At Willowbank Primary School keeping our children safe is our key priority and is everyone's responsibility.
All our staff are trained in Safeguarding issues and our policies are shown below. If you have any queries regarding safeguarding, please talk to one of our Safeguarding and Child Protection Officers below:
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is:
Mrs Sophie Hillson (Head of School)
Our Deputy Safeguarding Leads are:
Miss Hannah Jay (Deputy Head), Mrs Haidee Frost (SENDCo), Mrs Jo Kyte (Assistant Head), Mrs Charlotte Stephens (Family Support Advisor)
To keep all our children safe we have strict procedures in place for visitors, volunteers and parents:
- All parents, volunteers and visitors who come into the main school MUST sign in at the main reception.
- All our staff are DBS trained and Senior Leaders/ teachers/ teaching assistants wear a green lanyard around the school.
- Mobile phones or recording devices should not be used by any parents or visitors inside our school buildings.
- Volunteers will only be allowed into school to help with our children once they have signed in and they MUST have a visible lanyard on them at all times so children are aware that they are safe to be around.
- Staff have been told if lanyards are not visible, they will take the adult to School Reception so the correct procedures can be put in place.
If you have any concerns about the safety of your child, yourself or another child please come and speak to a member of staff or call the MASH on 0345 155 1071 or email mashsecure@devon.gov.uk and give as much information as you can.
Our Family Support Advisor is here to help
Our Family Support Advisor, Charlotte Stephens, is available each day to offer support to families and children. Please call the school office on 01884 33473 (opt 3) if you would like to make an appointment. She is able to offer support with behaviour at home, sleep concerns, anxiety, help to complete paperwork, signposting to outside agencies and much more!
Child protection and safeguarding policy
You can find more information about our approach to safeguarding as a Trust on the First Federation website here.
These include:
- Anti Bullying Policy
- Anti Racism Policy
- Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
- Confidentiality Policy
- Intimate Care Procedures
- PREVENT Policy
- Pupil Behaviour Policy
- Pupils' E-safety Policy
- Outdoor Education and Educational Visits Policy
- Recruitment and Selection Policy
- Staff and Volunteer Acceptable Use Policy
You can also follow the link below to access other important policies and risk assessments and sites we believe are important for our families.
Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2022
MOMO Challenge- What parents need to know
A Guide to Supporting Trans children and young people
Useful Links-NSPCC
Please use the links below to access the NSPCC websites for information from Pantasaurus, child exploitation, radicalisation to advice on keeping children safe online in Think U Know.
Other important sites to support our children and families are linked below. These include important information on how to keep your child safe online:
More support and advice for parents and carers
Our School is an Operation Encompass School
Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has exposed to, or involved in, any domestic incident. To find out more please read the attached parent letter.
If you are concerned in any way about drug abuse, the following website offers support and guidance:
http://www.drugwatch.com/health/children/
County Lines
County lines is when criminals from major cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, London and Birmingham expand their drug networks to other areas of the country. This activity brings violence, exploitation and abuse to rural communities. County line networks are having a massive impact on rural counties. Our school staff have all been trained to look for the signs of this in our community.
Domestic Violence
There is a lot of support in our local area and nationally for anyone who is suffering from Domestic Abuse. Please use the links below if you need help.
Mental Health Support
At Willowbank the mental health of our pupils is a priority but we are also here to support the mental health of our parents, carers and families. Below are some useful sites to help you if you need support with your own, or your child's, mental health.