At Colindale Primary School we are committed to safeguarding children; their safety and wellbeing are at the heart of everything we do. Whilst we would like to believe all our children are always safe from harm or abuse outside school, we must acknowledge that this is not the reality. If you have any concerns about a child, please do not hesitate to inform us, no matter how small. You might have information that could go towards protecting that child from further harm.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
This means that all adults who have contact with a child are responsible for ensuring they are safe and protected from harm. In school, the following members of staff have a direct responsibility for safeguarding: you can contact them at any time if you have any concerns.
Designated Safeguarding Lead-
Mr Wild- Assistant Head
Deputy Safeguarding Leads-
Mrs Hurn- Deputy Head
Mrs Robertson- Deputy Head
Miss Parmar- Assistant Head
We take the worries and concerns of children very seriously too and as part of our duty to safeguard children there will be occasions when we are told something that requires us to contact and inform other agencies. In most cases when we contact another agency about a concern, we will inform the parents that we have done so. In some cases, we are advised not to tell the parents, as Social Services will carry out their own assessments and inform the parents of the concerns themselves. In rare cases, Social Services will come to school and talk to the child without seeking consent of the parents. This is only done in the most serious cases, under section 47 of The Children Act 1989.
All adults who work with children in our school have read and understood the relevant sections of the Keeping Children Safe in Education document. School staff also undergo regular safeguarding training to ensure they are best equipped to identify signs of abuse and follow the correct procedures to ensure children are protected from further harm.
They will also have read our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy, which can be accessed here.
Advice
For information and advice follow the links below:
If you have any safeguarding concerns about a child or unborn child, then you can contact Barnet’s Multi Agency Hub (MASH) by either calling directly on 020 8359 4066 or by completing an online referral here:
Worried about the safety of a child | Barnet Council
If you believe the child is in immediate harm, then you should call 999.
Barnet Safeguarding Partnership- Lots of general advice about local support.
The Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership – (thebarnetscp.org.uk)
General concerns and advice (for adults)-
NSPCC | The UK children’s charity | NSPCC
Telphone: 0808 800 5000
For children to seek support themselves
Telephone: 0800 1111 (free)
Advice on keeping children safe online-
Keep Children Safe Online: Information, Advice, Support – Internet Matters
For more specialised and specific support and information you can contact one of the Early Help Hubs in the area. They offer services around parenting support, benefit advice, health services, baby groups etc.
The hub closest to school is the ‘West Hub’ located at Barnet and Southgate College, Colindale Campus. For more information:
Child and Family Early Help Hubs | Barnet Council
Statement on Physical Chastisement
Physical chastisement is when physical force is used (hitting, slapping etc.) as a form of punishment against a child. Although there are a few circumstances where this could be legal in England, professional consensus is that this form of punishment is not recommended.
Further to this, what adults think is ‘legal’ as a physical punishment often is not. If a child reports to us that they have experienced physical chastisement, or we have suspicions that physical chastisement has occurred, we will always seek advice from Social Services to ensure we are protecting children from further harm.
For advice on other ways to build boundaries for your child see the NSPCC’s guide to positive parenting:
Positive parenting (nspcc.org.uk)
