Safeguarding/Child Protection

At Birstall Primary Academy, the safeguarding of children is of ultimate importance. All visitors should be aware that our procedures for ensuring this override any other consideration. Identification and all other checks will be made for all visitors who may be in contact with children.

The health, safety and welfare of all our children are of paramount importance to all the adults who work in our school. Our children have the right to protection, regardless of age, gender, race, culture or disability. They have a right to be safe in our school.

The Academy is required to have rigorous policies and procedures in place to safeguard children.

The Academy has an agreed Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which can be found here

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy 2024 25 The aim of the policy is to:

• to provide a safe environment for children to learn in;
• to establish what actions the school can take to ensure that children remain safe, at home as well as at school;
• to raise the awareness of all staff to these issues, and to define their roles and responsibilities in reporting possible cases of abuse;
• to identify children who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm;
• to ensure effective communication between all staff on child protection issues;
• to set down the correct procedures for those who encounter any issue of child protection.

If staff have any concerns about a child, then we follow the procedures outlined in our policy which may include reporting concerns to social services. It may be helpful to know that the law places a duty on the Principal and the school’s staff to report any obvious signs or suspected cases of child abuse – which include non-accidental injury, neglect, emotional abuse and/or sexual abuse.

The procedures are intended to protect children at risk and all schools and academies nationally are expected to take the attitude that where there are grounds for concern it is better to be safe than sorry. This does mean that the Academy staff risks upsetting some parents/carers by reporting a case which, on investigation, proves unfounded. In such circumstances, it is hoped that parents and carers would accept that the staff acted in what were believed to the child’s best interests of the child.

In line with government requirements, the Academy maintains a central list of checks on appointed staff and adults who work in or visit the Academy. Any volunteer or parent working in the Academy, are subject to full background checks.

The Academy has several members of staff who have undertaken specialist training and take on the roles of Designated Safeguarding Lead (i.e. to deal with safeguarding and child protection concerns).

The adults responsible in school are:

• The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mrs. Nadia Hannam Principal.
• The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Ms. Alice Battensby
• The EY Safeguarding Lead is Mrs. Abi Smith
• The following staff have also had DSL training: Mrs. Kim Jarrett & Mrs. Jayde Weir 
• The Nominated Governor for Safeguarding in school is Mr Richard Elam

If you have any concerns about a child, please come and speak to one of them in confidence.

Internet safety

In our ever-changing world, it is inevitable that our children will come into contact with and use technology.