Safeguarding
At Gayton Primary School we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child, ensuring a safe, nurturing environment where all can thrive.
Our Commitment:
At Gayton Primary School, we are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people. We expect all staff, governors, volunteers, and visitors to share this commitment and to put the safety and wellbeing of pupils at the centre of everything we do.
What Safeguarding Means at Gayton
Safeguarding is about more than child protection. It includes:
Keeping children safe from abuse, neglect, and exploitation
Promoting safe and supportive environments
Protecting children from radicalisation and extremism (Prevent Duty)
Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing
Promoting online safety at school and at home
Tackling bullying, peer-on-peer abuse, and discriminatory behaviour
Ensuring safe recruitment and clear staff conduct expectations.
Our Approach:
We follow statutory guidance including Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE) and Working Together to Safeguard Children.
All staff and volunteers receive regular safeguarding training and updates.
Concerns are reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or a Deputy DSL, who ensure timely, appropriate action.
Safeguarding procedures are monitored by school leaders and governors and reviewed annually.
We work closely with parents/carers and external agencies to keep children safe.
If you have any concerns about a child or a family, please do not hesitate to contact one of these people at school.
Reporting Concerns
If you are worried about the safety or wellbeing of a child, please contact our safeguarding team:
Mrs McAleny (Headteacher) Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Williams (Deputy Headteacher) Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mrs Such (EYFS leader) Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Governor with responsibility for safeguarding: Daisy Dakin
Children’s Voice
We want every child to feel safe and listened to. Children are encouraged to talk to any trusted adult in school if they have a worry. They are also reminded that they can speak directly to Mrs McAleny, Mrs Williams or Mrs Such.
The latest version of our safeguarding policy can be found in the policies section of our school website.
Information for Parents/Carers
NSPCC - Information for parents
Talk Pantosaurus with your child
Online Safety Information for parents
Helping children deal with divorce and separation
https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/parental-control
Information for Children & Young people
Below you can find a copy of the DFE Child-friendly version of Working Together to Safeguard Children.
Operation Encompass
In conjunction with Merseyside Police, Gayton Primary School is involved in an initiative called Operation Encompass. The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in, heard, or witnessed a domestic abuse incident. Following such an incident, children can arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared. Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff (called key adults) are made aware early enough to support children and young people in a way that means they feel safe and included. At Gayton Primary School, our key adults are Mrs McAleny (Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding lead) and Mrs Robinson (Deputy Designated Safeguarding lead and Deputy Headteacher).
This is a valuable initiative that means we can continue to support and help children and families within our school community when they need it most. You can find out more information by visiting www.operationencompass.org.
Wirral Sandbox
Wirral Sandbox is a service directory tool for anyone working with young people. It can be used to:
help inform risk assessment
help you to find the correct service to help you to support a young person
provide you with helpful guidance, advice, tips, resources to help you to support young people at the earliest possible stage.
keep you up to date on the latest from the wide network of services for young people in Wirral.
s a service directory tool for anyone working with young people. It can be used to:-
help inform risk assessment
help you to find the correct service to help you to support a young person
provide you with helpful guidance, advice, tips, resources to help you to support young people at the earliest possible stage
keep you up to date on the latest from the wide network of services for young people in Wirral.
Family Toolbox
The link to the Family Toolbox website can be found here: https://familytoolbox.co.uk/
It aims to make resources and support more readily available, putting the power right in the hands of families to work out what they want to change, and what steps they want to take to do that.
The founding members of Family Toolbox are: Caritas Shrewsbury, Ferries Families, Foundation Years Trust, Involve North West, Koala North West, Shaftesbury Youth Club and WEB. They have signed up to the Family Toolbox values – so this is what you can expect from these organisations:
They give tools, not answers. They believe that everyone has skills and strengths, so when people need a helping hand, they see what’s already strong and coach to build up knowledge, skills and confidence. In all our relationships – whether families, communities or colleagues – we always do with, not to.
They work together. They don’t just work together to get a great result: working together is, in and of itself, a great result. Everything they do is about building positive relationships (professionally and personally), so they put time, effort and commitment into building relationships with one another, being shaped by the perspectives and experiences of those around us.
They make sure families stay in control. They remove the language and behaviours of referrals, professional assessments, levels and thresholds so that they can really get to the heart of what’s going on for families, as and when they choose.
They keep things simple for families. They prioritise people, over systems, processes and procedures. It’s simple to get involved with – we’re joined-up and accessible and they make sure that families can access something that can help them straight away. They speak in simple terms, and talk about asking for help as the way you show you’re a great parent – not a failing one.
Wirral Safeguarding Partnership
The website of Wirral Safeguarding Partnership https://www.wirralsafeguarding.co.uk/ has been designed to support all those who live and work in Wirral to safeguard and protect all our children and young people. This has a wealth of information for professionals and all members of our school community.
Prevent
Prevent is part of the UK counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. Its aim is to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Prevent will address all forms of terrorism but continue to prioritise according to the threat they pose to our national security. At present, the majority of our resources and efforts will continue to be devoted to stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. There is a commitment to protecting freedom of speech in this country. But preventing terrorism will mean challenging extremist (and non-violent) ideas that are also part of a terrorist ideology. Prevent will also mean intervening to stop people moving from extremist groups or from extremism into terrorist-related activity.
The Prevent strategy will specifically:
respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those
who promote it;prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given
appropriate advice and support; andwork with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation which need
to be addressed.
This link takes you to Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership's website information on Prevent