Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School

Safeguarding

Our Lady's Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff, Governors and volunteers to share this commitment.

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy which can be viewed in this section of our website.

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child's welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with his/her parents/carers first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child's welfare.

We actively support the Government's Prevent Agenda to counter radicalism and extremism.

Our Lady's School is also signed up to Operation Encompass which enables the Police to contact one of our DSLs by email to alert them of an incident of Domestic Abuse which has occurred within a family home. This is so we can support the needs of any child involved in an incident. For more details of Operation Encompass please click here.

What to do if you have a concern about a child

Phone the school office on 01926632385 and ask to speak to a DSL or contact WCC Family Connect by calling 01926 414144. Lines are open Monday to Thursday 8.30am - 5.30pm, Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm. If you need to get in touch out of usual office hours, please contact the Emergency Duty Team immediately by calling 01926 886922.

If you think that a child is at immediate risk, contact the Police immediately by calling 999.

For more information click here.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is-:

Mrs Catherine Burch (Headteacher)

Our Deputy DSLs are-:

Mrs Lauren O'Connor (Assistant Headteacher)

Mrs Vicky Palmer (School Business Manager)

Our Lead Safeguarding Governor is-:

Mrs Sarah Sellars

SAFEGUARDING DOCUMENTS

Please see our main Policies page for any relevant documents.

Safeguarding in the Curriculum

At Our Lady's Catholic Primary School we endeavour to give our children the knowledge and skills they need to keep themselves safe. This includes being able to identify risk and know how to access support if needed. Please click on our 'Safeguarding Curriculum Overview' for further information on the content of the school's safeguarding curriculum.

Online Safety

Our Lead for Online Safety (with responsibility for Filtering and Monitoring) is-:

Mrs Catherine Burch (Headteacher)

Our Lead Governor for Online Safety (with responsibility for Filtering and Monitoring) is:-

Mr Jeremy Turner

Filtering and Monitoring Information

Why do we need filtering and monitoring systems?

The internet is used regularly as part of our learning in school. It is a key tool for children to help them access information to support their learning in class and carry out educational tasks. However, despite its may benefits the internet can also be an area of concern due to the nature of potentially harmful content available online. There are many reasons why filtering and monitoring are required. In school the purpose is to ensure that children do not access unsuitable/inappropriate content.

What is filtering and monitoring?

Filtering means blocking harmful internet sites and inappropriate content. We use a recognised service provider – Smoothwall – that filters harmful and inappropriate content. Smoothwall is a member of the Internet Watch Foundation. We use a firewall and robust antivirus software. We use an encrypted and password protected WiFi network. We manage data in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018.

Monitoring is the way we check that our systems are effective and that we respond swiftly to incidents of concern. We use a recognised service provider – Securus – which monitors every key stroke and screen tap on both laptops and mobile devices for all users in school.

We receive reports via Warwickshire County Council from both Smoothwall and Securus and these are followed up rigorously to ensure all users are kept safe in school.

Our filtering system blocks access to harmful sites and inappropriate content without stopping children from recognising their responsibility in keeping themselves and others safe, and without negatively impacting our teaching and learning provision.

For more information on how to monitor and use filtering at home, click on the links below that discuss parental controls:

What do we ask children to do online?

Our children regularly access websites as part of their computing lessons and as part of the wider curriculum. Our children may be asked to research particular topics on the internet.

Below are different search engines we may use when using the internet.

What is the role of the DSL regarding online safety and filtering and monitoring?

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Mrs Catherine Burch. Alongside the safeguarding team, she is responsible for ensuring that the correct procedures and policies for online safety are in place. The DSL is responsible for ensuring that children are taught how to keep themselves safe online and the risks associated with internet use, including social media. This ensures that our children are empowered to recognise online risks and harmful behaviours, and how to access support. The DSL is responsible for ensuring that staff are well trained in the procedures and policies regarding online safety and how to respond to incidents of concern. The DSL is responsible for ensuring that parents can access resources and advice on how to keep their children safe online. The DSL is responsible for working with other senior leaders and our IT technicians to ensure that our filtering and monitoring systems are robust and effective.

If you have any questions about our school approach to filtering or monitoring please speak to Mrs Catherine Burch.

Useful Websites

BBC Own It – a place to help you boss your life online
Childnet International – for primary children
Childnet International – for teachers and professionals
Facebook Safety Centre – guides to Facebook settings
Internet Matters – a guide to help you through the many issues children can experience when using the internet
Internet Watch Foundation – the UK Hotline for reporting criminal online content
NSPCC: Keeping Children Safe Online – support for parents and carers from the NSPCC
Report Online Terrorist Material (gov.uk) – report illegal terrorist information, pictures or videos you’ve found on the internet. Your report will be treated anonymously
ThinkUKnow – learning resource for children
UK Safer Internet Centre: Parental Controls – how to set up parental controls offered by your home ISP