Safeguarding & Child Protection
Safeguarding and Wellbeing
At St John’s, we believe that a happy and secure child learns best. Children come to school to grow, to explore, and to achieve their potential, and we recognise that their personal wellbeing is central to this process. We place great importance on supporting the individual needs of every pupil as they progress through school, ensuring that each child feels valued, cared for, and confident to succeed.
Providing strong pastoral care is at the heart of our approach. We aim to guide and support every pupil so they can make the most of the many opportunities that St John’s has to offer. We take great pride in the exceptional level of care and attention we give to our children’s wellbeing and personal development.
In line with the Children Act (1989) and statutory safeguarding requirements, all school staff have a duty to report any concerns regarding the safety or welfare of a child who may be at risk of harm or abuse. Every school must appoint a senior member of staff with specific responsibility for safeguarding. At St John’s, this Designated Safeguarding Lead has received specialist training to manage such matters with professionalism, sensitivity, and confidentiality.
We work closely with a range of external agencies, including the School Health Service, Family and Community Services, and the Police. Where there are concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing, these agencies may become involved to ensure that appropriate support and protection are provided.
At St John’s, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. By working together, we aim to create a safe, caring, and supportive environment where every child can thrive.
Designated Safeguarding Lead – Miss Steward, SENDCo.
Designated Safeguarding Deputy – Mrs K Ashton, Learning Mentor.
Miss J Steward
Mrs K Ashton
The School has a responsibility to collate basic information such as who has parental responsibility for a child, and to pass this information to the relevant agencies if so requested.
In the event of an investigation into possible child abuse, the School has a duty to co-operate with the investigating agencies to the best of their ability to promote the welfare of the child. Whilst the School will always attempt to work in partnership with parents and try to ensure that parents are fully informed of, and participate in, any action concerning their child, if there is a conflict of interest, the welfare of the child must be the paramount consideration. Should you wish to discuss Safeguarding, or indeed, any other topic involving your child, please contact the School.
As part of Mrs Ashton’s role as Learning Mentor, she deals with child safeguarding issues, provides advice and support to other staff, liaises with the Local Authority and works with other agencies and parents. Additionally, Mrs Ashton is known by them as a person they can go and talk to about any issues or problems that they have either at home or at school.
Safeguarding – keeping your children safe in school – is the foundation for everything we do. All staff are trained in Safeguarding procedures and there is a regular re-training schedule. All staff are DBS checked on a regular basis. Staff have signed to say they have read, Keeping children safe in Education.’ The link to this document is below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education–2
Pastoral Care
Class teachers are concerned not only with the children’s educational progress but also with their personal and social development. We try to combine high expectations with a sympathetic approach. Sometimes, however, problems do arise and we advise parents of these at an early stage. We hope that you, as parents, will do the same and contact us promptly if you are aware of any problems. A new baby in the family, a death, or some upset at home can cause a child to behave differently at school, just as worries about school work or an argument with a school friend can cause behaviour problems at home.
Accidents/Illness
Although we put measures in place to try and prevent accidents, unfortunately accidents do happen at school. It is therefore important that we are able to contact parents quickly if a child has an accident which needs medical treatment. Additionally, children may become ill during the school day. Due to this it is important that we have up-to-date information about where parents can be contacted. To inform school of any change of address or contact numbers, please download and return the data collection form from our school website.
Medical Appointments
If your child has a medical appointment during the school day, please inform the school office two days before and we will arrange the necessary forms.
Medication
If your child is fit enough to attend school but needs to take medicine at regular intervals, such as Calpol, Ibuprofen, antibiotics or cough medicine, please contact the school office. By giving written consent, one of our First Aider, will be able to give the medicine to your child. The school office should also be contacted if your child needs to take medicine for illnesses like Diabetes or Asthma. You will be asked to give clear, written instructions for the administration and your written consent.