Safeguarding at Lockwood Primary School

At Lockwood Primary School we are committed to safeguarding all the children in our care.  Safeguarding is the responsibility of every member of our school community.  From the Head Teacher to the staff in the kitchen, from the Governing body to the caretaker, from our families to the volunteers who support our children, everyone has a duty to put the safety of others, and particularly the welfare of the children, at the forefront of what they do.

The staff at Lockwood Primary School receive regular training in all aspects of safeguarding including:

• child protection and spotting the signs of abuse
• online safety
• mental health and well-being
• radicalisation and extreme ideologies
• curriculum safety
• safety on trips and visits

Anyone wishing to join our school community, even for a short period of time is expected to work to the same standards of safeguarding and pupil welfare as our permanent members of staff.  We only engage with contractors, agencies and volunteers who can meet our requirements for safeguarding children.

We work with a wide range of professional organisations to ensure that our pupils are kept safe from abuse and harm.  We have strong links to the social services department, to the blue light organisations and to community groups and charities that provide support for our families.

As a small school, many of our families have grown up with the school as the centre of their community.  We know our parents and carers well and we are happy to provide them with support and guidance whenever it is needed to ensure that the children are kept happy and safe.

Contexualised Safeguarding

While we will always ensure that an adult oversees every child's welfare, we also encourage all our pupils to take responsibility for keeping themselves safe.  

No child exists in isolation from the environment surrounding them; they are part of a wider network of peers, neighbourhoods, social networks and other influences. It is therefore important that we provide the bespoke information that our children need to keep safe.  As such we make sure we are aware of any dangers, issues or events local to our school.

Our school is in a small countryside village and the pupils need to be able to keep themselves safe in this context.  We teach the children about the potential hazards in their community from road safety to how to act safely around animals.  We are not however isolated from the challenges all children face in today's society so we have a programme of online safety education together with units on personal safety and consent and healthy living among others as part of our PSHE curriculum.

We talk to our pupils about their life outside of school and any locations that make them feel unsafe. We also talk to the local authority representatives and the police about relevant issues along with our parents and carers and any of our own staff that live locally. We are then able to respond appropriately and sensitively to these issues.

Contact us

If you wish to speak to any member of our Safeguarding team, please contact the school office in the first instance by telephoning 01287 650238 Alternatively, you can email our dedicated safeguarding mailbox at safeguarding@lockwood.rac.sch.uk

You can find information on the policies we utilise as part of our safeguarding work by clicking below:

The document ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ produced by the Department for Education, provides statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment of staff. You can find this document by clicking here.

Safeguarding on school trips

We value the experiences our children get by visiting people and places outside of school. From a local walk to look at the different seasons, to a residential packed full of adventurous activities, we try and provide as many opportunities to journey away from the school site as possible. The careful planning and preparation that goes into every trip, together with the range of excellent providers we use makes sure that the high standards of safeguarding that are present at school, are replicated off site.

The school utilises a Local Learning Area within which regular visits can be arranged quickly. For more involved trips such as visits further afield, residentials and adventurous activities, more in depth planning is undertaken. You can view our Local Learning Area document below:

One important aspect of everytrip is to ensure the children take ownership of their safety when they leave school and teachers always take the time to discuss the risks and how to handle them before leaving school.

The poster above shows the key members of staff who form our safeguarding team.  Below you can read our safeguarding leaflet which is read by all visitors before they enter our school.

Important Safeguarding Organisations

If any person thinks a child may be at risk of abuse or neglect, they should contact the Multi-Agency Children’s Hub (MACH) for the child’s local area or the NSPCC National Helpline.

For children living in Redcar & Cleveland

Call Redcar MACH on 01642 130700 (out of hours - 01642 524552) or use the email address: RedcarMACH@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk 

For children living in Middlesbrough

Call Middlesbrough MACH on 01642 726004 or use the email address: MiddlesbroughMACH@middlesbrough.gov.uk  

For a child living in North Yorkshire

Call the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership on 0300 131 2131 or use the email address: social.care@northyorks.gov.uk 

NSPCC Helpline

NSPCC National Helpline Tel: 0808 800 5000 or use the email address: help@nspcc.org.uk 

If you have concerns about an adult who works with young people

The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is based in the MACH Team. If you have concerns about an adult who works with children you can contact the Redcar & Cleveland Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) using the contact information above.

Please remember - if you have significant concerns about the safety or welfare of a child or young person contact the Police by telephoning 999​