Meet the Safeguarding Team

If you have any concerns, please contact a member of the Safeguarding Team on 01722 333497

Mrs Helen Fielder Head of School Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) head@wyndhamstmarks.uk
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSL)
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Mr Barry Ramsay Deputy Headteacher bramsay@wyndhamstmarks.uk	Mrs A Morgan CT amorgan@wyndhamstmarks.uk
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Mrs Norma Hallet Family Support Worker nhallett@wyndhamstmarks.uk	Mrs B Dalton Teaching Assistant

Jackie Fieldwick MBE CEO of Brunel Academies Trust

If a member of staff or you have concerns which relate to the actions or behaviour of another member of staff (which could suggest that they are unsuitable to work with children) then this must be reported to the DSL in confidence who will consider what action to take.

If the concern relates to the Headteacher it should be referred to the Brunel Academies Trust CEO via her PA on carterm@brunel.org.uk who will respond.

St Mark's Safeguarding Leaflet for Visitors

Safeguarding Polices

Please note that we are continually reviewing and updating our policies

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Behaviour Policy

Brunel Academies Trust Whistleblowing Policy

Key Documents

Keeping Children Safe in Education -  September 2024 

Keeping Children Safe in Education (Part One) - September 2024

Department for Education - Working together to safeguard children information page

Regulated activity in relation to children

Guidance for safer working practice

Prevent Duty Guidance England Wales

Important Contact Details

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0300 456 0108

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) on 01722 336262 x 2779

Mental health issues, including anxiety and depression
Young Minds

Childline

Online Safety
Kidscape

NSPCC 0808 800 5000

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command 0370 496 7622 – for reporting concerns about online abuse 

NSPCC

Thinkuknow

Safeguarding at St Mark's 

St Mark’s C of E Junior School is committed to safeguarding, promoting and ensuring the well-being and safety of all pupils and expects all staff, volunteers and our school community to share this commitment.

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our commitment including our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which can be viewed in the Policies section of our website (Parent Resources).

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with their parents first unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.

We actively support the Government’s prevent agenda/strategy to counter radicalism and extremism. 

Children Protection

All staff, including temporary staff and regular volunteers are subject to stringent background checks including clearance with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to ensure their suitability for working with children.

At St Mark’s, we understand that the safety, welfare and care of children are of the utmost importance. We are therefore committed to the highest standards in protecting and safeguarding the children entrusted into our care at all times.

All staff are responsible for the safety of children. In addition, we have members of staff who are specifically trained in child protection. They are responsible for dealing with child protection concerns and ensuring that these are followed up as appropriate.

Please see the Safeguarding page for details of our Safeguarding Team.

At St Mark’s, we ensure that:

• all reasonable measures are taken to minimise the risks of harm to children’s welfare
• all appropriate actions are taken to address concerns about the welfare of a child, or children, working to agreed local policies and procedures in full partnership with other local agencies
• all persons working at this school are made aware of the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and trained annually

We recognise that some children may be the victims of neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Staff at the school will often, by virtue of their day-to-day contact and knowledge of the children, be well placed to identify such abuse and offer support to children in need.

In order to protect our children, we aim to:

• create an atmosphere where all our children can feel secure, valued and listened to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse
• respond quickly and effectively to cases of suspected abuse
• monitor and support children at risk
• use the curriculum to raise children’s awareness, build confidence and skills
• work closely with parent/carers and support external agencies
• ensure that all adults within our school/service who have access to children have been checked as to their suitability

We place high value on pastoral care and our values. We will support all children by:

• promoting a caring, safe and positive environment within the school
• encouraging self-esteem and appropriate self-assertiveness
• liaising and working together with all other support services and those agencies involved in the safeguarding of children
• notifying social care services via the approved mechanisms as soon as there is a significant concern
• providing continuing support to a child about whom there have been concerns who leaves the school by ensuring that appropriate information is forwarded under confidential cover to the child’s new school.

Mental Health

Mental health issues affect children and young people as well as adults, with more than 850,000 children and young people in the UK having been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Since September 2014, social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) has also become a category of special educational needs. In line with the government guidance Mental Health and behaviour in schools, children with a SEMH need will receive support in school, and if necessary may begin a pathway plan.

At St Mark’s, we endeavour to promote positive mental health. We offer a community of wisdom and support, and will ensure that help our children to:

• build emotional resilience
• develop self-esteem
• develop confidence
• develop their social skills
• feel valued and a part of the school

We provide high levels of pastoral support and offer support in the form of one-to-one pastoral support, emotional literacy support (ELSA) groups, personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, and a relevant and realistic curriculum. We encourage children to talk about any issues that are worrying them, and train our staff to be mindful of children’s emotional and mental wellbeing. Any concerns are usually passed on to the class teacher but may be passed to our ELSA (Mrs Jenkins) or SENCo (Mrs Pattison) as appropriate to ensure children are properly supported in school.

We work in close partnership with outside agencies, including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), the SENSS Team (Local Authority) and Educational Psychologist to ensure the best outcomes for our children.

Anxiety

• 9 useful techniques for dealing with anxiety in children
• Anxiety support for primary children
• Worry tree
• Anxiety presents itslef in many different ways
• The stress relief giraffe

Managing Feelings

• How do you feel today?
• 10 things to say instead of "Stop crying"
• Comforting at a distance
• The emotion cup
• 5 point scale chart
• I can calm down prompt card
• Emotion game
• Mood monster cards
• Self esteem journal

Low Mood

• General wellbeing for children
• Low mood support for primary children

Social Stories

• Friendships
• How to be a good friend
• It's ok to not know the answer
• Sometimes things change
• When I feel angry

Bereavement

• Bereavement support for primary children
• When someone special dies - for children aged 7-11
• Building resilience in bereaved children

What to do if you're worried a child is being abused or neglected

If a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999 straight away.

If you think a child or young person is at risk of significant harm, or is injured, contact the Wiltshire Council MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) Integrated Front Door (IFD) on 0300 4560108, 8.45am-5pm, Monday-Thursday and 8.45am-4pm Friday; Out of Hours 0300 456 0100.

If you think a child might be being abused but they haven't said anything to you, there are things you can do which can help.

• Talk to the child
  Most children who're being abused find it very difficult to talk about. Or might not have somebody in their life they trust. Keep talking to them to help build a positive, trusting relationship. They may come to you when they're ready to talk.
• Keep a diary
  Keeping note of your concerns and how the child is behaving can help you spot patterns of behaviour and keep track of what's been happening.
• Talk to their teacher or health visitor
  They may have spotted signs or noticed they're acting differently.
• Speak to other people
  Talking about your worries with someone you trust will help you get someone else's perspective. Sharing your concerns may help you feel more confident about taking the next steps.
• Talk to the NSPCC
  NSPCC helpline counsellors are there to listen to your concerns and offer support and advice. You can contact them anonymously if it makes you feel more comfortable. Call 0808 800 5000
•  Children can call Childline any time on 0800 1111 or download the 'For Me' app.

Other helplines:

• Help for Adult Victims of Child Abuse (HAVOCA) offers online support
• Mind can be called on 0300 123 3393 or emailed at info@mind.org.uk
• National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) can be called on 0808 801 0331
• Rape Crisis can be called on 0808 802 9999
• Samaritans can be called on 116 123 or emailed at jo@samaritans.org
• The Survivors Trust can be called on 08088 010 818
• Victim Support can be called on 0808 16 89 111
• The National Male Survivor Helpline can be called on 0808 800 5005 or emailed at support@safeline.org.uk

Life in Likes

The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a report, Life in Likes, which looks at the ways 8 – 12 year olds use social media platforms which are not designed for younger children and how this effects their wellbeing. The report found that social media was important for maintaining relationships but a shift in use and impact occurs when children start secondary school. Aged 8-10, children used social media apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, Musical.ly and WhatsApp to play games and have fun.

However, when pupils start secondary school and their social circles grow, social media use becomes harder to manage as friendships break down and children become dependent on ‘likes’ and comments for social validation. Focus is then dominated by a need to keep up appearances online.

The report also found that while children understood how stay safe online with regards to predators and strangers they had limited understanding of how technology can effect mood and emotions and how to manage this.

Recommendations from the report included a broadening of digital literacy education in schools beyond safety messages, development of children’s critical awareness and resilience, and a focus on the transition stage from primary to secondary school; and guidance to inform parents about the ways in which children’s social media use changes with age, particularly on entry to secondary school.

Click on the hyperlink to read the report in full – Life in likes

Stop, Speak, Support

The Duke of Cambridge has launched a campaign to tackle online bullying with a youth led code of conduct for the internet. Stop, Speak, Support aims to support young people to identify cyberbullying. The Code encourages people to STOP SPEAK SUPPORT.

STOP

• Take time out before getting involved, and don’t share or like negative comments
• Try and get an overview of what’s really going on
• Check the community guidelines for the site you’re on

SPEAK

• Ask an adult or friend that you can trust for advice
• Use the report button for the social media it’s happening on
• Speak to one of the charities set up to help with situations like this, such as Childline

SUPPORT

• Give the person being bullied a supportive message to let them know they’re not alone
• Encourage the person being bullied to talk to someone they can trust e.g. class teacher, ELSA
• Give the person being bullied a positive distraction from the situation