Safeguarding is much broader than child protection. It describes everything we do to protect children, promote their welfare and help them achieve the best possible outcomes.

This includes:

• providing help and support as soon as difficulties or concerns emerge
• protecting children from abuse, neglect, exploitation and other forms of harm, both online and offline
• supporting children’s physical and mental health and development
• providing a safe and nurturing environment
• helping children to recognise risks and know how to seek help
• working with families and other professionals when additional support is needed.

Child protection forms part of safeguarding and refers specifically to the action taken to protect children who are suffering, or may be at risk of suffering, significant harm.

Safeguarding is much broader than child protection. It describes everything we do to protect children, promote their welfare and help them achieve the best possible outcomes.

Our Designated Safeguarding Staff have undertaken additional specialist safeguarding training and work together to oversee safeguarding and child protection across our school.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Mrs Nicky Fox
Deputy Headteacher and Attendance Officer

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
Mrs Siobhan Doherty
Assistant Headteacher

Other Trained Designated Safeguarding Staff

• Miss Bronte Pearson
• Miss Freya McAndrew
• Mrs Amy McGoldrick
• Mrs Gemma McGrath
• Mrs M Noad - Designated Safeguarding Staff for the HIVE after school wrap around care
• Miss M Sweeney - Designated Safeguarding Staff for the HIVE after school wrap around care

Governor responsible for Safeguarding and Child Protection
Mrs Jenny Stuart-Collins

If you are concerned about the safety or wellbeing of a child, please speak to us.

You can talk to any member of staff. They will ensure that your concern is passed to a member of our Safeguarding Team.

You can also contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead directly:

Mrs Nicky Fox – DSL
safeguarding@stnicholasprimaryleeds.org.uk
0113 293 0318

or

Mrs Siobhan Doherty – Deputy DSL
 safeguarding @stnicholasprimaryleeds.org.uk
0113 293 0318

We encourage parents and carers to share concerns with us, even if they are unsure whether something is a safeguarding matter. Small pieces of information can sometimes help us to build a clearer picture of what a child may be experiencing.

Wherever possible, we will work openly and collaboratively with parents and carers. There may, however, be circumstances where information needs to be shared with another agency without parental consent in order to protect a child.

If you are concerned about a child outside school

Members of the public can contact Leeds Children’s Social Work Services on:

0113 222 4403

For urgent concerns outside normal working hours:

Emergency Duty Team: 0113 535 0600

If you believe that a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Safeguarding does not sit with our Safeguarding Team alone.

All members of staff receive regular safeguarding and child protection training and know how to recognise and report concerns. Staff understand that changes in a child’s behaviour, attendance, emotional wellbeing or presentation can sometimes indicate that they need additional help or protection.

Our staff are also trauma-informed. This helps us to understand how children’s experiences can affect their emotions, relationships, behaviour and ability to learn. We recognise that behaviour can be a form of communication and aim to respond with curiosity, compassion and appropriate support.

All staff receive training in our school’s lockdown and emergency evacuation procedures so that they understand how to respond appropriately should an emergency occur.

We also maintain robust procedures for safer recruitment, visitor management and checking the suitability of adults who work with children.

An important part of safeguarding is helping children to develop the knowledge and confidence they need to keep themselves safe.

Safeguarding is therefore woven throughout our curriculum rather than taught as a single subject.

Through PSHE, RSE, Online Safety, assemblies and the wider curriculum, children learn about areas including:

• healthy and respectful relationships
• personal boundaries and consent
• recognising safe and unsafe situations
• online safety
• bullying and discrimination
• emotional wellbeing and mental health
• trusted adults and asking for help
• respectful behaviour
• recognising and reporting behaviour that makes them uncomfortable.

We recognise that a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate for every child. Teaching and support may therefore be adapted or personalised for children who are particularly vulnerable, including children with SEND.

Children are regularly reminded that they can speak to a trusted adult in school about anything that is worrying them.

Effective safeguarding relies upon strong relationships and good communication.

We aim to work in partnership with parents and carers and will usually discuss concerns with families before approaching another agency.

However, if we believe that doing so could place a child at greater risk of harm, we may need to seek advice or make a referral before speaking with parents.

Where necessary, we work closely with Leeds Children’s Social Work Services, health professionals, the police, Early Help services and other agencies to safeguard children and support families.

We recognise that some children may experience additional barriers to recognising or reporting abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Children with SEND may, for example, experience communication difficulties, increased dependency on adults, social isolation or difficulties explaining what has happened to them.

Our Safeguarding Team and SEND Team (who are all additionally designated safeguarding staff)  therefore work closely together to ensure that children’s individual communication, learning, sensory and emotional needs are considered when safeguarding concerns arise.

Safeguarding also includes keeping children safe online.

Our curriculum helps children understand how to use technology safely and responsibly and how to recognise and report inappropriate content, contact or behaviour.

Our safeguarding arrangements also consider developing online risks, including social media, online exploitation, harmful content, misinformation and the increasing use of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

More information can be found on our Online Safety page.

We are very proud of the strong relationship we have with our local Police Community Support Officer, PCSO Luke. He is a familiar and trusted face in school and in our local community, and our children know him well and enjoy working with him.

PCSO Luke works closely with us to deliver age-appropriate police education sessions, tailored to the needs of our children and the issues that are most relevant to them. This includes learning about bonfire safety, water safety, road safety, knife crime, county lines, keeping safe in the community and making safe choices.

His work with us goes beyond one-off visits. He has supported the school with wider community safety issues, including helping us to raise concerns and work towards safer road arrangements and the installation of a crossing near school.

Having PCSO Luke regularly present both in school and in the local area is incredibly valuable. He helps children understand that the police are part of their community and are there to help keep people safe. For many of our children, he provides an important link between school and the wider community they move through each day.

Most importantly, he is a known and approachable adult who children recognise, trust and know they can speak to if they ever need help or feel unsafe.