Safeguarding

The safety and well being of our children is a key priority for all. We have a range of safeguarding measures in place and robust child protection procedures.

As a school we have a responsibility to inform Children and Family Services if we have concerns about the welfare and safety of a child in our school.

For full details please download web versions of the school policies, located on the policies page.

Our designated safeguarding leads are:

Mrs N. Robson (Head Teacher)
Mrs C. Jones (Deputy Head Teacher)

All staff have safeguarding training which is regularly updated.

If you have a concern about a child, please contact the Head Teacher (Designated safeguarding lead). Or any concerned adult is able to contact to the Essex Family Operations Hub. During office hours please use 0345 6037627, out of office hours please use 0345 6061212.

We all have a duty of care to help keep all children safe.

The Prevent Duty

The Prevent Duty outlines the responsibility of everyone to ensure that others are not drawn into any sort of radicalisation, not necessarily violent extremism or terrorism; this can be online or not. Children in particular can be incredibly vulnerable and we, as professionals who work with your children, have undertaken the recommended training to look out for possible indicators. A change in your child's behaviour, or a child that you know, could be an indication that something is not quite right. If you are worried, please speak to our Head Teacher or Phase Leader for advice.

Further information on the Prevent duty guidance can be found here.

Site security

The main entrance is via Owers Road/Holst Avenue. Both this gate and the car park gate will be locked between 8.45a.m. and 3.10p.m. Entrance to the school between these hours is by the main gate only; there is a buzzer which will notify the office to release the gate.

For your child’s safety we ask all visitors to ensure they enter through the main entrance at the school office, sign into the Visitors' Book and collect a badge. Upon signing in please ensure you are familiar with the school safeguarding leaflet.

Any child leaving the premises temporarily to attend appointments (dental or medical etc.) must be ‘signed out’ and ‘signed back in’ by their parents at the office.

Medical Information

It is important that the school has all relevant medical information about children at the school. This information will be recorded by the Inclusion Leader, Mrs N. Gable, SENCO Mrs R. Fairclough or the Family Liaison Officer, Mrs L. Summers, who take responsibility for children with medical needs, and made available to all staff who work with the child. Parents are asked to ensure that the school is kept informed of any changes in relation to medical conditions and allergies.

If a child requires regular medication, parents are asked to complete a written permission slip for staff to oversee the administration, with clear instructions about timing and dose. Medicines can only be administered in school if they have been prescribed by the child’s GP and cannot be fitted around the school day e.g. 4 x doses of antibiotics. We are unable to give children non-prescription medication such as Calpol and ask that non-prescription medication is not brought onto the school site, this includes throat pastilles. All medication will be kept in the school medical /family support room excluding asthma inhalers which will be kept in your child’s classroom.

If your child is unwell during the school day we will make every effort to contact you. It is important that we have up-to-date information about contact numbers as it can be very distressing for a child to have to remain in school when they are unwell if we cannot contact anyone to collect them.

If your child has an accident in school, first aid will be administered by a member of staff. We have qualified first-aiders in school who will supervise in the case of a more serious injury. If we have any concerns about a child following an accident in school, parents will be contacted immediately and your child may be taken straight to hospital.

If your child sustains a minor head injury during the course of the day, you will receive a 'bumped head' slip, thus minimising the risk of mistaken diagnosis should your child become unwell on returning home.

The office staff does not deal with any medical matters but all parental enquiries should initially be made at the School Office if in person.

In the event of a child suffering from sickness or diarrhoea, parents are asked to keep the child at home for at least 48 hours after the last bout of vomiting/diarrhoea. Experience shows that an unwell child is often left feeling weak and therefore not in a fit state to cope with the many demands of school life. In addition it is important to prevent any individual from spreading an infection/virus to other site users.

Parents are asked to give written permission for staff to tend to children who may have an accident involving bodily fluid.

Physical Education

If a child is medically unfit to partake in P.E. sessions a note needs to be given to the class teacher. As part of the National Curriculum all children are expected to take in P.E. sessions unless for clear medical reasons. If you feel your child is too unwell to partake in P.E. then he/she would probably be best at home, resting and recovering.

Sun Protection

Medical research has indicated that one of the possible causes of adult melanoma is excessive exposure to sunlight in childhood years. To support parents in protecting their children during the hot weather we:

Encourage the children to sit in the shade out of direct sunlight for part of the lunch break.
Encourage all children to bring and wear a hat to school.
Remind you of the importance of applying sun cream on exposed body parts before school. There are now products on the market which give protection for the whole of the school day, are water resistant and therefore ideal for swimming days.
Suggest that vulnerable children wear long sleeved shirts or blouses.

Chipping Hill Primary School

Safeguarding