Safeguarding

St. Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and visitors to share this commitment.  Safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone and concerns must always be reported. Our Designated Leads for Safeguarding and Child Protection are Shaun Dillon, the Head teacher and our Kerry Cottiss our Assistant Headteacher. Our Deputy Designated Leads are Ms Lisa Shepherd our year 6 teacher and SENDCo, Miss Laura Taylor our School Business Manager and Mrs Hannah Stephens our early Years Lead.

The School Governor responsible for Child Protection and Safeguarding is Mr Ian Pearson and his contact details are available from the the school office if you feel that you have concerns that cannot be dealt with by the designated staff at the school.

All staff receive regular training in Safeguarding and Child Protection and we work is close partnership with North Tyneside Council's safeguarding team, Clennell Education Solutions and we endeavour to establish effective working relationships with parents, carers and colleagues from other agencies in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) and Local Safeguarding Partners’ Procedures. If you have a concern about a child outside of school hours you can contact North Tyneside Front Door for advice, their number is 0345 2000 109 and you  can find more information on safeguarding in North Tyneside on the North Tyneside Safeguarding Children Partnership website.

Work on keeping our children, staff and families safe is built in throughout our curriculum and highlighted daily. not just through theme days and weeks. We have a range of resources and policies which we use with children regularly and you can find copies of these below including our safeguarding and Child Protection Policy written for children and Keeping Safe and Happy at School guidance for all classes.

What is the Prevent strategy ?

Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming radicalised - terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes. The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes.

How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?

The Department for Education’s (DfE's) ‘Prevent’ duty states that we must:

“safeguard children and young people in England from extremists and extremist views in school and in out-of-school hours learning and stop young people from becoming radicalised or acting on extreme views.”

From July 2015 all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence. Importantly, St Cuthbert’s can provide a safe place for children to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.

What does this mean in practice?

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society, through our curriculum, particularly our Compassion Matters programme.

These include:

• Exploring other cultures and religions and celebrating and promoting diversity.
• Challenging prejudices and racist comments.
• Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self -identity.
• Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all children and staff.

We also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into schools. Different schools will carry out the Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age of the children and the needs of the community.

How does Prevent relate to global values?

Schools have been required to promote values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our response to the Prevent strategy.

Our values include:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty and mutual respect
• Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?

The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which many not be appropriate for younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance, diversity, equity and mutual respect.

Is extremism really a risk in our area?

Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these may be a bigger threat in our area than others. We will give children the skills to protect them from any extremist views they may encounter.

KEY TERMS

• Extremism - vocal or active opposition to fundamental values such as democracy, the rule of law and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
• Ideology - a set of beliefs
• Terrorism - a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological cause.
• Radicalisation - the process someone goes through when they start to believe extremist ideas and develop support for terrorism.

Where to go for more information?

Contact the school office. If you have any questions or concerns about the Prevent strategy and what it means for your child please contact the school.

You will find more information about spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and values on our website and in our school newsletters each week.

ACT Early

ACT Early - Counter Terrorism Policing safeguarding website

THE impact of Covid-19, social isolation and a rise in hateful extremism online is creating a ‘perfect storm’ which is making more young people vulnerable to radicalisation and other forms of grooming.

But parents, friends and families can now get specialist support to stop their loved ones being drawn into harmful activities or groups, with the launch of ACT Early - a new dedicated safeguarding website and advice line from the specialists at Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP). This resource will provide advice, guidance and support for anyone who is concerned that someone they know may be at risk from being radicalised by terrorists or extremist content online.

North Tyneside Prevent

If you're worried about someone being drawn into extremism or terrorism or you are unsure what to do, you can contact the council’s Emergency Planning and Community Safety Team

via emergencyplanning@northtyneside.gov.uk

Police

In an emergency where your own or others' safety is at risk call 999 or 101 in non-emergency.

Anti-Terrorist Hotline

If you are concerned about a person may do something to harm themselves and/or other people, you can call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321

You can also report any illegal terrorist information, pictures, videos found on the internet through the Government's website.

Useful Links

NSPCC

Educate Against Hate