well

Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, Action for Children, Barnardo’s and Redditch Borough Council set up the Starting Well Partnership to enhance the support available to children, young people and families across the Worcestershire. The Starting Well Partnership provides help during antenatal, post birth, and early years stages, and right throughout school life. Family Hubs operate across the County. Our local Family hub is located at

The Sunshine Centre, Bluebell Walk, Malvern. WR14 3SW.

Telephone: 01684 520 032

The Starting Well website provides useful information for parents about the range of services available.

Starting Well Partnership Worcs NHS