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Safeguarding

Mrs Hankin (Assistant Headteacher Safeguarding and Wellbeing) is the Designated Safeguarding Lead. She is supported on the Safeguarding Team by Miss Phillips (TEAM Hub Manager), Mrs Brimmell (Wellbeing Officer), Mrs West (Student Support Officer), Mr Henry (Assistant Headteacher - Character) and Mr Jones (Headteacher) all of whom are trained as Additional Safeguarding Leads.

We have a designated Safeguarding Governor, Carolyn Stirk, who visits the school on a regular basis to meet with members of the Safeguarding Team and monitor their work.

The Cottesloe School is committed to safeguarding the welfare of young people. The school has its own robust safeguarding policies, procedures and systems.

What to do if you're concerned about a child

  • Speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) about your concerns
  • In the event of an emergency, find a relevant trained member of staff as per the posters
  • Log onto Smoothwall and report your concern.
  • If DSLs are unavailable and you feel that your concern must be reported immediately, contact Buckinghamshire Council's Safeguarding Team: 01296 383962
  • If you believe there is an immediate risk of significant harm or if anyone is in immediate danger, always call the police on 999.

What to do if you're concerned about a staff member (including volunteers) in school

  • Report any concerns you have about a member of staff directly to the Headteacher
  • This includes self-reporting if you are worried about something that happened
  • If your concerns are about the Headteacher specifically, please refer this to the Chair of Governors and the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

How do I contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)?

  • If you have a concern about a member of staff working with children (in either a paid or voluntary capacity) please contact:

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for Buckinghamshire Council 01296 382070 secure-LADO@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

What do I do if I'm not happy with the way a concern has been dealt with?

  • Please consult our 'Whistleblowing policy found on our website for further information.

  • If you feel unable to raise an issue or feel that your genuine concerns are not being addressed, other whistleblowing channels are open to you: NSPCC's 'What you can do to report abuse' dedicated helpline is available to all staff who do not feel able to raise their concerns, regarding child protection failures internally or have concerns about the way a concern is being handled by their school.

0800 028 0285 help@nspcc.org.uk

Safeguarding statement

At The Cottesloe School, we take our responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and child protection very seriously. We instil a strong culture of vigilance amongst all members of the school community and believe it is our shared responsibility to safeguard each other.

Safeguarding begins with ensuring that anybody who comes in contact with our young people is appropriately checked and cleared to ensure they are safe to work in our school. Access to the site is closely monitored. Our recruitment procedures follow “safer recruitment” guidelines that include steps to DETER, IDENTIFY and REJECT those applicants who are not safe to work with children. All staff undergo regular and approved training and updates on their obligations with regard to child protection and safeguarding. This includes training in areas such as misuse of the internet and social media, child sexual exploitation and the government’s 'Prevent' strategy, aimed at stopping young people from falling prey to radicalisation.

The school works closely with partner agencies such as Woman’s Aid, Barnardo’s, the Police, Social Care and the Local Authority to ensure young people are kept safe.

The school follows the government guidance as set out in the following documents:

We also follow guidance from the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership and the Local Authority.

The School's Safeguarding Policies can be found here:-  https://www.cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk/about/policies

Student and Parent Helpline Directory

Abuse

Bullying

Child Sexual Exploitation / Grooming

Domestic Violence

Drugs/Alcohol

Eating Disorders / Body Image / Self Esteem

Esafety

Extremism

Forced Marriage and FGM

General

Gambling

Mental Health

Self Harm

Grief

Stop Abuse Together

Stop Abuse Together | Government resource to help keep children safe from sexual abuse 

It’s estimated that one in ten children in England and Wales will experience sexual abuse before they turn sixteen. That’s equivalent to three in every classroom.

Most children won’t tell anyone at the time of their abuse. That’s why it’s important for everyone to know how to spot the potential signs of child sexual abuse and where to go for support if concerned.

The Government’s new Stop Abuse Together website is to help teachers and parents learn to spot the signs and know when to reach out for more support. If you have any concerns at all about a child’s safety or wellbeing you can call the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000