Child Protection Policy

This policy has been approved by the London Borough of Hillingdon Borough Child Protection Officer for Education and Children Services. 11 January 2010.

The school takes matters of Safeguarding very seriously and effective child protection policies and procedures are in place. The school has a legal responsibility to work with other agencies in protecting children from harm and responding to abuse. The Independent Schools' Inspectorate (ISI) Regulations are rigorous and prescriptive covering appointments and pre-appointment checks on staff, supply staff, Governors and volunteer helpers.. The Independent Schools' Inspectorate (ISI) Regulations are rigorous and prescriptive covering appointments and pre-appointment checks on staff, supply staff, Governors and volunteer helpers.

The policy on child protection at St Martin's follows the procedures outlined in the 'All London Child Protection Manual' (November 2007 Edition 3) and 'Safeguarding Children in Education' (2007). A copy of this manual is held in the Headmaster's study and with the Child Protection Officers (CPO) and is available for anyone who wishes to consult it.

Statement of Intent

The safety and well being of all our pupils at St Martin's school is our highest priority. Our business is to know everyone as an individual and to provide a secure and caring environment, so that every pupil can learn in safety. We expect respect, good manners and fair play to be shown by everyone so that every pupil can develop his full potential and feel positive about himself as an individual. All pupils should care for and support each other.

All children of any age need protection from abuse and have the right to be protected. Because child abuse is an emotive and disturbing subject, it is easy either to deny that it happens or to react by taking inappropriate action.

Transparency

The school prides itself on its respect and mutual tolerance. Parents/guardians have an important role in supporting the school. Copies of this policy, together with our other policies relating to issues of child protection are on our web site, and we hope that parents and guardians will always feel able to take up any issues or worries that they may have with the school. We will never ignore an allegation of child abuse and will always investigate any concerns thoroughly. Open communications are essential.

Safer Employment Practices

The school follows the Government's recommendations for the safer recruitment and employment of staff who work with children. The School will safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are pupils at the school, in compliance with DCSF 'Guidance Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education'. All members of the teaching and non-teaching staff at the school, including part-time staff, temporary and supply staff, and visiting staff, such as musicians and sports coaches, are stringently checked with the Criminal Records Bureau before starting work. All Governors, volunteer helpers, contractors working regularly during term-time, such as contract catering staff, are also vetted. A record is kept in the Bursar's office. All references for staff are followed up. Our policies are reviewed by Governors annually.

The Headmaster has completed training and the Deputy Head attended a three day course on Safeguarding. In every case where a new member of staff is employed either one and in both cases both, are directly involved in the interview process. Two Governors have completed training in Safer Recruitment.

Raising Awareness

Mrs Beverly Vaughan is the Liaison Governor for Child Protection issues. The Governors formally consider child protection issues once a year, with day to day issues being delegated to the Quad committee. That Committee is responsible for:

Reviewing the procedures for and the efficiency with which the child protection duties have been discharged.
Ensuring that any deficiencies or weaknesses in child protection arrangements are remedied without delay.
Approving amendments to child protection arrangements in the light of changing Regulations or recommended best practice.
Report to the Personnel and Education Sub-Committee termly.

Child Protection Officers

Mrs Lisa Pascoulis, Mrs Hazel Clarke and Miss Jane Anderson are our Child Protection Officers. They have been fully trained for the demands of this role in child protection and inter-Agency working. They attend courses with other child support agencies to ensure that they remain conversant with best practice. They undergo refresher training at regular intervals as required by Hillingdon Borough which is every two years. They maintain close links with the Hillingdon Borough Child Protection Officer for Education and Children Services and all incidents to the Headmaster when matters arise.

The school's records on child protection are kept locked in the Headmaster office, and are separated from routine pupil records. Access is restricted to the Headmaster and CPO's when they request. Records of any ongoing concerns are kept by the CPO in a safe place until they are needed for further investigation.

Within the EYFS setting, there is a Designated Person in the Preparatory School for Early Years Provision, at present this is Miss Anderson. In consultation with the Headmaster and Hillingdon Borough Child Protection Officer for Education and Children Services, they would inform Ofsted of any serious allegations of harm or abuse, by any person living, working or looking after children at the premises (whether that allegation relates to harm or abuse committed on the premises or elsewhere), or any other abuse which is alleged to have taken place on the premises, and of the action taken in respect of these allegations. The school would inform Ofsted of the above as soon as is reasonably practicable, but at the latest, within fourteen days.

Induction and Training

Every new member of staff, including part-timers, temporary, visiting and contract staff working in school, receives basic training on their responsibilities in being alert to the signs of abuse and bullying and on the procedures for recording and referring any concerns to one of the Child Protection Officers or the Headmaster. Everyone attends refresher training conducted by the Hillingdon Borough Child Protection Officer for Education and Children Services at least every two years. Certification is provided for everyone attending this training. Training in child protection is an important part of the induction process. Staff can register to do the training on line. The Deputy Head will arrange for this to be done at the Staff Induction sessions and when staff have missed the whole Staff INSET.

All Staff adopt an open and accepting attitude towards pupils as part of their responsibility for pastoral care. Child protection (Safeguarding) issues may be addressed through the curriculum as appropriate, especially in personal, social and health education and tutorial time. They hope that parents and pupils feel free to talk about any concerns and see School as a safe place if there are any difficulties at home. Pupils' worries and fears will be taken seriously if they seek help from a member of staff. However, staff cannot guarantee confidentiality if concerns are such that referral must be made to the appropriate agencies in order to safeguard the child's welfare.

The Headmaster has a duty to disclose any information on any member of staff relating to Safeguarding issues when requested.

The intention of these procedures is to ensure that appropriate action is taken immediately where there is any suspicion or allegation of any form of abuse. The suspected or alleged abuse may have come from any source. A child is considered to be abused or at risk of abuse, when the basic needs of the child are not being met through avoidable acts of either commission or omission so as to have caused or to have placed the child at risk of significant harm. Once an allegation is made, the Hillingdon Borough Child Protection Officer for Education and Children Services (HBCPO) and Headmaster, in consultation with social services and the police if necessary, will investigate it. Any investigation can then be undertaken in a planned way, using the independent resources of social services and the police if appropriate and ensuring any evidence is not lost which may help to resolve matters for either the child or the adult concerned.

The Children Act 1989 concentrates on the rights of the child and underlines the responsibilities of parents and carers to safeguard and promote the needs of children. All staff at St Martin's have access to the Act (ie Children Act 1989), Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 (which came into force 1 June 2004) and in all procedures relating to them.

Principles of Child Protection

The prime concern at all stages must be the interests and safety of the child.
Where there is a conflict of interest between the child and parent or member of staff, the interests of the child must be paramount.
The responsibility to refer children thought to be at risk rests with the person who has the concern.
A teacher should make it quite clear that if a pupil makes an allegation of abuse against anyone, the teacher cannot keep that information secret. At no time should a teacher ever promise complete confidentiality to a pupil in matters of child protection. However, it is important for teachers to stress that they believe the child's story and want to help.
Procedures will aim to minimise damage to the child and promote recovery.
The degree of confidentiality exercised is governed by the need to protect the child. We have a professional responsibility to share relevant information about the protection of children with other professions, especially investigative agencies. All agencies receiving information in the context of a child protection investigation must treat it as confidential and not disclose it for any other purpose without consulting the person who provided it.

Disclosures from Children

If a child volunteers information about abuse to a member of staff, it may be done obliquely rather than directly. An abused child is likely to be under severe emotional stress and the staff member may be the only adult whom the child is prepared to trust.

When information is offered in confidence, a member of staff will need to display tact and sensitivity in responding to the disclosure. They will need to reassure the child and retain the trust, while explaining the need for action, which will necessarily involve other adults being informed.

St Martin's has in place a system whereby if a child discloses abuse, the child should not have to repeat the information to any other member of staff including the CPO.

Any such discussions with the child should, as far as possible, adhere to the following basic principles:

listen to the child, rather than directly question him, or suggest words for him to use . never stop the child who is freely recalling significant events
make a note of the discussion, taking care to record the timing, setting and the personnel present, as well as what was said
this should be dated and signed and handed to the CPO . any discussion or information should be referred to the CPO
record all subsequent events up to the time of the formal interview by the investigating team.

In the event of criminal proceedings being instituted, records of any interviews with the child will need to be disclosed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Action to be Taken if Abuse is Suspected

On every occasion that a member of staff has reason to suspect that a pupil has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, the CPO must be informed, and she will then seek advice from the London Borough of Hillingdon Child Protection Office as to the appropriate action.

The Headmaster would be kept informed, where appropriate, on every occasion by the CPO. Social services, in accepting the referral, become responsible for determining what action is to be taken, including advising parents.

It is not the responsibility of the School to make enquiries of, or to notify parents when abuse is suspected.

With any disclosure or suspicion of abuse, in addition to the above action, the Chairman of the Board of Governors must also be informed. Accurate, written records will be kept of all that has occurred. It should be noted that child protection records kept on computer in St Martin's are exempt from the disclosure provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984. For manual records, the Education (School Records) Regulations 1989 exempt information relating to child abuse from the requirement of disclosure.

Allegations against Staff

If staff witness or receive a child protection complaint against a member of staff they must report this direct to the Headmaster. If the allegation is made against the Headmaster the Chairman of the Governing Body must be contacted. In both cases the Hillingdon Borough Child Protection Officer for Education and Children Services will be informed. Procedures to follow are outlined in 'All London Child Protection Manual' (November 2007 Edition 3) Chapter 15

Guidelines for Teachers on Physical Contact with Pupils and the Independent Witness

Teachers need to exercise good judgment and caution to ensure that they are not vulnerable to unjustified allegations of abuse. The following is a list of guidelines.

Child abuse is an offence, which usually takes place in private, making it difficult to establish and to prove. Where independent evidence is available, the allegation can be investigated and cleared up quickly; if there is no such evidence, it is more difficult to establish who is telling the truth. The importance of an independent witness should therefore be stressed in all of the following situations:

A teacher should not act as a parent in providing physical comfort or affection, even in a case of injury. However, where a child is very distressed, any demonstration of professional comfort should only take place in a classroom situation or in front of another appropriate senior member of staff.
In sport, extreme caution should be used if any demonstration involves contact with a pupil. Wherever possible, physical contact should be avoided.
Changing Room Policy: no member of staff should ever compromise his/her position by being in the Changing Room with only one boy in attendance.
Teachers should not administer medicines to pupils, as further illness or reaction may result in the teacher being held liable under the law of negligence.
If medicine or first aid needs to be administered in an emergency, it should wherever possible be witnessed by another responsible adult. Where regular medication is required in cases of chronic illness or long term complaints, e.g.asthma, epilepsy or diabetes, detailed guidelines are set out in the Health & Safety documentation, located in the Bursar's office.
Medication should only be administered in the medical room. (Ideally a child should not be at school if on medication - with few exceptions). All medication should be handed into the Medical Room by the parent with clear instructions.
Exceptions to this are out-of-school activities. Parental permission is sought and staff are briefed thoroughly before embarking on the trip.
Where physical intervention is necessary to avert immediate danger to pupils, this should involve the minimum force/action required to prevent injury to persons and/or damage to property.

Where violence is taking place between pupils, or is about to take place:

The teacher should firstly try to speak with the pupils in an effort to calm the situation.
Where violence has begun, a sole teacher is advised not to intervene unless absolutely necessary, but to try to get the assistance of others.
Once another teacher is in the vicinity, they can attempt to separate the pupils and calm the situation.
Any teacher involved in such an incident should immediately make a detailed, written statement of the facts of the incident. This report should be given to the Headmaster. The Headmaster would make contact with parents of the children involved. If appropriate the teacher should contact his/her professional association.
Where teachers must operate in a one-to-one situation with a pupil, it is important that this takes place as far as possible within school time and that the Headmaster, Director of Studies and Deputy Head are aware of the purpose, nature and location of the tuition.
Where teachers participate in extra-curricular activities, and move away from a structured professional classroom situation, the risk of abuse and allegations of abuse increases. The number and status of accompanying adults in such situations is covered in the School's guidelines for 'Trips and Visits' in the staff handbook II-B-I.

Pupil Discipline

Under the School Standards Framework Bill, it has been voted that corporal punishment will be abolished in all UK schools, although for several years, St Martin's has independently prohibited it. We have our own policy on disciplinary procedures, full details of which are kept in the staff handbook and are available for anyone who wishes to consult them. The following is a summary:

There may be times when it is necessary to raise voices to regain order and discipline in the classroom; good order is the most effective way to ensure safe teaching practices, however, if a child presents particular challenges within the classroom setting and does not respond to reasonable admonishment, the teacher is advised to seek advice from firstly the Form Teacher, then as appropriate, the Head of Section, Deputy Headmaster, then the Headmaster. Where detention is used as a punishment the Headmaster takes it on a Saturday morning from 8:30 - 10:30. Parents are informed at least 24 hours before the detention.

Information
teachernet.gov.uk/childprotection/guidance.htm

Annex
Available from the Headmaster and CPOs

1

Definitions of Abuse

2

Parental Responsibility (Note: From January 2006 all registrations will be accompanied by a copy of the birth certificate)

3

Signs and Symptoms

4

Disclosures - What to do

5

Need to inform parents of cause for concern

6

Hints and Tips for E Safety

7

E Safety Golden Rules