Cogenhoe Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all members of the school community to share this commitment.
To this end we will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.
The safety and well-being of all children and young people is of paramount importance. We recognise that parents and carers send their children to school each day with the expectation that the school provides a safe and secure environment in which their children can flourish. We therefore have a wide range of measures in place to ensure this is put into practice and is maintained.
Child Protection at Cogenhoe
Our school staff are trained to be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the NSCP procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.
Parents and carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect. The staff will seek to discuss any concerns with the parent/carer and, where possible, inform them of the referral to Social Care. This will only occur where such discussion will not place the child at increased risk of significant harm.
In accordance with local Information sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively. Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children are safe and receive the right support.
School will seek advice from Social Care when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents/carers will appreciate that the member of staff in the school responsible for Child Protection (known as the Designated Lead or Officer) is charged with carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and acting in the best interest of the child.
If you have any concerns regarding the pupils at our school, then please speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, by contacting the school on (01604) 890380/ admin@cogenhoe-school.net or by making an appointment through the school office.
Mrs C Oldham and Mrs S Blackwell – Designated Safeguarding Leads
Mrs S Blackwell – Designated Teacher for Looked After and Previously Looked After Children
Mrs R Reeve, Miss E Noble and Miss Sarah Jones – Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads
If you have a safeguarding concern relating to the welfare of a child, members of the public can contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) who will listen and deal with any concerns.
The MASH can be contacted on 0300 126 1000 or by emailing MASH@northamptonshire.gcsx.gov.uk
Further information and advice, can also be found by clicking the following links.
Children Missing in Education
There are significant child protection implications when the whereabouts of a child is not known. The local authority has a duty to locate, track and monitor children missing from education and support them in returning to education.
What are a school’s responsibilities when a child is absent?
We would always assess the child’s safeguarding risk at their own address. For example, is there a risk of forced marriage, child sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, radicalisation or honour based violence. If the judgement is the child is at risk of harm, we would contact the police or social care immediately.
If a pupil is absent, all schools have a responsibility to contact the parent or carer on the first day of absence and continue to make every effort to locate the pupil. If we have identified that a child is not in school, we would follow the procedure below.
Day 1 – Phone call
A staff member trained to do so, telephones the child’s home to seek reasons for the absence and reassurance from a parent or carer that the child is safe at home.
| Response from parent | Next step from school |
|---|---|
| There is no answer at the home or on mobile numbers | Call back. Risk assess after 2 hours |
| The parent/carer answered the call, the child is safe with them | Ask for reason for absence and record on school’s attendance management system |
| The person answering is not the parent/carer and the school is not reassured that the child is at home or safe | The school’s designated lead for child protection should be consulted on a risk assessment and the degree of vulnerability of the child |
| The parent/carer answered the call, the child is not with them or safe and the parent is concerned |
School to advise the parent to:
|
Day 2 – Follow up phone call
A subsequent telephone call would be made either from the school landline or preferably a mobile phone.
Day 3 – Write/email parents
A letter or email would be sent to the parent asking for contact to be made with the school immediately. We would give the parents/carers 3 working days to make contact.
Day 5/6 – Home visit
A visit to the home address would be arranged; ensuring that risk assessments are in place.
Once we have completed these checks (or within 10 days; whichever is earlier)
If the child has not been seen and the parents or carers have not made contact, the school would report the child as missing from education.
Policies
We have a number of policies in place at Cogenhoe, which support our ethos for ensuring our children are safe and secure.
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy 2023-24
DSL Job Description 19.01.2022.doc
Mental Health & Wellbeing Policy for Pupils 2023
Relationships & Sex Education Policy February 2023
Coming to School and Leaving Independently Policy June 2023
Induction and Training
All our staff and volunteers have an induction schedule, which includes safeguarding training and every member of staff has formal training every two years.
This knowledge is maintained throughout the school year with bite size reminders and updates on current practices and law through our staff meeting time and on training days for the whole school.
Robust Recruitment Procedures
As a school we take time to assess all applications and include clear expectations around safeguarding and suitability to work with children. We apply these protocols and expectations to regular volunteers too. Candidates should be expected to answer questions around safeguarding in their recruitment selection day.
Site Security
We have stringent management and maintenance of our site to ensure it is safe and secure which includes management of visitors to our site.
All visitors must sign in and wear a visitor badge and be escorted unless they have met our vetting requirements to work in school unsupervised.
First Aid
Our staff are trained to administer first aid and where necessary, we will advise parents of any treatment undertaken in school.
We also have additional paediatric first aiders around the school to support when necessary and to manage medicine administration.
Safeguarding Resources
- What YOU can do to tackle Child Abuse
- How to report suspected Child Abuse or share concerns
- Northamptonshire County Council
- Speak Out Stay Safe NSPCC programme
- Keeping Children Safe in Education
- How to talk to young children about terror attacks
PSHE Curriculum and Online Safety Curriculum
SCARF: Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, Friendship
At Cogenhoe, we use the SCARF programme of learning to develop our children’s understanding of staying safe, caring for others, resilience and relationships.
The programme is centred on a values-based and ‘Growth Mindset’ approach, which promotes positive behaviour, mental health, wellbeing, resilience and achievement. More than just a PSHE scheme of work, SCARF supports great learning everyday.
There is a proven link between pupils’ health and wellbeing, and their academic progress. Crucial skills and positive attitudes developed through comprehensive Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) are critical to ensuring children are effective learners.
SCARF provides a whole-school approach to building these essential foundations – crucial for children to achieve their best, academically and socially.
SCARF lesson plans are organised around the PSHE Association’s Programmes of Study Learning Opportunities.
Through our Personal Social and Health Education curriculum, children will learn how to keep themselves safe (age appropriate).
Similarly, with IT taking a leading part in our children’s everyday lives we teach them how to be safe on line and offer workshops for parents too.
rse-powerpoint-presentation-for-parents-2021
BE INTERNET LEGENDS
Safeguarding our children here at Cogenhoe is our number 1 priority, but do you know how to keep your children safe online? We follow the ‘Be Internet Legends’ online safety programme by Google. Mrs Reeve organised a special virtual assembly, which we learned how to become ‘Internet Legends.’
THE FUNDAMENTALS
The Internet Legends Code
BE INTERNET SHARP
Think Before You Share
Good (and bad) news travels fast online, and children can sometimes find themselves in tricky situations with lasting consequences. But what can they do to prevent this? The answer: understand how to share smartly with those they know – and those they don’t.
Every Word Matters
- Treat online communication the same as face-to-face communication.
- If it isn’t right to say, it isn’t right to post. If in doubt, get guidance on what kind of communication is (and isn’t) OK.
- Personal details about family, friends – and yourself – should stay private.
BE INTERNET ALERT
Check It’s For Real
People and situations online aren’t always what they seem. Internet Legends know how to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not.
Spot the Signs of a Scam
- If messages about ‘winning’ or getting something for ‘free’ feel too good to be true, they probably are.
- Things getting too personal? Ask yourself, why would someone have private information about you?
- Always think critically before doing anything online – and learn to trust your intuition. Be on your guard for phishing attempts – which are efforts to steal information (such as login or account details) by pretending to be someone you know in an email, text, or other forms of online communication.
BE INTERNET SECURE
Protect Your Stuff
Personal privacy and security are as important online as they are in the real world. Keeping valuable information safe helps children avoid damaging their devices, reputations and relationships.
Create a Strong Password
- Make it memorable, but don’t use personal information, such as names or birthdays.
- Use a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, symbols and numbers.
- R3pl@ce le++ers wit# sYmb0ls & n^mb3rs 1ike Thi$.
Switch It Up
- Never use the same password on different sites.
- Create a few different variations of the same password for different accounts.
BE INTERNET KIND
Respect Each Other
The internet amplifies everything: good things seem more exciting, bad things seem much worse and can hurt – a lot. A great rule to live by online, as well as off, is ‘treat others as you would like to be treated yourself’. Children can have a positive impact on others and stop bullying in its tracks by refusing to join in.
Set an Example
- Be a force for good. Use the power of the internet to be nice, not nasty.
- Stop the spread of harmful or untrue messages by not passing them on to others.
- Respect others’ differences.
Lead the way
- Block mean, upsetting or inappropriate behaviour online.
- Be a Legend. Step in and provide support to those being bullied.
- Encourage everyone to speak up against, and report, online bullying.
BE INTERNET BRAVE
When in Doubt, Discuss
When children come across something they’re not sure about online, they should feel comfortable talking to a trusted adult. Adults can support this by showing they’re open to talking, even about difficult or embarrassing things at home and in the classroom.
Encourage Legendary Behaviour
- Set clearly defined family or classroom rules and expectations around technology, and let children know of any consequences there might be for inappropriate use.
- Rather than having one big ‘internet safety conversation’, keep the dialogue going by encouraging children to ask questions whenever they want.
- Encourage children to talk to other trusted adults such as teachers, family friends or relatives as well.
We are very mindful that we are recommending lots of different online resources and activities at the moment. To ensure online safety is of paramount importance, Simon Aston (Northamptonshire’s Online Safety Officer) has produced some helpful information. The link below is to a file with several documents in it.
We do hope that you are enjoying the different resources we have recommended…when the servers and broadband are working.
Fw__Online_Safety_Info_-_Please_Share_
In addition to this there are also parent friendly websites, which are designed to inform about different apps, games and social media:
https://parenthub.thekeysupport.com/
https://parentzone.org.uk/advice/parent-guides
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/guides
Online Safety
Online Safety is a major part of our curriculum and we promote the safe use of electronic devices throughout assemblies as well as in class. The pupils are taught about how to use the internet and digital equipment appropriately, as well as what to do if they feel they are a victim of unsuitable electronic behaviour. Throughout the school, the internet rules for each Key Stage are displayed as a reminder to the children. Families are also asked to discuss these with their children at home on admittance to our school. We have also provided additional information for parents in workshops, which have been well attended.
How Can I Ensure My Child Is Safe Online?
You don’t need to be a technical expert to protect your child on the internet. Here are some very simple steps to keep your child safe online.
- Ensure you are aware which websites your children are using. Talk to your child about the websites that they use and involve yourself in their internet use, so that you understand. Explain to your children you’re helping to keep them safe.
- The internet is a fantastic learning and communication tool, so be positive about it and try not to overreact to minor issues. If your child worries that you may take away their access, they could become secretive and hide problems from you.
- Wherever possible, keep PCs, laptops and games consoles out of bedrooms, so that it is easier for you to monitor your child’s internet use. Please also remember that games consoles can be used for on-line gaming and therefore your child can chat to people online
- Just like school, set clear expectations and ground rules for when your child is on-line. If they understand what is and isn’t acceptable, it may help them to navigate any problems in the future.
- Make sure all devices that connect to the internet have parental controls to help you set appropriate boundaries. Find your service provider and learn how to set your controls. if you are unsure about this, please contact Mrs Reeve our ICT and Online Safety lead, who will be only too happy to help.
- Make sure that you are in control of the privacy settings for any of the on-line apps being used by your child. These need to be checked regularly to ensure that they are at the highest setting.
- Northamptonshire County Council have a designated Online Safety Officer and there is advice available on their website: https://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices
- For child-friendly information and advice visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore
- Handy posters to inform parents can be found at: https://nationalonlinesafety.com/guides
Acceptable Use Policies are used for Staff, Children and Parents/Carers. Student/Pupil Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) need to be updated on an annually basis.
Student Pupil acceptable use policy
Whilst, as a school we do not promote the websites that are mentioned in this next video, there are some very good tips for parents to ensure that pupils are safe online.
If you have any online concerns, members of the public can report them immediately to CEOP who will advise and support families.
Online Safety linked to different apps
January 2022
09/11/21
TikTok is a video-sharing social media app available on most phones and devices, which lets users create, share, and view user created videos much in a similar manner to Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. It’s main draw, however, is that users can record and upload bite-sized looping videos of themselves lip-syncing and dancing to popular music or soundbites, often for comedic effect, which can then be further enhanced with filters, emojis and stickers. TikTok has been designed with the young user in mind and has a very addictive appeal. However, it does have a downside, which is that children are open to inappropriate language, violence and sexually explicit material. In addition to this, online predators use the app and there is also the threat of hidden expenses linked to app too. The age rating for TikTok is 12+.Always check our school Facebook and Twitter pages for regular Online Safety updates.06/03/22Helpful advice for parents and carers on how to protect their children and build their Digital Resilience is available from ChildNet International. Here is a link to the full document: https://cogenhoe.northants.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/716/Supporting-young-people-online.pdf
