Safeguarding - Brompton Hall School

National Guidance

Please click on the links below to view the following National Guidance documents:

What to do if you're worried a child is being abused

Working Together to Safeguard Children

Information Sharing Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners

Safeguarding Statement

We follow the UK Government Keeping Children Safe in Education Guidance (September 2021). Please click here to download a copy.

If you have any concerns, questions, or would like to report a safeguarding incident, please contact us at this address: safeguardingemails@bromptonhall.n-yorks.sch.uk

At Brompton Hall School the welfare of all children is of paramount importance. We recognise that:

All children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or identify have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.
Working in partnership with children, young people and their parents, carers and other agencies, is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

This document provides a guide for all adults working at Brompton Hall School (including staff, governors, volunteers and visitors) about acceptable and desirable conduct to protect both adults and pupils.

It refers to and complements other policies and guidance in our school, including:

Child Protection Policy
Positive Behaviour Policy
Policy on Supportive Interventions
Anti-bullying Policy
Racial Equality Policy
e-Safety Policies
Disability Discrimination Action Plan
Equality Policy

Protecting Children and Yourself

The child’s welfare is paramount (Children Act 1989). Adults working in our school are responsible for their own actions and behaviour and should avoid any conduct that would lead a reasonable person to question their motive or intentions. All adults working in both schools must work and be seen to work with openness and transparency.

We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:

Valuing, listening and respecting them
Adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and a code of conduct for staff and volunteers.
Recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all the necessary checks are made.
Sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers.
Sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know and involving parents and children appropriately.
Provide effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.

All staff, volunteers, and regular visitors from external agencies to the school (including supply staff) must be familiar with and work in accordance to the school’s policies for:

Health and Safety
Child Protection
Internet Safety
Managing Equality
Positive Behaviour
Anti Bullying
Photographing and videoing permissions
Supportive Intervention
Whistleblowing

All staff must provide a good example and a positive role model to pupils. All staff must:

Behave in a mature, respectful, safe, fair and considered manner.
Ensure that you are not sarcastic and do not make jokes to pupils of personal, sexual, racist, discriminatory, intimidating or otherwise offensive nature.
Not embarrass or humiliate children.
Not discriminate favourably or unfavourably towards any child. (e.g. treat all pupils equally – never build ‘special’ relationships)
Ensure that their relationship with the pupil remains on a professional footing at all times.

Code of Behaviour

All staff members must:

Treat all children and young people with respect.
Provide an example of good conduct you wish others to follow
Respect a young person’s right to personal privacy.
Encourage children and adults to feel comfortable and caring enough to point out attitudes or behaviour they do not like,
Remember that someone else may misinterpret your actions no matter how well intentioned.
Be aware of physical contact with a child or young person that may be misinterpreted.
Challenge unacceptable behaviour and report all allegations/suspicions of abuse.

Responding to an allegation made against a Brompton Hall employee:

We follow the UK Government Working Together to Safeguard Children (July 2018) guidance. To download a copy, please click here. This guidance states that the following process must be followed if the allegation fits within the scope of the statutory guidance that you have:

Behaved in a way that has harmed a child or may have harmed a child; or
Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; or
Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicated she/he is unsuitable to work with children; or
Investigated that the allegation is clearly and demonstrably without foundation.

When an allegation or concern is made against a member of staff relating to a person’s conduct towards a child, the following process must be followed:

The allegation or concern must immediately be reported to the Headteacher or in their absence the DSP.
If the allegation or concern fits within the scope of the guidance, the Headteacher must report the matter to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within the same working day.
The LADO will discuss the matter with the Headteacher in order to decide which process should be followed. Where it is believed that the allegation falls within the scope of guidance, there are three possible strands to enquiries that may be initiated:

- Child Protection
- Criminal Enquiries
- Disciplinary

If the matter is felt to constitute a criminal offence, the police will be informed and a strategy meeting held.
If the matter is felt to be child protection, Children and Family Services will be informed and a strategy meeting held.
If the matter is felt to amount to an employment or capability issue the matter will be discussed with CYPS Human Resources Department.
If the allegation is against the Headteacher, report to the Chair of Governors.

Allegation Against a member of Staff Flow Diagram

First Aid

In our school all staff are trained in First Aid, as part of our rolling CPD 3 year programme, to ensure that there are always trained members of staff who to oversee first aid. There are a number of first aid kits situated around school. When a child is poorly, or has suffered an accident in school or on the playground there is a protocol for staff to follow:

A trained first aider is consulted
The incident is logged in the accident book
If there is any doubt of the child’s medical condition a parent is contacted and medical guidance sought.

Site Security

Brompton Hall School provides a secure site, which is controlled by precise management directives, but the site is only as secure as the people who use it. Therefore all people on the site have to adhere to the rules, which govern it. Laxity can cause potential problems to safeguarding. Therefore:

The front door operates on a coded lock
Visitors and volunteers must only enter through the main entrance and after signing in at the office.
Children will only be allowed home with adults with parental responsibility or confirmed permission.

Appointments of staff and induction of newly appointed staff and work placements

All staff that are appointed to work in school have an enhanced DBS. This search highlights people who have a criminal record or if previous allegations have been made against them. If staff are found to have a criminal record the appointment is reconsidered by the Headteacher. The LA is informed directly by the Criminal Records Bureau.

The Headteacher or their representative sits on all appointment panels where the candidates are external applicants. The Headteacher, DSP and Deputy Headteacher have undertaken training on Safer Recruitment. The LA Recruitment and Selection Policy is followed to ensure safer recruitment procedures are secure.

New staff are inducted into safeguarding practices. Newly appointed staff are assigned a mentor for the induction period. It is the responsibility of the mentors to familiarise new staff with procedures and policy, which affect the health and safety of all at school but especially the children.

Induction of volunteers

Volunteers must also have a DBS clearance. For a brief activity, such as a school visit, which does not involve the supervision or close contact of children the school may telephone for a “List 99” check. For extended contact with children, when children may be left alone with an adult, or when an adult visitor may be in and around the school building a full DBS search will be conducted. The office performs this. Visitors who do not yet have clearance will under no circumstance be left alone with a child or group of children.

The Design of the Curriculum

The curriculum deals with safeguarding in two ways. Firstly, the curriculum, in subjects such as Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) discusses relevant issues with the pupils. Topics include such themes as Drugs, e-Safety, Sex and Relationships and Stranger Danger. Pupils are encouraged to explore and discuss these issues.

Secondly, the curriculum is designed so that safety issues within the subject are discussed and safe practices taught, such as using equipment properly in Science, PE and Design & Technology. At all times there has to be appropriate staffing levels and when the curriculum is taking the children out of school appropriate risk assessments are conducted. The lead adult always assesses visits as to the level of risk and all trips are logged with the NYCC educational visits & trips database before finally authorised by the Headteacher and ultimately the governing body.

Visiting speakers, with correct clearance, are always welcome into school so that they can give specialist knowledge to the children.