Safeguarding

 Please click on the link to read our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 Please click here to read DfE Guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022.

 Safeguarding Statement

At Our Lady of Muswell, we are clear that safeguarding is everybody’s business and we have a strong commitment to safeguarding all our children ensuring their health, safety and well-being in all areas of our practice. 

OLM has clear procedures and key personnel in place to ensure safeguarding in all aspects of school life.

All of our staff will work to ensure that:

• Our children feel listened to, valued and respected
• Our staff are aware of indicators of abuse and know how to share their concerns appropriately
• All our paid and unpaid staff, including governors and volunteers, are subject to rigorous recruitment procedures
• All our paid and unpaid staff, including volunteers and governors, are given appropriate support and training

Teachers and all support staff in our school play a crucial role in helping to identify where there are welfare concerns, and indicators of possible abuse or neglect, at an early stage. Our Lady of Muswell is committed to referring those concerns via the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)  to the appropriate organisation, and, where appropriate, to ongoing action to meet those needs. It is vital that parents and carers understand the responsibility placed on the school and staff for child protection. Section 4.6 of our policy indicates the procedure all staff are obliged to follow if concerned about a child. 

In order to ensure that our children are adequately protected, we will ensure that:

• We have a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and three deputy safeguarding leads who will attend multi-agency training to ensure that they are fully up-to-date with all new developments and practices in safeguarding and to meet any new legislative requirements as it emerges. At OLM, our DSL is Mrs Katie Forkan. The DSL deputies are, Mrs Angela McNicholas, Mrs Colette Harrington and Ms Lorraine Haugh.
• A Designated Safeguarding Governor (DSG) is appointed at the beginning of each academic year. The DSG is our chair of governors Marco Franchi. The DSG meets at least termly, with the DSL, to review safeguarding and Safeguarding is a standing item on the FGB agenda.
• All staff are trained in Child Protection awareness at least annually.
• All staff have signed a record to show that they have read and have understood the DFE Guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022 and the OLM Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, and are aware of the indicators of child abuse and how to respond to concerns or disclosures of abuse by children
• All children and their families and/or carers have access to this Safeguarding Policy via our website. Paper copies will be made available on request.
• The safeguarding policy is reviewed on an annual basis by the DSL and the Governors

Key Areas of safeguarding responsibilities:

• Staff recruitment, vetting, appointment and training
• All aspects of child protection
• Site security and safety, including fire procedures
• Risk assessment of all activities, day trips and residential stays
• E-safety teaching, learning and procedures
• Medical and first aid procedures
• Behaviour, bullying and restraint
• Equalities and discrimination including preventing radicalisation and extremism

Separate policies and procedures are in place to fulfil our responsibility to these duties e.g. e-safety, anti-bullying, whistle-blowing.

Prevent

From the 1st July 2015, schools and childcare providers have been issued with new advice and social media guidance to help them keep children safe from the risk of radicalisation and extremism.

The advice has been published to coincide with the new prevent duty, introduced as part of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which legally requires a range of organisations including schools to take steps to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

Schools and childcare providers already play a vital role in keeping children safe from harm, including from the risks of extremism and radicalisation, and in promoting the welfare of children in their care.  The school is vigilant in ensuring children and staff are protected from any form of extremism or indoctrination. In line with the Prevent duty staff are trained and kept informed to recognise vulnerability and mitigate the risks. The school’s Catholic Social Teaching Education reinforces our commitment to equalities and includes the values of tolerance, respect, equality and kindness. Our RE curriculum dedicates a minimum of two weeks of each school year dedicated to the studying of other faiths; this promotes reflective thinking and questioning, freedom and openness as well as respect and tolerance for all faiths, within our multicultural community 

The Prevent Duty: DfE Guidance (June 2015) can be accessed here: Prevent Duty DfE Guidance Document

For any more information please view our policies page.

If you have any concerns in regards to the Safeguarding of any children at OLM please email: office@ourladymuswell.haringey.sch.uk

The school has been given the opportunity to take part in a project that will run jointly between schools and the Metropolitan Police. This is called Operation Encompass.

This means that if police are called out to a domestic abuse incident the school will be notified so that they can care for your child’s needs the following day. Operation Encompass has been designed to provide early reporting to schools of any domestic abuse incidents that occur outside of school, but which might have an impact on a child attending school the following day. This information will be shared on school days during the school term. When incidents occur on a Friday, Saturday or a Sunday, the police will contact the relevant school the following Monday.

The information is only shared with the Designated Safeguarding Lead - Mrs Forkan. The information that has been shared will be used, in confidence, to ensure that the school is able to support children and their families. Information will be shared where it is identified that a child or young person was present, witnessed or was involved in a domestic abuse incident.

We always endeavour to offer the best support possible to our pupils and believe that Operation Encompass is going to be beneficial and supportive for all concerned.

If you would like more information about this new initiative, details can be viewed online at www.operationencompass.org

A letter was sent to parents and carers informing them of our involvement in this project: Operation Encompass parent/carer letter