The staff take the safety of the children very seriously indeed, especially since we have a large site. Parents can be reassured that the safety of the children is our priority by the things we do and not just by what we say.
Attendance
We have very 'tight' procedures for checking that all the children that should be in school are in school. Parents that do not notify us that their child will be absent can expect a call from us, so please help us ensure we know where your child is by calling us as soon as you can if your child is unwell.
Site Security
Keeping the balance between being a welcoming, friendly school and a secure environment for the children can be a problem but once parents have handed their child to 'us' we want them to feel at ease that their child is safe. Our site manager ensures gates are locked once the children are in school and we have an electronic security system on all external doors. Our children know that they should never open an external door to anyone, even their own parents, as only assigned staff can perform this duty.
Fire Safety
We have an up to date Fire Safety report and have attended to all the improvements required. Evacuation procedures are completed regularly but at random times of the school day and even our youngest children are proficient at exiting the building calmly.
Safer Recruitment
Key staff and governors have been thoroughly trained to ensure that nationally accredited guidance is followed when any new appointments are being made. All adults involved in school life are checked in line with our statutory responsibility.
DBS Checks
There are three levels of DBS checks, Standard, Enhanced and Enhanced with barred list checks.
- Standard DBS Check - Standard certificates reveal details of any convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings the applicant has received.
- Enhanced Disclosure - This includes the same as the standard check plus any additional information held by local police that’s reasonably considered relevant to the workforce being applied for (adult, child or ‘other’ workforce). ‘Other’ workforce means those who don’t work with children or adults specifically, but potentially both, e.g. taxi drivers. In this case, the police will only release information that’s relevant to the post being applied for.
- Enhanced Disclosure with Barred List Check - This includes all of the information normally included in an Enhanced Disclosure but also identifies whether the person is barred from working in regulated activity with the group they are applying to work for, for example, whether they are barred from working with children.
Risk Assessments
The school has an updated register of assessments against a variety of risks both on and off site. Prior to children going off-site staff must complete a risk assessment.
Off Site Visits
We believe children should have as many off-site opportunities as possible however, we have trained Education Visit Coordinators so that staff and parents can feel confident that all visits are carefully researched and prepared for.