Safeguarding Statement

At Alma Primary we help all our children to be become:

• Kind and confident individuals who are able to live healthy, safe and fulfilling lives;
• Respectful and responsible citizens who make a positive difference to our world;
• Enthusiastic learners who enjoy thinking, creating, and achieving success.

The staff and governors at Alma Primary work together to keep children safe by establishing and maintaining an environment where:

• Children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, and are listened to when they have a worry or concern;
• Children can develop the skills they need to recognise and stay safe from abuse;
• Staff and volunteers feel safe, are encouraged to talk and are listened to when they have concerns about a child;
• Children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried;
• Children who are at risk from harm are supported and kept safe.

To do this we:

• Ensure that all staff and governors have the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to protect children;
• Use safer recruitment procedures to prevent unsuitable people from working with the children;
• Maintain a single central register and ensure that any new staff, governors or volunteers obtain a Disclosure and Barring Service certificate;
• Record and act on concerns about children;
• Follow up on lateness and absences as these can be early signs of a more serious issue;
• Promote safe practice and challenge any poor or unsafe practice;
• Report any causes for concern to the School Safeguarding Team.

Cause for Concern

All staff are expected to report any causes for concern to the Designated Child Protection Officers. Any concerns will be shared with parents/carers as early as possible, as more often than not there are extremely reasonable explanations for the concern. Concerns may range from children being visibly upset to persistent lateness to children 'disclosing' concerns. On rare occasions our concern about a child may mean that we have to consult other agencies. Unless it is not safe for a child, we would always aim to achieve this with a parent's consent. Our safeguarding policy can be found here. If you want to know more about our procedures, please speak to Marc Shoffren.

Our Safeguarding Team

Our Designated Child Protection Officers are Marc Shoffren, Clare Stephens, Cherie Tarleton and Jodi Rickless: please contact them if you have any concerns.

Our Single Central Record is maintained by Rebecca Doctors.

Our Safeguarding Governor is Louise Lewis