Safeguarding
Higher Bebington Junior School
Safeguarding
‘Reflecting on the school motto and beliefs, this is clearly realised at the school in terms of safeguarding. This school provides the environment necessary for growth. The Headteacher and leadership team and staff need to celebrate all the impactful work they do to nurture and safeguard their pupils in school and talk about it with pride.’ (extract from Safeguarding Audit; Positive Resolutions Plus April 2022)
At Higher Bebington Junior School, the safety, wellbeing and happiness of our children are at the heart of everything we do. Every child has the right to feel safe, valued, respected and listened to. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our pupils, and we expect everyone in our school community to share this commitment.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. All adults working in or visiting our school have a responsibility to help keep children safe, regardless of their role or whether they work directly with children.
What does safeguarding mean at HBJS?
Safeguarding is about protecting children from harm, preventing abuse and neglect, promoting their welfare and ensuring they receive the help and support they need to thrive.
We take a child-centred approach, ensuring that children’s voices are heard and that their individual needs, experiences and circumstances are recognised. We want every child to feel confident that they can speak to a trusted adult if something is worrying them.
Safeguarding is embedded throughout school life. It includes our approach to behaviour, attendance, anti-bullying, online safety, health and wellbeing, inclusion, the safety of our school site and our work to protect children from abuse, neglect and other forms of harm.
Working together to keep children safe
We recognise that effective safeguarding relies on strong relationships and effective partnership working. We work with parents and carers, and, where appropriate, professionals from other agencies, including social care, health services, the police and other specialist services, to support children and families.
Wherever possible, we aim to work openly and collaboratively with parents and carers in the best interests of their child. However, if we believe that a child may be at risk of harm, we have a duty to take appropriate action. This may include sharing information with relevant safeguarding partners or making a referral without informing parents beforehand, where doing so is necessary to protect a child.
All safeguarding concerns are taken seriously and acted upon in accordance with our school procedures and statutory guidance.
Our safeguarding responsibilities
We are committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment in which children can learn, develop and flourish. This includes ensuring that staff and volunteers understand their safeguarding responsibilities, that appropriate recruitment and safeguarding procedures are followed, and that concerns are recognised, recorded and responded to appropriately.
We work in accordance with current statutory guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children, alongside our school safeguarding and child protection policy.
Social Media, Photography and Our Website
We love celebrating life at Higher Bebington Junior School and sharing the wonderful learning experiences, achievements and memorable moments of our children.
However, as online safeguarding concerns evolve, including the potential misuse of children’s images through artificial intelligence (AI), we are reviewing how photographs and information are shared across our school website and social media channels.
We will continue to celebrate school life while taking a thoughtful and proportionate approach to protecting children’s privacy. This includes reviewing the images we publish, following parents’ and carers’ photography permissions, and considering how images could be used or shared beyond their original purpose.
We also ask parents and carers to help us protect all children by being mindful of others’ privacy when sharing school-related photographs or information on social media.
Our approach is simple: we will continue to celebrate every moment while putting the safety and wellbeing of every child first.
Raising a safeguarding concern
If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of a child, please contact the school and ask to speak to our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL).
You do not need to be certain that a child is at risk to share a concern. We would always encourage you to speak to us if something is worrying you.
If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999.
Our priority is to ensure that every child at Higher Bebington Junior School is safe, supported and able to achieve their full potential.
Our safeguarding team is:
Mrs Samantha Calveley (Headteacher) - Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Emma Whittaker ( Deputy Headteacher ) - Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Sarah Pearl (Senco)- Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Miss Jennifer Hess- Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Rebecca Smart - Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
SAFEGUARDING IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERYONE. If a child or young person is at risk of harm, abuse or neglect please report it to the Wirral Integrated Front Door Team 0151 606 2008 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours call 0151 677 6557. In an emergency always dial 999
Prevent
As a school we recognise that safeguarding against radicalisation is no different from safeguarding against any other vulnerability. All staff are expected to uphold and promote the fundamental principles of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
The Prevent Duty Guidance (under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 ) was released by the Government in March 2015 which places a duty on schools, and other agencies, to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This legal duty came into force on 1st July.
The duty placed on schools covers 4 areas:
Risk Assessment
Working in Partnership
Staff Training
IT Policies
The Governing Body fully accepts the school’s responsibility to implement the Prevent Duty. We have developed a detailed risk assessment to ensure that our processes are robust and able to ensure that these duties are effectively undertaken.
More information can be found below:
