Safeguarding

At Robert Peel Primary School, the health, safety and well-being of every child are our top priority. We expect all staff, governors, and volunteers to share this commitment to safeguarding our children. We listen to our children and take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is that children will enjoy their time as pupils in this school.

​Robert Peel Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at school.

All concerns are passed through the members of staff who are trained as Designated Safeguarding Leads in school in compliance with

• Keeping Children Safe in Education: Statutory Guidance for Schools and Colleges - 2023
• Working Together to Safeguard Children: A Guide to Inter-agency Working to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children – 2018
• Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children, March 2015

Robert Peel’s Designated Safeguarding Leads are Liesl Ganney – Headteacher, Mick James –Deputy Head, Nyeesha Taylor - SEND Manager
Ian Chapman (Chair of Governors) is the school’s Safeguarding Governor

​All school staff are trained in Child Protection & Safeguarding, and children are made aware of the adults they can talk to if they have any concerns. Staff are trained to look out for signs of physical, sexual, emotional harm or neglect and are required to report these to the Designated Safeguarding Leads.

If you have any serious concerns about your child or any other pupil at Robert Peel please do not hesitate to contact the appropriate staff who will know whom to contact for the best advice and help and are experienced in using the appropriate degree of confidentiality. Alternatively, you can contact Central Bedfordshire Council’s safeguarding team on: 0300 300 8585 or 0300 300 8123 out of hours.

We adopt the procedures laid down by the Central Bedfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and copy of our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy can be found below.

​​We want to work in partnership with parents and guardians to help children to achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution. On rare occasions however, our concern about a child may mean that we have to consult other agencies even before we contact parents or guardians.

Teachers are asked to report any causes for concern to the Designated Safeguarding Leads. For the best interests of all our children we employ the following safeguarding procedures:

• Safer recruitment and selection – Ensuring the recruitment panel has at least person who has been trained in safer recruitment. We adopt the Government’s best practice, procedures and strategies when recruiting and selecting adults to work with children to deter, identify and reject applicants who are unsuitable. We ensure that all staff (including volunteers) have been appropriately checked for their suitability through the DBS procedure.
• Raising awareness of child protection issues and equipping children with the skills needed to keep them safe. We seek to strengthen safeguards for children in the school by helping to deter and prevent abuse, with the aim of creating an environment where concerns can be raised
• Developing and implementing procedures for identifying and reporting cases of concern. This may involve sharing information with outside agencies.
• Supporting children in accordance with his/her Child in Need or Child Protection Plan.
• Establishing a safe and nurturing environment-free from discrimination or bullying where children can learn and develop happily.

We will review this statement and our safeguarding policy and procedures regularly.

Operation Encompass

The school has been given the opportunity to take part in a project that will run jointly between schools, Bedford Borough Council and Bedfordshire Police.

Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced or been exposed to any domestic abuse.

Operation Encompass will ensure that a member of the school staff, known as a Key Adult, is trained to allow them to liaise with the police and to use the information that has been shared, in confidence, while ensuring that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have been experienced a domestic abuse incident.

We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.