Safeguarding

At St Mary’s, the safety, wellbeing and dignity of every child are at the heart of everything we do.

Our safeguarding practice reflects our mission:

Rooted in Love • Faith in Action • Learning for Life

We believe that every child is created in the image and likeness of God and has the right to be safe, listened to, respected and protected from harm.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. All members of our school community—including staff, governors, volunteers, visitors, parents and pupils—have a role in helping to keep children safe.

We maintain a child-centred approach and always consider what is in the best interests of the child. We recognise that safeguarding concerns can arise in any community and maintain an attitude of:

“It could happen here.”

Our policies and procedures follow Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, which comes into force on 1 September 2026.

Are You Worried About a Child?

Please do not wait if you are worried about a child. You do not need to be certain that abuse or neglect has occurred before sharing a concern.

If a child is in immediate danger

Call the police on 999.

Lancashire Children’s Services

During office hours: 0300 123 6720
Outside office hours: 0300 123 6722

Further information and an online reporting form are available from Lancashire County Council.

You may also contact the school on 01995 61367 and ask to speak to a member of the safeguarding team.

Never assume that someone else will report a concern.

Our Safeguarding Team

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mrs Katie Jones
Headteacher

Mrs Jones has overall responsibility for safeguarding and child protection at St Mary’s.

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mrs Lisa Cookson
School Business Manager

Mrs Cookson supports the Designated Safeguarding Lead and can respond to concerns when Mrs Jones is unavailable.

Operation Encompass Key Adult

Mrs Katie Jones
Headteacher

Safeguarding Governor

To be confirmed

The safeguarding governor supports the governing body in overseeing the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements. The governing body retains collective responsibility for safeguarding.

Speaking to Us About a Concern

Parents, carers, pupils and members of the community can speak to Mrs Jones or Mrs Cookson about any safeguarding concern.

Concerns may relate to:

something a child has said;
a change in a child’s appearance or behaviour;
unexplained injuries;
a child appearing frightened, withdrawn or unusually anxious;
changes in attendance or punctuality;
neglect of a child’s basic needs;
concerning online activity;
bullying or child-on-child abuse;
domestic abuse;
inappropriate adult behaviour;
radicalisation or exploitation; or
any situation in which a child may be unsafe.

Information will be treated sensitively. However, safeguarding information cannot always remain confidential. If a child may be at risk, we have a responsibility to share relevant information with the appropriate professionals.

Where it is safe and appropriate, concerns will be discussed with parents and carers. We will not do this if it could place a child at greater risk, compromise a safeguarding enquiry or obstruct a police investigation.

What Should Children Do?

We teach children that they should speak to a trusted adult if:

something makes them feel worried, frightened or uncomfortable;
someone hurts them;
someone asks them to keep an unsafe secret;
they receive a worrying message or image;
someone asks them to do something they do not want to do;
they are worried about a friend;
they experience bullying or discrimination; or
something simply does not feel right.

Children can speak to any trusted adult in school. The adult will listen, take them seriously and pass the information to the safeguarding team so that appropriate help can be provided.

Children are taught that:

abuse is never their fault;
they will not be blamed for asking for help;
they should keep telling until somebody helps;
adults cannot promise to keep an unsafe secret; and
safeguarding is an adult responsibility.

Children can also contact Childline for confidential advice and support.

What Is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children includes:

providing help and support to meet children’s needs as soon as problems emerge;
protecting children from maltreatment, whether within or outside the home, including online;
preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development;
ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with safe and effective care;
promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents or within their family network whenever this is consistent with their safety and welfare; and
taking action to enable all children to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Child protection forms part of safeguarding and concerns children who may be experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, significant harm.

Types of Abuse

Staff receive regular training to recognise that abuse, neglect and exploitation may take many forms.

The four main categories are:

Physical Abuse

This may include deliberately hurting a child through hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning or another form of physical harm.

Emotional Abuse

This is persistent emotional maltreatment that may affect a child’s emotional development. It can include making a child feel worthless, unloved, frightened, controlled or responsible for the needs of others.

Sexual Abuse

This involves forcing or persuading a child to take part in sexual activity. It may involve physical contact or non-contact activity, including involving children in sexual images, online abuse or encouraging inappropriate behaviour.

Neglect

This is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical or emotional needs. It may involve inadequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision, medical care, education or emotional warmth.

Abuse can occur inside or outside the home and may be carried out by an adult or another child. It can also take place wholly or partly online.

Further information about recognising abuse and neglect is available from the NSPCC.

Child-on-Child Abuse

Children can experience abuse from other children, both in person and online. This is sometimes called child-on-child abuse.

It may include:

bullying and cyberbullying;
physical abuse;
prejudice-based or discriminatory behaviour;
sexual harassment;
sexual violence;
harmful sexual behaviour;
sharing sexual images;
coercion or controlling behaviour;
abuse within young people’s relationships;
initiation or hazing behaviour; and
abuse connected with gangs or exploitation.

We do not dismiss harmful behaviour as “banter,” “part of growing up” or “boys being boys.”

All concerns are taken seriously. We consider the needs and safety of every child involved and provide appropriate support, education and safeguarding action.

Children are taught about healthy relationships, personal boundaries, consent, respectful behaviour and seeking help through PSHE, Relationships and Health Education, Computing and our wider safeguarding curriculum.

Bullying and Discrimination

Bullying and prejudiced behaviour are not tolerated at St Mary’s.

Children learn to recognise and report:

verbal, physical and relational bullying;
cyberbullying;
racist behaviour;
sexism and misogyny;
homophobic or faith-based bullying;
disablist language;
harmful stereotypes; and
discrimination relating to a protected characteristic.

We teach children to show dignity and respect to every person. Reports are investigated and addressed in accordance with our Relationships and Behaviour Policy, Anti-Bullying procedures and safeguarding responsibilities.

Attendance and Children Missing Education

Regular attendance is essential for children’s education, wellbeing and safety.

Unexplained or repeated absence can sometimes be an indicator of:

neglect;
abuse or exploitation;
emotional or mental-health difficulties;
bullying;
family difficulties;
young caring responsibilities; or
a child being missing from education.

Parents and carers should inform school promptly when a child is absent and provide the reason.

We follow up unexplained absence and work with families and other agencies where attendance gives cause for concern. Safeguarding action may be taken where we cannot establish that a child is safe.

Mental Health and Safeguarding

Mental-health difficulties can sometimes be an indicator that a child has experienced or is at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Staff are not expected to diagnose mental-health conditions. They are trained to notice changes, listen to children, record concerns and seek appropriate support.

We teach children to:

recognise and name emotions;
use safe coping strategies;
identify trusted adults;
understand when feelings may need further support; and
seek help for themselves or another person.

Further information can be found on our Mental Health and Wellbeing page.

Safer Recruitment

St Mary’s follows safer-recruitment procedures when appointing staff and engaging volunteers.

These include:

appropriate identity and qualification checks;
Disclosure and Barring Service checks;
references and employment-history checks;
online searches for shortlisted candidates where appropriate;
safeguarding questions during selection;
recording required checks on the Single Central Record; and
clear expectations about professional conduct.

All visitors and volunteers are appropriately supervised and follow the school’s safeguarding procedures.

Concerns About an Adult Working With Children

Any concern about the behaviour of a member of staff, supply teacher, volunteer, contractor or other adult working with children must be reported.

This includes behaviour that may:

have harmed a child;
have placed a child at risk of harm;
indicate that the adult may pose a risk to children;
involve a possible criminal offence;
breach professional boundaries; or
be inconsistent with the school’s staff code of conduct.

Concerns about an adult should be reported to Mrs Katie Jones, Headteacher.

If the concern relates to the Headteacher, it should be reported to the Chair of Governors through the school office.

Where required, the school will seek advice from Lancashire’s Local Authority Designated Officer and follow the statutory allegations procedures.

Concerns should not be investigated independently by the person reporting them.

Low-Level Concerns

A low-level concern is any concern about an adult’s behaviour towards a child that may be inconsistent with the staff code of conduct but does not appear to meet the threshold for an allegation.

The term “low level” does not mean that the concern is unimportant.

Examples may include:

being over-friendly with a child;
having favourites;
taking photographs contrary to school procedures;
communicating with a child through a personal account;
using inappropriate or humiliating language; or
behaving in a way that could be misunderstood.

Low-level concerns should be reported to the Headteacher so that they can be recorded, reviewed and addressed appropriately.

Whistleblowing

Staff and volunteers should be able to raise concerns about poor or unsafe safeguarding practice.

If a member of staff feels unable to raise a concern internally or believes that a genuine safeguarding concern is not being addressed, they should follow the school’s Whistleblowing Policy.

The NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line also provides information for professionals.

Information Sharing and Confidentiality

Effective safeguarding depends upon appropriate information sharing.

Data protection law does not prevent information from being shared when this is necessary and proportionate to protect a child.

Safeguarding records are:

accurate and factual;
dated and securely stored;
kept separately from general pupil records;
shared only with those who need the information;
transferred securely when a child changes school; and
retained in accordance with legal and local requirements.

The child’s safety and welfare remain the central consideration.

Safeguarding Training

All staff receive safeguarding and child-protection training at induction and regular updates throughout their employment.

Staff are expected to:

read the required parts of Keeping Children Safe in Education;
understand the school’s safeguarding systems;
know the safeguarding leads;
recognise possible indicators of abuse, neglect and exploitation;
respond appropriately to disclosures;
record and report concerns promptly;
understand online-safety risks;
follow the staff code of conduct;
report concerns about adults; and
maintain professional curiosity.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead receive enhanced training appropriate to their roles.

Our Safeguarding Curriculum

Safeguarding is taught throughout school life rather than confined to individual lessons.

Children learn how to keep themselves and others safe through:

PSHE and Relationships and Health Education;
Ten Ten Life to the Full;
Computing and online safety;
Religious Education;
the behaviour curriculum;
anti-bullying work;
road, water and fire safety;
first aid;
visits and external speakers;
assemblies and collective worship; and
everyday conversations with trusted adults.

Learning includes:

healthy and unhealthy relationships;
body privacy and boundaries;
trusted adults;
safe and unsafe secrets;
bullying and discrimination;
online relationships and reporting;
mental health and help-seeking;
medicines and substances;
consent at an age-appropriate level;
emergency help; and
responsible choices.

Teaching is matched to children’s age and developmental stage. Pupils with SEND receive appropriate adaptation and additional repetition without being denied essential protective knowledge.

Working With Parents and Other Agencies

Safeguarding is most effective when school, families and professionals work together.

We may work with:

Lancashire Children’s Services;
Lancashire Police;
health professionals;
mental-health services;
early-help practitioners;
attendance services;
SEND and specialist services;
the Local Authority Designated Officer;
Prevent professionals; and
other appropriate agencies.

Information is shared lawfully, proportionately and in the child’s best interests.

Safeguarding Documents

The following documents should be available through links at the bottom of this page:

Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026
Staff Code of Conduct
Relationships and Behaviour Policy
Anti-Bullying Policy
Online Safety Policy
Filtering and Monitoring Information
Attendance Policy
Children Missing Education procedures
Safer Recruitment Policy
Allegations Against Staff procedures
Low-Level Concerns procedures
Whistleblowing Policy
Prevent Risk Assessment
Health and Safety Policy
Educational Visits Policy
Managing Medicines Policy
First Aid Policy
Intimate Care Policy
Data Protection Policy
Complaints Policy

Useful Safeguarding Links

This gives you the complete main safeguarding page. The next connected page should be the more visual and practical Online Safety for Families guide.