Safeguarding and Online Safety

Cogenhoe Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all members of the school community to share this commitment.

We will endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued.

The safety and well-being of all children and young people is of paramount importance. We recognise that parents and carers send their children to school each day with the expectation that the school provides a safe and secure environment in which their children can flourish. We therefore have a wide range of measures in place to ensure this is put into practice and is maintained and reviewed regularly.

Child Protection at Cogenhoe

Our school staff are trained to be alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection.

If you have any concerns regarding the pupils at our school, then please speak to one of the Designated Safeguarding Leads, by contacting the school on (01604) 890380/ [email protected] or by making an appointment through the school office.
Please click on the link below to meet our Safeguarding & Child Protection Team:

Please be advised, that if you have a safeguarding concern relating to the welfare of a child in the holidays, members of the public can contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) who will listen and deal with any concerns. The MASH can be contacted on 0300 126 1000 or by emailing [email protected]
Our main priority is your child’s safety, happiness and wellbeing at school. If you have any concerns about another child’s inappropriate behaviour towards your child, then please do not hesitate to contact any other members of the safeguarding team.
If you raise any concerns, the team will listen to the points that you raise, which will be treated very sensitively. As a school, we will then work with you, your family and any external partners to ensure the best outcome for your child.

Further information and advice, can also be found by clicking the following links:

Children Missing in Education

There are significant child protection implications when the whereabouts of a child is not known. The local authority has a duty to locate, track and monitor children missing from education and support them in returning to education.

What are a school’s responsibilities when a child is absent?

We would always assess the child’s safeguarding risk at their own address. For example, is there a risk of forced marriage, child sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, radicalisation or honour based violence. If the judgement is the child is at risk of harm, we would contact the police or social care immediately.

If a pupil is absent, all schools have a responsibility to contact the parent or carer on the first day of absence and continue to make every effort to locate the pupil. If we have identified that a child is not in school, we have a set procedure in place.

Policies

We have a number of policies in place at Cogenhoe, which support our ethos for ensuring our children are safe and secure.

Induction and Training

All our staff and volunteers have an induction schedule, which includes safeguarding training and every member of staff has formal training every two years.

This knowledge is maintained throughout the school year with bite size reminders and updates on current practices and law through our staff meeting time and on training days for the whole school.

Robust Recruitment Procedures

As a school we take time to assess all applications and include clear expectations around safeguarding and suitability to work with children.

We apply these protocols and expectations to regular volunteers too. Candidates should be expected to answer questions around safeguarding in their recruitment selection day.

Site Security

We have stringent management and maintenance of our site to ensure it is safe and secure which includes management of visitors to our site.

All visitors must sign in and wear a visitor badge and be escorted unless they have met our vetting requirements to work in school unsupervised.

First Aid

Our staff are trained to administer first aid and where necessary, we will advise parents of any treatment undertaken in school.

We also have additional paediatric first aiders around the school to support when necessary and to manage medicine administration.
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Safeguarding Resources

Online Safety Curriculum

Online Safety is a major part of our curriculum and we promote the safe use of electronic devices throughout assemblies as well as in class. The pupils are taught about how to use the internet and digital equipment appropriately, as well as what to do if they feel they are a victim of unsuitable electronic behaviour. Throughout the school, the internet rules for each Key Stage are displayed as a reminder to the children. Families are also asked to discuss these with their children at home on admittance to our school. We have also provided additional information for parents in workshops, which have been well attended.

How Can I Ensure My Child Is Safe Online? 

You don’t need to be a technical expert to protect your child on the internet. Here are some very simple steps to keep your child safe online.

• Ensure you are aware which websites your children are using. Talk to your child about the websites that they use and involve yourself in their internet use, so that you understand. Explain to your children you’re helping to keep them safe.
• The internet is a fantastic learning and communication tool, so be positive about it and try not to overreact to minor issues. If your child worries that you may take away their access, they could become secretive and hide problems from you.
• Wherever possible, keep PCs, laptops and games consoles out of bedrooms, so that it is easier for you to monitor your child’s internet use. Please also remember that games consoles can be used for on-line gaming and therefore your child can chat to people online
• Just like school, set clear expectations and ground rules for when your child is on-line. If they understand what is and isn’t acceptable, it may help them to navigate any problems in the future.
• Make sure all devices that connect to the internet have parental controls to help you set appropriate boundaries. Find your service provider and learn how to set your controls. if you are unsure about this, please contact Mrs Reeve our ICT and Online Safety lead, who will be only too happy to help.
• Make sure that you are in control of the privacy settings for any of the on-line apps being used by your child. These need to be checked regularly to ensure that they are at the highest setting.
• Northamptonshire County Council have a designated Online Safety Officer and there is advice available on their website: https://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices
• For child-friendly information and advice visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore
• Handy posters to inform parents can be found at: https://nationalonlinesafety.com/guides

Acceptable Use Policies are used for Staff, Children and Parents/Carers and are updated annually.

Online Safety linked to different apps

The changes in using the internet has had its positives this year, but it has also highlighted some negative aspects. Social Media and apps are changing all the time, and sometimes it’s tricky to keep up-to-date with what our children are using or have access to.

Simon Aston, Northamptonshire’s Online Safety and Wellbeing Officer, has created a Youtube channel, which is designed to help parents understand some of the pitfalls of apps and Social Media:

Helpful advice for parents and carers on how to protect their children and build their Digital Resilience is available from ChildNet International. Here is a link to the full