St Peter's Church of England (VA) Primary School
One Family, Aiming High, Learning Together with God
Safeguarding at St. Peter's
Safeguarding at St. Peter's
Safeguarding our children is of paramount importance to us at St. Peter's; this page is designed for parents and families to help us work together.
Safeguarding is woven into our curriculum through RSE lessons, Computing and IT, assemblies and through special events and external visitors. We are proud to have linked our curriculum to Stonewall resources to ensure an inclusive community.
There are five members of staff who are trained in Safeguarding to meet the Standards expected by the Hertfordshire Children's Services for Level 3 Safeguarding Training:
- Mr Conley ( Headteacher/ Designated Safeguarding Lead)
- Mrs Lake (Assistant headteacher/ Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Mrs Mansi (School Business Manager/ Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead)
- Miss Stirling (member of SLT/ Deputy Safeguarding Lead)
- Mrs O'Donovan (Deputy SENCo/ Deputy Safeguarding Lead)
They attend termly update meetings and regular training in all aspects of Safeguarding, including Prevent, Domestic Abuse, Neglect and Early Help and Safer Recruitment.
Every other member of staff in school including Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Site Team, Governors and the Office Team have achieved Level 1 Safeguarding Training as a minimum, with many team members having furthered their training in other aspects of safeguarding children.
If any parents, families or visitors have concerns about the welfare or safety of any children from St. Peter's, please contact any of our Safeguarding leaders without delay.
Safeguarding Policies
Online Safety during School Closure/ COVID-19
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has impacted everyone’s daily lives. More people are working from home, looking after children and spending time online.
Now more than ever, it is important for everyone to know how to stay connected, stay safe online, check the facts and remember to take a break.
If you need any advice about keeping safe online at anytime, especially while school is closed families can can contact us to talk to a member of our safeguarding team or Miss Hussain, who is our Computing and Online Safety Leader.
You can also find advice, guidance and report any concerns on the websites below:
- Childline - for support
- UK Safer Internet Centre - to report and remove harmful online content
- CEOP - for advice on making a report about online abuse
Advice for Parents and Carers
Schools, colleges and childcare providers are currently closed to most pupils. Daily routines have changed, with many working and studying from home. We understand there may be more concern from parents about the safety of their children online.
It is important for children and young people to stay both connected and safe online. Remember to make use of parental controls and to talk with your children.
Reliable information on COVID-19 can also be found at www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
Key advice for parents and carers including a toolkit for families and advice on key topics can be found at https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers
Make use of parental controls
If you have downloaded new apps or bought new devices like web cams or tablets, remember to adjust the privacy and security settings to suit you.
There is technology to help you manage the content your children can access:
Government has encouraged Internet Service Providers to help parents easily filter content. Switch on family friendly filters to help prevent age inappropriate content being accessed on devices in your home.
Parental controls put you in control of what your child can see.
Internet Matters has step by step guides on how to set these up.
Also see advice from GoCompare on the following link https://www.gocompare.com/broadband/parental-controls/
Have a conversation with your child about staying safe online
Most children have a positive experience online, accessing educational resources and entertainment and connecting with friends and family.
Spending time online can be very beneficial for children, particularly at the moment, but we recognise that many parents may worry about online safety.
Reduce the risk. The UK Council for Internet Safety has guidance on minimising children’s exposure to risks online. The UK Safer Internet Centre with Childnet International has specific guidance on under 5s.
Talk to your child. Childnet has guidance for parents and carers to begin a conversation about online safety and Ditch the Label teacher resources that can be helpful for parents to discuss cyberbullying and the government also has helpful advice. Encourage your child to speak to you or a trusted adult if they come across content that makes them uncomfortable.
Help your child to think critically
We can help protect our children by teaching them ‘critical thinking skills’ - a way of thinking that helps them spot potential harm and work out what to do.
Critical thinking empowers children because they can take what they know and adapt it to new situations or to solve problems that may emerge.
It helps them identify risks, which may protect them from different forms of threats and ultimately harm.
Parent Zone’s guide and Childnet’s advice and top tips provides ways for parents and carers to help their child develop these skills.
Stay safe
Many people are using new services, apps or devices, such as webcams and tablets, to work or socialise at this time. You may also be using existing devices and services more often.
To help you stay safe:
Check your security and privacy settings
Adjust privacy and safety settings to increase security and control the personal data you share. Look for the ‘privacy and security’ or ‘settings’ on the app or website.
Review the security settings on your ‘smart’ devices. If your device is using a default or easily guessable password, change it.
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/smart-devices-in-the-home
Set up two-factor authentication. This is a free security feature to stop unwanted people getting into your accounts. You’ll receive a text or code when you log in to check you are who you say you are.https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home#section_4
Update your devices. Using the latest version of software and apps can immediately improve your security.
Helpful links and guidance for parents and families
Jessie & Friends (Resources for ages 4-7 to help develop an awareness of online safety)
We know that introducing the idea of a safer internet to younger children can be quite challenging for parents.
Jessie & Friends is a series of three animations from online safety specialist at the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command.
The videos follow the adventures of Jessie, Tia and Mo as they begin to navigate the online world, watching videos, sharing pictures and playing games. A storybook accompanies each episode, to help adults keep the conversation going with the children.
Find the resources here: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/jessie-and-friends
The Adventures of Kara Winston and the Smart CrewA cartoon to help stimulate discussion about staying safe online (7 - 11 years)
Goldilocks: A Cautionary Tale ( resources for ages 7 - 11 - online safety)
These resources have been used with children in Key Stage 2 (year 3 - 6) to raise awareness of maintaining a safe online presence when using social media.
The digital version of the book is available below so that parents and families can support their children when making good choices about what they post and share online.
Parenting in a Digital World - a guide for parents
More links and guidance for parents and families
Follow this link to find information about keeping children safe online:
Follow this link to find information about Safeguarding for parents and families:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/
Here is advice about protecting children when taking part in Sports clubs and out of school activities:
https://www.sportengland.org/our-work/safeguarding/safeguarding-advice-for-parents-and-carers/
Follow this link to find information about talking to your child about Extremism and protecting them from Radicalisation:
https://educateagainsthate.com/parents/
Advice from CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection)
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
Advice from Stonewall about LGBTQ+
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/coming-out/coming-out-advice-and-guidance-parents
Guidance to parents about UNICO Live App
Guidance for parents and families about Fortnite
Guidance for parents about Roblox
Parental Controls on Roblox
Guidance for parents about Tik-Tok
Guidance for parents and carers about Momo