Safeguarding

Safeguarding our pupils

At Stocksbridge Junior School, the governors and staff are committed to safeguarding our children. We recognise that the safety and protection of all pupils is of paramount importance and that all staff, including volunteers, have a full and active part to play in protecting pupils from harm. We believe that the school should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment which promotes all pupils’ social, physical, emotional and moral development.

Ultimately, effective safeguarding of children can only be achieved by putting children at the centre of the system, and by every individual and agency playing their full part, working together to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children in line with: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 and Keeping Children Safe in Education.

We ALL have a statutory duty to ‘safeguard and promote the welfare of children’. This means:

providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, DfE 2023

Our Safeguarding Team

A senior member of the school’s leadership team is designated to take the lead responsibility for dealing with child protection issues, providing advice and support to other staff, liaising with the local authority, and working with other agencies. This role is also supported by several Designated Safeguarding Deputies.

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs Lucy Ross.
Designated Safeguarding Deputies: Miss Ruth Davy, Mrs Jane Lea-Jones and Mrs Amanda Woods.
Looked After Children Designated Teacher: Miss Ruth Davy
SENDCo: Mrs Amanda Woods
Online Safety Coordinator: Mrs Lucy Ross
Link Governor for Safeguarding: Mr Martin Booth

More information can be found in our safeguarding and child protection policy and safeguarding poster on the policies page.

Sharing your concerns

If you have any concerns about a pupil at this setting, please share this information with us straight away. Issues such as appearance, hygiene, behaviour, can be shared with teaching or support staff. Do not worry about reporting small matters – we would rather you tell us than miss a worrying situation.

If you think that a pupil or an adult who cares for them has been or might be harmed, please talk to a member of our trained safeguarding team immediately. You can ask any member of staff to find them to speak to you about a confidential and urgent matter.

Early help

Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years. ‘Early help’ is support that improves a family’s resilience and outcomes which can often reduce the chance of a problem getting worse. It is important that children receive the right help at the right time to address risks and prevent issues from escalating.

Any child may benefit from early help. School aim to work in partnership with our families to provide timely support. This support may be provided though our internal early help systems in school or through external professionals, for instance, Sheffield Family Intervention Service (FIS). School can set up an advice session with our Link Worker from who can work with us to identify what support is required.

Safeguarding policies and procedures

Our school Safeguarding policy is reviewed annually in line with changes made in Keeping Children Safe in Education.

More information can be found in our safeguarding and child protection policy and safeguarding poster on the policies page.

Sheffield schools are subject to the local arrangements that are set out by the Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership.

Parents' contact details

It is essential that we are able to contact parents during the school day. Please ensure that we have current contact details for every person who has parental responsibility plus the details of two additional contacts in case we need to contact you in an emergency. Parents will, no doubt, appreciate the need to keep this information up-to-date and it is vital that the school is notified of a change of address, contact phone numbers, email addresses and any change in circumstances as early as possible.

To update the information we hold for you or your child, please download and return our data collection form.

Online safety

At Stocksbridge Junior School, every child is a safe and responsible digital citizen.

We recognise that today’s pupils are growing up in an increasingly complex world, living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks. At Stocksbridge Junior School, we want to equip our pupils with the knowledge needed to make the best use of the internet and technology in a safe, considered and respectful way, so they are able to reap the benefits of the online world.

Intent

Children have the right to enjoy childhood online, to access safe online spaces, and to benefit from all the opportunities that a connected world can bring to them, appropriate to their age and stage. As they grow older, it is crucial that they learn to balance the benefits offered by technology with a critical awareness of their own and others' online behaviour and develop effective strategies for staying safe and making a positive contribution online.

At Stocksbridge Junior School, teaching about online safety and harms is embedded within the culture and values of the school. By applying a consistent whole-school approach to behaviours both online and offline, modelling safe technology use, teaching safe online behaviours and equipping children with the tools to report concerns when they occur, it is our intent that every child is a safe and responsible digital citizen.

Government guidance on online safety is given in the Department for Education's 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' document that is available to read at www.gov.uk.

Implementation

At Stocksbridge Junior School, our online safety curriculum is taught through our RSHE curriculum, our Computing curriculum and is embedded into our broader safeguarding and child protection approach by:

having clear processes for reporting incidents or concerns in our safeguarding policy which can be found on our policies and documents page.
reflecting online behaviours in our behaviour policy which can be found on our policies and documents page.

We promote the safe use of technology both in and out of school.

In RSHE, we use the jigsaw approach to deliver the statutory relationships and health education through which pupils are taught about online safety and harms. This includes being taught:

what positive, healthy and respectful online relationships look like.
the effects of their online actions on others.
how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online.

Throughout these subjects, teachers will address online safety and appropriate behaviour in an age-appropriate way that is relevant to their pupils' lives.

This complements the computing curriculum, which covers the principles of online safety through the Kapow Computing scheme, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that pupils face. This includes:

how to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely.
where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

Additionally, we use the Project Evolve resources to address any contextual online safety issues as they emerge.

Impact

Alongside the RSHE and computing subject leaders, our online safety co-ordinator monitors the effectiveness of online safety teaching through a cycle of pupil voice interviews, the scrutiny of work in floor books and on Seesaw, and the monitoring of action taken in response to online incidents as they are reported. These mechanisms help identify what has been learnt, identify any emerging contextual issues that need addressing and identify any content that may need revisiting.

The online safety co-ordinator keeps up to date with curriculum changes, facilitates an online safety programme of staff training, and extends support to parents so they are able to incorporate the same principles of online safety at home.

The designated safeguarding lead takes lead responsibility for embedding online safety into the school's broader safeguarding and child protection approach. This includes providing advice and support to other staff with online safety matters, monitoring incidents for emerging patterns in online safety concerns and ensuring pupils are just as clear about what is expected of them online as offline through an effective safeguarding curriculum.

The impact of our safeguarding curriculum can be seen in ways pupils behave and conduct themselves both online and offline.

SJS curriculum for online safety

“There was a time when people felt the internet was another world, but now people realise it’s a tool that we use in this world.” Tim Berners-Lee

Online Safety Curriculum Guidance

Education for a connected world

Education for a Connected World is a tool for anyone who works with children and young people. It enables the development of teaching and learning as well as guidance to support children and young people to live knowledgeably, responsibly and safely in a digital world. It focuses specifically on eight different aspects of online education:

Self-image and Identity
Online relationships
Online reputation
Online bullying
Managing online information
Health, wellbeing and lifestyle
Privacy and security
Copyright and ownership

This framework describes the knowledge, understanding and skills that children and young people should have the opportunity to develop at different ages and stages. It highlights what a child should know in terms of current online technology, its influence on behaviour and development, how to get support, and what skills they need to be able to navigate it safely.

Teaching online safety in schools guidance

This non-statutory guidance from the Department for Education outlines how schools can ensure their pupils understand how to stay safe and behave online as part of existing curriculum requirements. In primary settings, it complements existing subjects including:

Relationships education
Health education
Computing

Online safety at key stage 2

The national curriculum for computing: online safety

The national curriculum for computing aims to ensure that all pupils are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology.

During key stage 2, pupils are taught to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

The statutory requirements for relationships education and health education: online safety

Online safety is embedded throughout our RSHE curriculum. Topics are delivered in a way that reflects that pupils will be negotiating issues and opportunities which occur equally on and offline, for example:

Relationships Education:

Caring Friendships: how to recognise who to trust and who not to trust, how to judge when a friendship is making them feel unhappy or uncomfortable, managing conflict, how to manage these situations and how to seek help or advice from others, if needed.
Respectful Relationships: that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including those in positions of authority.

Respectful Relationships: about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders (primarily reporting bullying to an adult) and how to get help.

Being Safe: how to respond safely and appropriately to adults they may encounter (in all contexts, including online) whom they do not know.

Health Education:

Mental Wellbeing: where and how to seek support (including recognising the triggers for seeking support), including whom in school they should speak to if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing or ability to control their emotions (including issues arising online).

The following statutory topics explicitly address online content:

Relationships Education: Online relationships

Pupils should know:

that people sometimes behave differently online, including by pretending to be someone they are not.
that the same principles apply to online relationships as to face-to-face relationships, including the importance of respect for others online including when we are anonymous.
the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how to report them.
how to critically consider their online friendships and sources of information including awareness of the risks associated with people they have never met.
how information and data is shared and used online.

Health Education: Internet Safety and Harms

Pupils should know:

that for most people the internet is an integral part of life and has many benefits.
about the benefits of rationing time spent online, the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices and the impact of positive and negative content online on their own and others’ mental and physical wellbeing.
how to consider the effect of their online actions on others and know how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online and the importance of keeping personal information private.
why social media, some computer games and online gaming, for example, are age restricted.
that the internet can also be a negative place where online abuse, trolling, bullying and harassment can take place, which can have a negative impact on mental health.
how to be a discerning consumer of information online including understanding that information, including that from search engines, is ranked, selected and targeted.
where and how to report concerns and get support with issues online.

Online Safety Resources

National Online Safety

We have received a National Online Safety Certified School Accreditation for our whole school community approach to protecting children in the online world. This is a reflection of the emphasis that we as a learning community place on staying safe online.

National Online Safety is a multi-award winning digital training provider with extensive resources in online safety, developed in line with the Department of Education’s statutory requirements. Its CPD accredited courses and educational resources support UK schools in educating the whole school community in online safety– including all school staff, senior leaders, teachers and parents – on how to make the internet a safer place for children.

We subscribe to National Online Safety to:

Provide annual online safety training for our school staff.
Access webinars and monthly updates to stay on top of online safety related news, social media updates, gaming updates and evolving online issues.
Share parent online safety guides on our weekly newsletters.
Enable parents to access support and guidance.

At Home

As a parent you’ll know how important the internet is to children – they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves. It’s a highly creative place of amazing opportunities. But the technology children use every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online – such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content.

You can engage with your children regarding their use of the internet while at home. Here are some conversation starter ideas from www.childnet.com:

Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online.

To try and help parents with the fast moving and changing world of internet and social media we’ve suggested a few internet sites below. They contain information on different types of social media and how to help keep children safe.

Smartphone Safe

If you would like to know more information on how to keep your child safe when they are using a smartphone, there is useful information available via this link.

Internet Safety Resources

There is an online safety tool designed for parents, launched by the Department for Education called Parent Zone. It has advice on everything from keeping children safe from online trolls to WhatsApp – a guide for parents.

Childnet International

Childnet is a website resource for parents and children on online safety where you can access their resources on how to encourage e-safety at home.

CEOP Education

CEOP Education, part of the National Crime Agency, has a great section for parents and covers topics such as gaming and talking to strangers. You can also search by topic or age range to find information that is relevant for your family.