Wheatley CE Primary School recognises its responsibility for Safeguarding and Child Protection and believes that the welfare of all children is of paramount concern.

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children refers to the process of protecting children from abuse or neglect, preventing the impairment of their health or development, ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe, effective and nurturing care and undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.

There are five main elements;

• Staff recruitment and training - ensuring that all staff (including regular volunteers) who have unsupervised access to children have been appropriately checked for their suitability through the recruitment process, DBS procedure and are appropriately inducted and trained.
• Raising awareness of child protection issues and equipping children with the skills needed to keep them safe.
• Developing and implementing procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases of abuse.
• Supporting children who have been abused in accordance with his/her child protection plan and those identified as vulnerable.
• Establishing a safe and nurturing environment free from discrimination or bullying where children can learn and develop happily in line with our school values.

As part of our safeguarding duties, we also recognise that we have a duty to protect children from the risk of radicalisation in line with the government Prevent duty. Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism. 

If you have any concerns about the welfare or safety of a child, please speak to one of our designated leads for safeguarding:

Mrs Gillian Standing (Headteacher)

Mrs Vicki Selby (Home School Link Worker)

Mrs Dee Ramcreepaul (Deputy headteacher)

Miss Charlie Stone (INCo)

Mrs Liz Elsom is the link governor for safeguarding and can be contacted via the school office.

Safeguarding and the Curriculum 

The curriculum deals with safeguarding in two ways. Firstly, in subjects such as Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE), relevant discussions around related issues take place with the children. Topics include such themes as keeping safe and protective behaviours, drugs, alcohol, relationships, trusted adults, and online safety.

Secondly, the curriculum is designed so that safety issues within the subject are discussed and safe practices explained, such as using equipment properly in PE and Design and Technology. Appropriate staffing levels and adult : pupil ratios will be maintained at all times when the curriculum is being delivered outside of the school site. The lead adult always risk assesses visits and trips to ensure children are safeguarded and protected from harm. Visiting speakers, with the correct clearance and/or constant supervision, are always welcome into school so that they can give specialist knowledge to the children (e.g. police officer). 

Operation Encompass

Our school is part of Operation Encompass which is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child has experienced domestic abuse.

As a school we have ensured that a member of the DSL team, known as the Key Adult, has been trained in the Operation Encompass procedures allowing us to then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to support the child/ren in our care. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 identifies children who experience domestic abuse as victims of domestic abuse in their own right.

Further information

Additional information relating to safeguarding can be accessed by clicking on the links below.

• Oxfordshire Children's Safeguarding Board
• NSPCC
• Family Lives

Children can also access support via the Childline website:

Click on the link below to visit the website:

• Childline

Relevant policies and documents

Please click below to view the Child Protection and Safeguarding policy in full.