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Wheatfield Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all pupils, staff, volunteers, visitors and external agencies to share this commitment. Our Safeguarding Policy is written with due regard to the latest version of the Department for Education statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education.

Should you have any concerns regarding the welfare or safety of a pupil, please speak to one of our school Designated Safeguarding Leads:

• Mrs Freshwater - Co-Headteacher
• Mrs Evans - Co-Headteacher
• Mrs Conte - Assistant Head & SENDCo
• Mrs Beare - Teacher / SLT
• Miss Leighton - Nurture Assistant

To contact a member of our DSL team, please use the following email address:

safeguarding@wheatfieldschool.org

Information for Parents

If you have concerns that a child you know is at risk of serious harm through abuse or neglect, it is important that you report your worries to the correct agency:

• For information and advice, you can ring the WBC Referral & Assessment Team on 0118 908 8002.
• The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) can be contacted on 0118 974 6141 or LADO@wokingham.gov.uk.
• Our SSB Safeguarding Link is Simon Hinton and can be contacted on shinton1@glfschools.org.
• The NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line can be contacted on 0800 028 0285 or help@nspcc.org.uk.
   

Internet Safety

• Child Exploitation and Online Protection - CEOP This organisation has lots of information about how to keep your children safe online and parental controls.
• The NSPCC also offers lots of helpful tips and advice parents can use to keep their children safe on the internet and social networks.
• Internet Matters is an independent, not–for-profit organisation to help you keep your children safe online and include more on cyber bullying, online grooming, sexting, radicalisation and pornography.
• Smartie the Penguin to help you discuss online safety with your child.
• ParentZone provides updates about new apps and games and all things digital.

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

This is a form of sexual abuse which sees children/young people being manipulated or coerced into sexual activity for receiving ‘something’ such as; gifts, money, food, attention, somewhere to stay etc. Technology is very often used to groom victims.This may occur through social networking sites and mobile phones with internet access.

• NSPCC and Barnardos have been campaigning to raise the profile of this form of child abuse.
• PACE (Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation) is a charity that works with parents and carers whose children are sexually exploited. They offers one-to-one telephone support, national and local meet-ups with other affected parents and information on how parents can work in partnership with school, police and social care.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female Genital Mutilation is classified as a form of Child Abuse in the UK.  It therefore makes the procedure of it a serious Child Protection issue. It is illegal for anyone to perform FGM in the UK or to arrange for a child to be transported to another country for the procedure. The maximum sentence for carrying out FGM or helping it to take place is 14 years in prison.

• You must contact the Police if you think that a girl or young woman is in danger of FGM. You should contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (020 7008 1500) if she’s already been taken abroad.
• The Daughters of Eve website helps to raise awareness of this issue and sign-posts those affected by it to supportive services.
• The NSPCC offers a free and anonymous FGM 24 hour helpline.  Call 0800 028 3550 or email fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk.

Preventing Radicalisation

From 1 July 2015 schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. Our school is clear that extremism and radicalisation should be viewed as safeguarding concerns.  We value freedom of speech and the expression of beliefs and both pupils/students and adults have the right to speak freely and voice their opinions. Our ethos seeks to build pupils’ resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling all members of our school community to challenge extremist views. 

• DfE guidance on the Prevent Duty can be found here: Prevent Duty Departmental advice for Schools and Colleges.
• The NSPCC have information for parents/carers about radicalisation and dangers associated with extremism.
• There are also links to other supportive services on the NSPCC web page.