Safeguarding

The right to be safe is the basic premise upon which we are building our school. As part of our curriculum we teach about safety in many different ways, for example behaving in ways which allow everyone their right to be safe. If a child chooses to behave in a way that takes away someone else's right to be safe, we use the language for example: 'When you pushed Tom, you took away his right to be safe. Everyone has the right to be safe. What could you have done differently?.' In using the language of safety, children quickly build a strong understanding of the right choices to make in keeping themselves and others safe.

We also teach about safety in many ways as part of our curriculum- some examples are involving children in risk assessments for visits, practicing road crossing, understanding online safety, stranger danger and safety outside including using equipment safely.

At Netherton Infant & Nursery School we follow the procedure set by the Kirklees Safeguarding Children's Board (KSCB). We are highly pro-active at dealing with safeguarding concerns and have close relationships with external agencies. Our open door policy means we are consistently providing early help support to our families. We are aware of our vulnerable families and offer support through early help and involving external agencies. We are currently establishing our community hub and this involves many external providers from all professions.

Every single person at the academy is aware of safeguarding and the relevant policies and procedures due to our robust induction and training. Staff complete a variety of training from Kirklees Safeguarding Children's Partnership. Our in house safeguarding training is covered on the teacher and teaching assistant agenda weekly with relevant updates shared as well as training based on the needs of our local community. The governors and trust members have all completed safeguarding training as well as the safeguarding governor attending the Kirklees safeguarding board training on child neglect. DSL’s ensure they have attended refreshers as well as level 3 Kirklees council courses based upon current themes and needs of our pupils and families.

Safeguarding is covered and continuously revisited throughout the academic year. Pupils are aware of how to keep safe and actions to take if they do not feel safe. We protect children from the risk of radicalisation and discuss in age appropriate manners the actions they can take to be not drawn into terrorist behaviours/ radicalisation. This is covered particularly through our RE and PSHE curriculum as well as through the RRS articles which pupils are made aware of frequently and how to respect their rights. The British Values underpin the RRS covered within the academy. Pupils have engaged in workshops from external providers as well as within the academy which promote our British Values.

Netherton Infant & Nursery School follow the procedure set by the Kirklees Safeguarding Children's Partnership (KSCP).  If you do not feel safe or if you are worried about the safety of someone else, please speak to us about any concerns.  

Our school is part of Operation Encompass. This is a police and education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people who experience Domestic Abuse. 

Operation Encompass means that the Education Safeguarding Service will share information about Domestic Abuse incidents with our school PRIOR to the start of the next school day when the police have been called to a domestic incident.  

Once DSL has attended at an Operation Encompass briefing, they will cascade the principles of Operation Encompass to all DDSL’s. Our parents are fully aware that we are an Operation Encompass school.  

The Operation Encompass information is stored in line with all other confidential safeguarding and child protection information.  

The DSL has also led training for all school staff and Governors about Operation Encompass, the prevalence of Domestic Abuse and the impact of this abuse on children. We have also discussed how we can support our children following the Operation Encompass notification.  We are aware that we must do nothing that puts the child/ren or the non-abusing adult at risk.