Safeguarding in School

Safeguarding at Heltwate School

All children have a right to be cared for and to feel safe, and protecting them from harm is everyone’s responsibility. At Heltwate School we have a duty of care to ensure that all children and young people attending with us are kept safe from harm, and we fully recognise the responsibility placed on us by Section 157/175 of the Education Act 2002 to have arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Our school is committed to providing a safe, secure and supportive environment in which children can develop and grow in independence. Safeguarding children and young people is an essential part of our holistic approach to ensure that our student community is protected from abuse and neglect and that every child reaches their full individual potential.

The best interests of the children in our care will always be our priority, and as such, there are times when we will need to record , monitor and share information with other protective agencies. We will always share concerns about our pupils with the child’s parents / carers unless we have reason to believe that doing so would not be in the child’s best interest. In the event that information is not shared with the home, a rationale for not doing so will always be recorded.

Our dedicated staff team at school is always available to listen to any safeguarding or welfare concerns you may have.

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All adults have an important role to play in safeguarding children in their communities. If you have any concerns, no matter how small, you should report them to someone who you trust will listen. If you think a child or young person may be in immediate danger, please call 999. Otherwise, you can contact Peterborough LA Children’s Social Care team by calling 01733 864180, and their out of hours emergency team on 01733 234724.

Confidential help and advice is also available by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk.

If you visit the school, you will notice that different coloured lanyards are worn by adults with various levels of safeguarding access across our three school sites, and the colour worn is dependent on a combination of the levels of professional training and the safeguarding checks that have been concluded.

They are as follows:

• Blue – Own Staff undertaking regulated activity
• Green -Known, regular visitors undertaking regulated activity, i.e. Physiotherapists, Speech Therapists
• Yellow – Trusted contractors / trusted visitors in non-regulated activity
• Red – All other visitors

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