The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders, governors and all staff at Thomlinson Junior School are committed to keeping pupils safe. Vigilant staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding. All appropriate checks are completed to ensure the suitability of staff. Leaders record safeguarding concerns meticulously. They share information with the right people to protect children who may be at risk of harm.

(Ofsted Report December 2019)

All those working in education can contribute to the safeguarding and protection of the welfare of a child in need. According to the DfE, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• protecting children from maltreatment;
• preventing impairment of children’s health or development;
• ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.  Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and their families and carers has a role to play in safeguarding children. To fulfil this responsibility effectively, all professionals should make sure their approach is child centred. This means that they should consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child.

Effective child protection is essential as part of wider work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. However, all agencies and individuals should aim to proactively safeguard and promote the welfare of children so that the need for action to protect children from harm is reduced.

Contacts

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs D. Maxwell

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads: Mrs A Brown & Mrs A Drago

Designated Safeguarding Governor: Mr C Scott

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass ensures that there is a simple telephone call or notification to a school’s trained Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), prior to the start of the next school day, after an incident of police attended domestic abuse where there are children related to either of the adult parties involved. 

Operation Encompass is a police and education early information safeguarding partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse.

The information is given in strict confidence to a school’s DSL to enable support to be given dependent on the needs and wishes of the child.

Thomlinson Junior School engages with the Operation Encompass scheme.

Mental Health & Well-being

At Thomlinson Junior School, we are committed to supporting the emotional health and well-being of our pupils and staff. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.

At our school we:

• help children to understand their emotions and feelings better
• help children feel comfortable sharing any concerns or worries
• help children socially to form and maintain relationships
• promote self esteem and ensure children know that they count
• encourage children to be confident and ‘dare to be different’
• help children to develop emotional resilience and to manage setbacks

We offer different levels of support:

• Universal Support – To meet the needs of all our pupils  through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum. For instance developing resilience for all.
• Additional support – For those who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences such as bereavement.
• Targeted support –  For pupils who need more differentiated support and resources or specific targeted interventions such as well-being groups or personal mentors.

Kidsafe

KidSafe UK Safeguarding, founded in 2004 by Val Webb & Jude Walker, provides training to school staff in order for them to deliver Kidsafe specialised child protection/safeguarding programmes to children and young people from Early Years Foundation Stage through to Secondary School.

KidSafe programmes are age appropriate and delivered to children without shattering their innocence.

The aim is to protect, educate and empower children. With the help of our puppet, KS, the courses are uniquely designed to help children take an active role in protecting themselves from all forms of abuse.

KidSafe UK Safeguarding is proactive, not reactive and we wholeheartedly believe that empowering children to speak out to a trusted grown up about abuse will help minimise the short and long term damage and harm associated with abuse.

As a Kidsafe Registered School, we provide sessions with children from years 3 to 6.  At TJS, Mrs Carr leads Kidsafe sessions across the school.