Keeping Children Safe at Gedney Church End Primary Academy

At Gedney Church End Primary Academy, the safety, welfare and wellbeing of every learner is our highest priority.

We are committed to providing a safe, nurturing and supportive environment in which every child feels secure, valued and able to thrive. Safeguarding is at the heart of academy life and underpins everything we do.

We want our learners to know that there are adults who will listen to them, take their concerns seriously and help them when they need it.

What Do We Mean by Safeguarding?

Safeguarding is much more than protecting children from harm. It is about creating a culture in which children's safety, welfare and wellbeing are everyone's responsibility.

At Gedney Church End Primary Academy, this includes:

• Protecting learners from abuse, neglect and harm
• Providing a safe and secure environment
• Supporting children's physical and emotional wellbeing
• Helping learners understand how to keep themselves safe
• Promoting safe and responsible use of technology
• Identifying concerns as early as possible
• Listening to children and ensuring their voices are heard
• Working with families and other professionals to provide appropriate support

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

We take our safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously.

All members of the Gedney Church End Primary Academy team have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of our learners. Staff receive appropriate safeguarding training and are expected to remain vigilant, recognise potential signs of concern and know how to report these.

We have clear policies and procedures in place to ensure that concerns are identified, reported and responded to appropriately.

Safeguarding is not something we consider only when a concern arises. It is embedded within our academy culture, curriculum, policies, recruitment practices and day-to-day interactions with learners.

Our Safeguarding Team

If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of a learner, please speak to a member of our safeguarding team as soon as possible.

I would then have prominent staff cards/photos here:

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Name - Tom Baxter
Role - Executive Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)
Name - Jade Chadburn
Role - Head of School and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Reporting a Concern

If you are worried about a child, please tell us.

No concern is too small to share. If something does not feel right, we would always encourage you to speak to a member of the safeguarding team.

Concerns can be reported by speaking directly to the academy or contacting our office:

Telephone: 01406 362383
Email: enquiries@gedneychurchendprimaryacademy.net

If a child is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services by calling 999.

Listening to Our Learners

An important part of safeguarding is ensuring that learners know how and where to seek help.

Throughout their time at Gedney Church End Primary Academy, we help children to understand that they have a right to feel safe and that they can talk to a trusted adult if something is worrying them.

We work to create relationships in which learners feel comfortable asking questions, sharing worries and speaking openly when they need support.

Teaching Learners to Keep Themselves Safe

Our curriculum plays an important role in safeguarding.

Through age-appropriate learning and discussion, learners develop the knowledge and skills they need to recognise risks, make safe choices and seek help when they need it.

This includes learning about areas such as:

• Healthy and respectful relationships
• Online safety
• Personal boundaries
• Appropriate and inappropriate behaviour
• Physical and emotional wellbeing
• Recognising risks
• Knowing when and how to ask for help

Our aim is to equip learners with the confidence, knowledge and vocabulary to help keep themselves and others safe.

Safeguarding Is Everyone's Responsibility

Creating a safe environment for children requires a strong partnership between learners, families, academy staff and the wider community.

If you see, hear or become aware of something that causes you concern about a child, please do not assume that somebody else already knows. Share your concern with us.