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Safeguarding

Safeguarding and Child Protection

At Great Horwood Church of England School we take the safety of all our pupils seriously. If you have any concerns regarding our children please speak to the Designated Safeguarding Leader Mrs Paula Shaw (Headteacher). Our Safeguarding Governor is Mrs Danielle Evans and can be contacted via the school office. All safeguarding and child protection policies can be found on the school website on the Policies and Procedures page.

The Designated Safeguarding lead at Great Horwood School is Paula Shaw (Headteacher).

The Deputy Designated lead is Chelsea Dumbarton.

In the event that another DSL is required Lucy McFarlane, Headteacher at Padbury CE school may be contacted.

The designated Safeguarding leads can be contacted on dsl@ghw.odbst.org

The Designated Safeguarding Governor is Danielle Evans and can be contacted on devans@ghw.odbst.org

Safeguarding Statement 

​At Great Horwood Church of England School, the health, safety and well-being of every child are our paramount concern. We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is for children to enjoy their time as pupils in this school. We want to work in partnership with you to help your child achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution.
 
To promote a safe environment for pupils, our selection and recruitment policy includes all checks on staff and regular volunteers’ suitability, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks, as recommended by the Oxford Diocese Bucks Schools Trust and in accordance with current legislation.
 
In accordance with our responsibilities under section 175/157 of the Education Act 2002 and “Keeping Children Safe in Education" we have a Designated Safeguarding Lead for Child Protection (Mrs Paula Shaw - Headteacher) who is a member of the senior management team, and has received appropriate training for this role.  We also have Mrs Chelsea Dumbarton as deputy designated lead. It is their responsibility to ensure that all staff in contact with children receive child protection awareness training on a regular basis. 
 
Occasions do arise when our concern about a child means we have to consult other agencies.  Whilst we would always aim to work in partnership with parents there may be exceptions to this when concerns are raised for the protection of a child.
 
On very rare occasions Social Care, whilst undertaking an investigation under section 47 of the Children Act 1989, may want to speak to a child without a parents’ knowledge.   This would be a decision made in collaboration with partner agencies and would only be done in situations where a child might be at immediate risk.  To gain consent at this point may increase the level of risk to the child or cause evidence of a crime to be lost.
 
The procedures, which we follow, have been laid down by the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board, and the school has adopted a Child Protection Policy in line with this for the safety of all. If you want to know more about our procedures, please speak to the Headteacher, Mrs Paula Shaw.  The Policy can be found on the school website on the Policies page.
 

Useful websites and details if you have any social media or internet concerns:

If your child/children are using Tik-Tok social media please be aware of the following. An alarming video circulated on social media last week of a person graphically ending his life and the emergency services responding. Advice from Andrew Hall, Safeguarding consultant, about this incident is taken from Ineqe and can be found here: TikTok Safeguarding Alert

Further advice if you have any social media or internet concerns

Sleepover Information leaflet for parents

Keeping your child safe online at Christmas - useful information and advice

 

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