Safeguarding

Prestbury CE Primary School takes seriously its responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of children and young people in its care. ‘The welfare of children is paramount’ (The Children Act 1989).

Section 175 of the Education Act 2002 (Section 157 for Independent schools) places a statutory responsibility on the governing board to have policies and procedures in place that safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are pupils at the school.

We follow the Keeping children safe in education a statutory guidance for schools and colleges from the DfE.

Our Safeguarding Policy can be found in the ‘Policy’ sections of this website, including a child friendly version of the policy.

Key Safeguarding Contacts in School

David Capener

CO-HEAD TEACHER

Designated Safeguarding Lead, Staff Governor

Samantha Townes

CO-HEAD TEACHER / SENCO

Designated Safeguarding Lead, SENCo, Staff Governor

At Prestbury CE Primary School, the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people is of paramount importance. Parents and carers rightly expect that when they send their child to school, they are entering a safe, secure and nurturing environment where they can flourish. We are fully committed to making this a reality, and a wide range of safeguarding measures are in place to support this commitment — these can be found under our ‘Policies’ tab.

Our Governing Board plays a key role in maintaining high standards of safeguarding. They regularly review policies and receive termly safeguarding updates from the Co-Head Teachers as part of their report. The Governing Board also appoints a named Governor for Child Protection and Looked After Children, whose details can be found on our Governor Information page.

Safeguarding children and young people is everyone’s responsibility.
Should you have any concerns about a child you can contact CHECs
0300 123 5012 (option 3)
If you need to contact someone out of hours and you believe it to be an emergency that can’t wait, please call our Emergency Duty Team on 0300 123 5022.

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a unique Police and Education early intervention safeguarding partnership which supports children and young people exposed to domestic abuse.

Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools before the start of the next school day when a child or young person has been involved or exposed to a domestic abuse incident the previous evening.

The information is given in strict confidence to a school’s Key Adult to enable support to be given dependent on the needs and wishes of the child.

Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of the NAHT

“For schools to be able to effectively play their part in supporting children who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence early information is essential. This simple but invaluable sharing of information will help schools prepare for the needs and potential behaviours of a child immediately following an incident. Schools already work closely with police and social services but early notification can only strengthen that relationship improving the overall support to the child.”

Bradley Simmons, South West Regional Director, OFSTED

“… actually Operation Encompass is doing exactly the right thing”

Online Safety

At Prestbury CE Primary School, we take online safety extremely seriously and are committed to helping our children and families navigate the digital world safely. We offer parent workshops throughout the year to provide valuable information and practical advice on how to keep children safe online at home.

To further support families, we send home weekly information sheets that include a new online safety poster provided by The National College. These posters are designed to help parents stay informed about a wide range of important topics, including social media use, gaming, privacy settings, and more. Our goal is to work in partnership with parents to create a safer digital environment for children both at home and at school.

In school, every computing lesson begins with a SMART starter, reinforcing key messages about staying safe online. Our SMART approach teaches children to:
S – Stay Safe: Keep personal details private, such as name, address, phone number, and school name.
M – Meeting: Never meet someone you’ve only spoken to online unless a trusted adult is present.
A – Accepting: Be cautious when accepting emails, messages, or files from unknown sources.
R – Reliable: Remember that not everything online is true—always check information with trusted sources.
T – Tell: If anything online makes you feel uncomfortable or unsure, always tell a trusted adult or teacher.

Through consistent teaching and strong home-school partnerships, we aim to empower our pupils to become responsible, confident, and safe digital citizens.

Organisations available for Help and Support

LOCAL AUTHORITY DESIGNATED OFFICER (LADO)

lado@cheshireeast.gov.uk

01606 288931

The Cheshire East Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (CESCP) is a partnership of all the different organisations working to protect children and young people across the county. Their website brings together information for children, young people and their families and the professionals who work with them.

NSPCC HELPLINE

The NSPCC helpline is staffed by trained professionals who can provide expert advice and support. We’re here if you’re concerned about a child, if you’re a parent or carer looking for advice, or if you’re a professional in need of information and guidance.

Whatever your worry – call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, email us, or submit our online form – we can help. We also have advice about spotting the signs of abuse. You can call Monday to Friday 8am – 10pm or 9am – 6pm at the weekends, or email us at any time. It’s free and you don’t have to say who you are.

NSPCC SEXUAL HARASSMENT OR ABUSE HELPLINE

The DfE have commissioned the NSPCC to operate a helpline for children and young people who have experienced sexual harassment or abuse at school, and for worried adults and professionals that need support and guidance. More information can be found here.

Phone: 0800 136 663 or Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

Prestbury CE Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support children, families and staff at school.
We ensure that all staff receive appropriate training, guidance and support to undertake the effective safeguarding of children.
Any concerns are passed through the designated safeguarding leaders within the school.

Useful Links

For further information about safeguarding in education, please see the links below.

Safeguarding

Key Safeguarding Contacts in School

David Capener

CO-HEAD TEACHER

Samantha Townes

CO-HEAD TEACHER / SENCO

Safeguarding children and young people is everyone’s responsibility.

Operation Encompass

Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of the NAHT

Bradley Simmons, South West Regional Director, OFSTED

Online Safety

Organisations available for Help and Support

Useful Links

USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT SAFEGUARDING IN EDUCATION

USEFUL E-SAFETY WEBSITE FOR ADULTS

USEFUL E-SAFETY WEBSITE FOR ADULTS

REQUEST FOR COPIES

OUR LINKS

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