Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Mrs Gail Reader.

Our Deputy DSL is Miss Lynne Turner.

They can be contacted via the office on 01772 421909.

Alternatively, email dsl@lsmchs.com 

 

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Updated: 22/02/2024 479 KB

  • Education Act 2002: Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 requires local education authorities and the governors of maintained schools and further education (FE) colleges to make arrangements to ensure that their functions are carried out with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
  • Section 157 of the same act and the Education (Independent Schools Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 require proprietors of independent schools (including academies and city technology colleges) to have arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are pupils at the school.
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 sets out organisational responsibilities for schools and colleges and this applies to maintained, independent, academies, free schools and alternative non provision academies
  • Keeping children safe in education 2016: Statutory guidance for schools and colleges 2016 was issued under Section 175 of the Education Act 2002, the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and the Education (Non-Maintained Special Schools) (England) Regulations 2011. This contains information on what schools and colleges should do and sets out the legal duties with which schools must comply
  • What to do if you are worried a child is being abused
  • Guidance for Safer Working Practice
  • The Children Act 1989
  • The Children Act 2004

St Mary’s Catholic High School recognises that high self-esteem, confidence, peer support and clear lines of communication with trusted adults helps all children, especially those at risk of, or suffering abuse. We therefore ensure that:

  • ALL staff, volunteers and governors contribute to an ethos where children feel secure and safe
  • ALL children have opportunities to communicate and know that they are listened to
  • ALL children's wishes, feelings and views will be taken into account when decisions are being made about how to keep them safe
  • ALL children know that they can communicate with any adult in school if they are worried or in difficulty
  • ALL staff and volunteers will contribute to providing a curriculum which will equip children with the skills they need to stay safe and be able to communicate when they do not feel safe
  • ALL staff and volunteers will contribute to providing a curriculum which will help children develop an attitude which will enable them to enter adulthood successfully and reach their full potential
  • ALL staff, volunteers and governors will establish effective, supportive and positive relationships with parents, carers, pupils and professionals

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to providing the relevant personnel with clear and explicit roles and responsibilities to ensure accountability when safeguarding children. We therefore ensure that:

All adults, including volunteers, working in or on behalf of the school will:

  • Demonstrate an understanding that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility
  • Maintain and demonstrate a mind set of "it could happen here"
  • Do all they can within the capacity of their role, to keep ensure that children are protected from harm
  • Do all they can within the capacity of their role, to ensure that children grow up in circumstances consistent with safe and effective care
  • Do all they can within the capacity of their role, to ensure that children have the best outcomes
  • Report cases of suspected abuse to the DSL. This will be done as soon as possible using the school's agreed format
  • Report lower level concerns to the DSL using the school's agreed format
  • Monitor all pupils, particularly those that are deemed vulnerable
  • Report any concerns regarding adults conduct to the DSL or Headteacher
  • Ensure that the policies, procedures and training in St Mary’s Catholic High School are effective and comply with the law at all times
  • Ensure that safeguarding policies and procedures are followed by all staff
  • Put in place safeguarding responses in cases where children go missing from education
  • Appoint a DSL and back-ups and ensure that they are provided with appropriate support, funding, resources and time to carry out their role
  • Ensure the school or college contributes to inter-agency working in line with statutory guidance Working together to safeguard children
  • Ensure that safeguarding procedures take into account local guidance including Risk Management Toolkit and Lancashire Continuum of Need and Thresholds Guidance
  • Ensure that staff members undergo safeguarding training at induction
  • Ensure that DSLs and all staff, volunteers and Governors are trained and updated regarding safeguarding regularly in compliance with Keeping Children Safe in Education
  • ensure that children are safe online by ensuring that appropriate filters and monitoring systems are in place
  • ensure that children are taught about safeguarding
  • prevent people who pose a risk of harm from working with children
  • ensure there are procedures in place to handle allegations against teachers, headteachers, principals, volunteers and other staff
  • ensure staff in school are aware of, and policies reflect, an understanding of specific issues such as peer on peer abuse and safeguarding children with disabilities and special educational needs
  • ensure that all practice and procedures operate with the best interests of the child at their heart
  • appoint a designated teacher to promote the education of CLA
  • ensure that all staff are aware of safeguarding issues and vulnerabilities associated with CLA
  • take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection
  • manage referrals to Children's Social Care, Police and other agencies
  • work with others in order to improve outcomes for children
  • attend DSL training every 2 years
  • undertake Prevent awareness training
  • update their skills and knowledge on a regular basis, but at least annually
  • raise awareness of safeguarding throughout school
  • ensure that this policy is reviewed annually and is available publicly
  • maintain, update and amend the school's safeguarding portfolio regularly
  • ensure that parents are aware of schools responsibilities regarding safeguarding and child protection
  • maintain accurate safeguarding records that are stored securely
  • be available during school hours
  • arrange cover of DSL role for any out of hours/out of term activities
  • represent school in multi-agency meetings
  • be provided with appropriate support and supervision in order to carry out the role safely and effectively

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to providing staff and volunteers with the skills and knowledge needed to safeguard children. We therefore ensure that:

  • ALL staff and volunteers will receive Level 1 & 2 Safeguarding Training on induction using LCC Safeguarding Induction Pack which includes Keeping Children Safe in Education (Part One), Guidance for Safer Working Practice, Code of Conduct and Whistleblowing Policy.
  • ALL staff and volunteers will receive Level 1 & 2 Safeguarding Training annually
  • the DSL/s will provide ALL staff, volunteers and governors with regular safeguarding updates
  • ALL staff, volunteers and governors will read and show an understanding of any updates that are provided
  • DSLs will attend DSL training every 2 years
  • DSLs will update their knowledge, skills and understanding of relevant safeguarding issues on a regular basis
  • the main DSL will undertake Prevent awareness training
  • at least one member of staff and one governor will attend Safer Recruitment Training. This will be renewed at least every 5 years
  • ALL staff, volunteers and governors will undertake any additional training on matters such as Child Sexual Exploitation, Prevent, Peer on Peer abuse, Online Safety etc as is deemed necessary by the SLT
  • any staff member will discuss any specific training requirements or gaps in knowledge or understanding with the DSL/s

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to PREVENTING abuse, PROTECTING children from abuse and SUPPORTING those involved in cases of abuse. We therefore ensure that:

  • ALL staff and volunteers understand the importance of teaching children how to keep themselves safe from all types of abuse
  • ALL staff and volunteers seek out opportunities that are relevant to their role, to teach children the skills to keep themselves safe
  • ALL staff and volunteers make and maintain positive and supportive relationships with children which enable children to feel safe and valued
  • safeguarding has a high status throughout school by being on the agenda at staff meetings/briefings, information being readily available on notice boards, regular updates
  • ALL staff feel confident in approaching DSLs to raise concerns
  • ALL staff and volunteers have an understanding of the four categories of abuse; NEGLECT, EMOTIONAL ABUSE, SEXUAL ABUSE, PHYSICAL ABUSE.
  • ALL staff and volunteers understand that there are other ways in which children can be abused such as; Online, Child Sexual Exploitation, Female Genital Mutilation, Honour Based Violence, Radicalisation, Trafficking, Slavery, Peer Abuse, Forced Marriage and others
  • ALL staff and volunteers have the knowledge, skills and expertise to recognise the signs and symptoms of all types of abuse
  • DSLs keep up to date with emerging and specific safeguarding issues and update training and the School's Safeguarding Portfolio accordingly
  • DSLs update staff and volunteers knowledge and understanding of such issues in order for them to be able to identify children who are at risk of such specific safeguarding issues
  • ALL staff and volunteers will maintain and demonstrate an attitude of "it can happen here"
  • ALL staff and volunteers are child-centred in their practice and act in the best interests of the child at all times
  • ALL staff recognise and understand that behaviour can be a child's way of communicating distress and changes to behaviour may be an indicator of abuse
  • ALL staff and volunteers have the skills to respond appropriately and sensitively to disclosures or allegations of abuse
  • ALL staff and volunteers report cases of suspected abuse to the DSL. This will be done as soon as possible using the school's agreed format
  • where a child is at risk of immediate harm, ALL staff understand that they must refer to the Police or Children's Social Care
  • ALL staff and visitors know how to refer to Children's Social Care
  • DSLs will make a Section 47 referral to Children's Social Care where a child is in need of protection, has been significantly harmed or is at risk of significant harm, using Lancashire Continuum of Need and Thresholds Guidance and Risk Management Toolkit to determine whether this threshold has been met
  • this referral will be done by telephone and followed with a CSC Referral Form as soon as possible
  • consent from parents/carers and child (if age appropriate) will be sought prior to this referral, except where this will cause delay or place anyone at risk
  • where consent is not given, parents and carers are informed that a referral will still be made, except where this will cause delay or place anyone at risk
  • DSLs adhere to policy, procedures and guidance from the LSCB with regard to sharing information
  • DSLs contribute to Strategy Discussions, Strategy Meetings, Initial and Review Child Protection Conferences, Core Group Meetings and other CP meetings
  • DSLs will attend CP meetings, produce and present reports, liaise with staff, work with parents, work with other agencies and ensure the voice of the child is evidenced throughout these processes
  • DSLs meet regularly to ensure that decisions made about children who are subjects of CP Plans are agreed and a clear rationale for the decision is documented
    a copy of the child's CP Plan is included in the child's individual safeguarding file
  • ALL staff and volunteers will support victims of abuse in a capacity that is relevant to their role. This will be determined by the DSL
  • DSLs will determine what information staff members need to know in order to safeguard and support children. This may be different information for different staff
    staff are offered appropriate support and/or supervision that is relevant to their role or involvement in particular cases
  • communication and work with parents and carers will always be undertaken in a supportive manner and in the best interests of the child
  • ALL staff understand that children who perpetrate abuse or display harmful behaviour should be treated as victims first and foremost and supported in the same way a victim of abuse would be supported
  • specific programmes of work and support are offered to children and families who are vulnerable
  • Risk Assessments will be undertaken where a child's behaviour poses a risk to others, themselves or the environment

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to ensuring the appropriate level of support is offered to a "Child in Need" and their family. We therefore ensure that:

  • DSLs will make a Section 17 referral to Children's Social Care where Early Help has not been successful in reducing risk and meeting unmet needs using Lancashire Continuum of Need and Thresholds Guidance and CSC referral form
  • DSLs will make a Section 17 referral to Children's Social Care where there is evidence that the Level 3 threshold has been met on the Continuum of Need
  • this will be determined and assessed by the DSL using the Lancashire Continuum of Need and Thresholds Guidance and the Risk Management Toolkit
  • DSLs will obtain parental consent for the referral and for information to be shared, prior to contacting Children's Social Care
  • when consent is not given, DSLs will continue to offer Early Help, gather evidence of engagement or lack thereof, disguised compliance, impact on the child, increase in risk or level of unmet need, improvements or deteriorations
  • DSLs will review such cases regularly and assess whether there is evidence that meets Level 4 threshold on the Continuum of Need. In such cases Child Protection Procedures will be followed
  • DSLs contribute to Child in Need Meetings and Reviews
  • DSLs will attend CiN meetings, produce and present reports, liaise with staff, work with parents, work with other agencies and ensure the voice of the child is evidenced throughout these processes
  • DSLs will meet regularly to ensure that decisions made about children who are subjects of CiN Plans are agreed and a clear rationale for the decision is documented
    a copy of the child's CiN Plan is included in the child's individual safeguarding file

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to providing our families with the right help at the right time. We therefore ensure that:

  • ALL staff and volunteers can identify the risk factors that indicate a family or pupil may benefit from Early Help
  • ALL staff and volunteers will use the school's agreed format for letting the DSL know about Early Help requirements
  • DSLs will undertake a CAF assessment, when appropriate, to identify what Early Help is required
  • DSLs will signpost and refer to appropriate support agencies
  • DSLs will lead on TAF meetings where is it appropriate for them to do so
  • DSLs will refer to CSC where Early Help has not been successful in reducing risk and meeting unmet needs using Lancashire Continuum of Need and Thresholds Guidance and CSC referral form
  • DSLs will utilise Wellbeing, Prevention and Early Help services by using Request for Service form
  • DSLs and other identified staff will identify and work with any organisations that are relevant in meeting the needs of pupils and their families
  • DSLs and other identified staff will initiate and maintain positive and supportive relationships with parents and carers of children who may benefit from Early Help

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to keeping our children safe from specific forms of abuse. We therefore ensure that:

ALL staff and volunteers understand that there are specific and emerging ways in which children can be abused, such as:

Radicalisation refers to the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism, there is no single way of identifying an individual who is likely to be susceptible to an extremist ideology.

  • ALL staff and volunteers will have 'due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’, known as the ‘Prevent Duty’
  • ALL staff and volunteers will have a general understanding of how to identify a child who may be at risk of radicalisation
  • ALL staff and volunteers will use professional judgement in identifying children who might be at risk of radicalisation and act proportionately
  • The school Online Safety Policy will ensure the safety of children by ensuring they cannot access terrorist and extremist material when using the internet and that suitable filtering software is in place
  • DSLs understand when it is appropriate to make a referral to the Channel Panel

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people may receive something (e.g. food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, gifts or simply affection) as a result of engaging in sexual activities. The perpetrator will not only groom the victim (possibly over a long period of time) but will always hold some kind of power which increases as the exploitative relationship develops. Sexual exploitation involves a degree of coercion, intimidation or enticement, including unwanted pressures from peers to have sex, sexual bullying including on line bullying (cyberbullying) and grooming. It is important to recognise that some young people who are being sexually exploited do not exhibit any external signs of this abuse.

  • The school curriculum (whereby sexual relationships/PSHE is delivered) will include relevant information around the risks associated with CSE
  • The school Online Safety Policy will ensure the safety of children by ensuring they cannot access inappropriate material when using the internet and that suitable filtering software is in place

Honour Based Violence (HBV) 'A crime or incident, which has or may have been committed, to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or community'. (ACPO Working Definition 2008) ALL staff and volunteers will have a general understanding of how to identify a child who may be at risk of Honour Based Violence.

Forced Marriage is one whereby one or both parties do not consent to marriage but are forced to do so through violence, threats or any form of coercion. Schools play an important role in safeguarding children from being forced to marry.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is encompassed within the term Honour Based Violence

  • ALL staff and volunteers are aware of the "one chance rule" and will report all cases of suspected Honour Based Violence to the DSL immediately
  • FGM is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences
  • ALL staff need to be alert to the possibility of when a female pupil may be at risk of FGM or when it may have been conducted on them
  • DSLs must report to the police cases where they discover that an act of FGM, Forced Marriage or other HBV appears to have taken place

Modern Slavery The Modern Slavery Act 2015 places a new statutory duty on public authorities, including schools, to notify the National Crime Agency (NCA) (section 52 of the Act) on observing signs or receiving intelligence relating to modern slavery. The public authority (including schools) bears this obligation where it has ‘reasonable grounds to believe that a person may be a victim of slavery or human trafficking’.

  • Staff must be aware of the above and contact the DSL should they suspect or receive information that either parents or their children may be victims of modern slavery. The DSL should then contact the NCA

Peer on Peer Abuse occurs when a young person is exploited, bullied and / or harmed by their peers who are the same or similar age; everyone directly involved in peer on peer abuse is under the age of 18.

  • ALL staff and volunteers understand that children can abuse other children
  • ALL staff and volunteers will inform the DSL of suspected peer abuse
  • Peer on peer abuse will be taken as seriously as any other form of abuse
  • Physical abuse between peers will be managed under the school's Behaviour Policy
  • Emotional abuse between peers will be managed under the school's Anti-Bullying Policy
  • Harmful sexual behaviour will be identified and managed using the Brook Traffic Light Tool and with support and guidance from LCC Schools Safeguarding Officer
    Sexting will be managed on a case by case basis using national and local guidance and advice from LCC Schools Safeguarding Officer
  • In cases of suspected or actual peer on peer abuse a risk assessment w
  • ll be undertaken and appropriate and proportionate control measures put in place to manage and reduce risk. Seek advice from LCC Schools Safeguarding Officer
    Referrals to Children's Social Care, Police and/or other appropriate agencies will be made where thresholds are met

Children Missing from Education can be a potential sign of abuse or neglect including sexual exploitation, undergoing female genital mutilation, forced marriage or travelling to conflict zones.

  • ALL staff and volunteers follow school procedures when a child misses education particularly on repeat occasions to help identify the risk of abuse and neglect
  • The school Attendance Policy is up to date, reviewed annually and includes reference to CME
  • There is an admissions policy and an attendance register
  • The Local Authority is informed of any pupil who fails to attend school regularly, or has been absent without the schools permission for a continuous period of 10 school days or more

For all specific safeguarding issues, DSLs will seek advice from LCC Schools Safeguarding Officer and follow national and local guidance that can be accessed in the School's Safeguarding Portfolio:

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to keeping pupils safe online. We therefore ensure that:

ALL staff and volunteers understand that children can be harmed online via hurtful and abusive messages, enticing children to engage in age inappropriate conversations, sharing and production of indecent images or encouraging risk taking behaviour

The school’s Online Safety Policy details how we keep pupils safe when using the internet and mobile technology

Online bullying by pupils, via texts and emails, will be treated as seriously as any other type of bullying and will be managed through our Anti-bullying / Behaviour Policy

There is a clear and explicit procedure for dealing with mobile phones that are brought into school by children

DfE advice; Searching, Screening and Confiscation is followed where there is a need to search a pupil for a mobile device

When school become aware of an online safety issue that has occurred outside of school, it is managed in accordance with the school Online Safety Policy

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to recording all matters relating to the welfare of children in a relevant format. We therefore ensure that:

  • DSLs will refer to LCC Record Keeping Guidance to assist them in creating and maintaining accurate safeguarding records
  • there is an agreed format for reporting all matters relating to child wellbeing, from an early help requirement or "niggle", to a disclosure of abuse
  • ALL staff use the agreed format for passing on concerns
  • concerns should be factual and evidence based
  • concerns should be passed directly to the DSL
  • ALL concern logs will be kept either in whole school safeguarding files or in an individual pupil safeguarding file
  • a pupil will have an individual safeguarding file when there has been a number of concerns, an offer of Early Help or the family is, or has been at Level 2 or above on the Continuum of Need
  • DSLs will record all discussions, decisions and rationale behind decisions and sharing of information in the child's records
  • DSLs will record evidence of child's wishes, professional challenge, offers of early help and multi-agency working
  • when individual pupils are discussed during staff meetings, such as supervision, staff updates or risk assessments etc. pupil information should be anonymised or stored in a secure manner
  • all safeguarding records will be stored securely in a locked room/cabinet
  • only DSLs and other named staff will have access to safeguarding records
  • a pupil's safeguarding file will be transferred, in its entirety, to the educational establishment where the child moves to, unless there is ongoing legal action
  • the safeguarding file will be hand delivered to the DSL at the receiving school. If this is not possible, the safeguarding file will be sent by recorded delivery
  • a receipt will be obtained at time of transfer and the responsibility for the safeguarding records will pass to the receiving school
  • the educational establishment where the pupil attends at statutory school leaving age (18) will securely retain the safeguarding records until the child's 25th birthday. Safeguarding records will then be destroyed securely
  • advice will be sought from legal services and/or Schools Safeguarding Officer if any staff are unclear about any aspects of safeguarding record keeping

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to keeping pupils safe by ensuring that adults who work or volunteer in school are safe to do so. We therefore ensure that:

  • LCC Human Resources guidance is adhered to, to ensure that there is a strong reference and commitment to safeguarding during advertisement, selection and recruitment of new staff
  • at least one governor and one staff member have attended Safer Recruitment Training in the last 5 years
  • there are at least 2 people on each selection panel and at least one person on every selection panel has attended Safer Recruitment Training
  • ALL staff will monitor the conduct of all adults who come into contact with children at school and report any concerns to the DSL, headteacher or Chair of Governors as appropriate
  • relevant, proportionate and lawful checks are undertaken on all adults who regularly work at, or visit the school
  • a Single Central Record is kept of checks that are undertaken on all adults who regularly work at, or visit the school
  • the SCR is stored securely and only accessed by designated staff and governors
  • DSLs/HT/Safeguarding Governor should evidence regular oversight/scrutiny of the SCR using the SCR Audit Sheet
  • evidence of staff members identity, required qualifications and the right to work in the UK will be kept in individual personnel files
  • covering (umbrella) letters will be obtained from agencies and other employers that provide staff to work in school
  • individual identity checks will be undertaken on those staff detailed above to ensure they are employees of the named agency/employer
  • a transfer of control agreement will be used where other agencies/organisations use school premises and are not operating under school's safeguarding policies and procedures
  • adults who are involved in the management or provision of child care of children in Early Years, or in out of school provision for children up to 8 years old, will make a declaration that they are not disqualified under the Child Care Act 2006.
  • this declaration will be renewed annually and evidenced using LCC Declaration Form. This form will be retained and stored securely
  • when an issue is declared, advice will be sought from Ofsted about the need to apply for a waiver. If a waiver is necessary, a risk assessment will be carried out and proportionate measures put in place until a waiver has been issued or matters resolved otherwise disqualification@ofsted.gov.uk
  • advice will be sought from Human Resources, LADO and/or Schools Safeguarding Officer if any staff are unclear about any aspects of Safer Recruitment

St Mary’s Catholic High School understands that when an allegation is made against a member of staff, set procedures must be followed. We therefore ensure that:

  • all staff are aware of the requirement to, and process of referring allegations against staff to the headteacher
  • all staff are aware of the requirement to, and process of referring allegations against the headteahcer to the nominated Governor
  • The headteacher and/or Chair of Governors will discuss the allegation with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
  • LSCB procedures for dealing with allegations against staff will be followed http://panlancashirescb.proceduresonline.com/chapters/p_allegations.html 
  • All staff remember that the welfare of the child is paramount and that they have a duty to inform the DSL if any adult's conduct gives cause for concern
  • All concerns of poor practice or possible child abuse by colleagues should be reported to the headteacher.
  • Complaints about the headteacher should be reported to the Chair of Governors
  • All staff are aware of the school’s Whistleblowing Policy which enables staff to raise concerns or allegations in confidence and for a sensitive enquiry to take place

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to keeping pupils safe by ensuring that visitors to school do not pose a risk to children at our school. We therefore ensure that:

  • visitors to school sign in and wear identification (badge/sticker/lanyard) to indicate they have done so
  • ALL staff and children, where appropriate, will challenge visitors to school who are not wearing correct identification
  • visitors sign out and remove/hand in their identification when they leave the school
  • visitors are aware of who to speak to if they are worried about a child during their visit
  • visitors are accompanied during their visit, when children are present, unless they have undergone relevant checks and these are accepted and verified by DSL or headteacher
  • visitors will behave in a way that is compliant with the school's Code of Conduct
  • visitors will not use mobile phones or other similar electronic devices during their visit unless agreed by the headteacher or DSL.
  • visitors will not initiate contact or conversations with pupils unless this is relevant and appropriate to the reason for their visit
  • when there are several visitors to the school at the same time (such as for an assembly etc) there will be adequate staff supervision of children and visitors. A risk assessment will be undertaken if deemed necessary or appropriate
  • when visitors are undertaking activities with children, content of the activity will be agreed with the headteacher or DSL, prior to the visit

St Mary’s Catholic High School is committed to keeping pupils safe by ensuring that electronic devices such as cameras, phones and tablets are used in an appropriate manner. School will therefore ensure that:

  • parental consent is obtained to take and use photographs and/or videos of children
  • parental consent is obtained for photographs to be taken by the media for use in relation to promoting or publishing the school
  • separate parental consent is obtained if any other agency requests to take photographs of any child
  • parental consent will be valid for 5 years but may be sought more regularly at the discretion of the headteacher
  • images will be uploaded to, and stored in a secure place for a relevant amount of time, this may be for longer than the child is at school if appropriate
  • photographs and videos of children are only taken to provide evidence of their achievements for developmental records or for other school related purposes
  • staff, visitors, volunteers and students do not use their own mobile phones to take or record any images of children
  • the school's digital camera/s or memory cards must not leave the school setting unless this is agreed by the headteacher for official school business
  • photos are printed/uploaded in the setting by staff and once done images are t immediately removed from the cameras memory
  • parents are reminded frequently of the risks associated with posting images of children to social media
  • parents are reminded frequently that they are not permitted to distribute or post images that contain children other than their own
  • staff, volunteers and visitors will not use mobile phones in toilet or changing areas
  • The Code of Conduct and/or Acceptable Use/Behaviour Policy will outline when and where staff, volunteers and visitors can use their mobile phones
  • ALL staff, volunteers and visitors will adhere to the above policies and failure to do so will be addressed appropriately by the headteacher and/or the Governing Body
  • Pupils' use of mobile phones and other devices will be managed under the school's Home/School Agreement/Acceptable Use/Behaviour Policy/Online Safety policy/Mobile Phone Policy
  • DFE Advice; Searching, Screening and Confiscation is followed where there is a need to search a pupil for a mobile device