Safeguarding

Chapel Allerton Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Our staff and governors work tirelessly to ensure that pupils are; safe from harm and abuse, know that staff have their welfare at heart and are able to identify adults in school who they trust to talk to if they have a problem.   

We believe that everyone has a responsibility for keeping children safe and expect all staff, volunteers and visitors to report any concerns that they may have. 

Comments from our recent Local Authority Safeguarding Audit:

'The children spoke with all stated that they felt safe in school and that they enjoy coming to school. They spoke about having lots of opportunities to share concerns with any adults in school or that they could attend the talk shop. They named specific members of staff and said that 'their job is to help us if we are worried' They spoke about the preventative PHSE curriculum which they access and talked about learning about online safety, mental health & wellbeing, rights, drugs, alcohol & British values. They said they did not see bullying in school but if they did they would tell a member of staff who would help them.'

'The evidence provided from the nominated safeguarding governor shows that the governing body is providing challenge and support for the safeguarding team. They have carried out independent checks to obtain assurances that children do feel safe in school and that staff understand their role. The nominated safeguarding governor keeps a detailed action tracker to help to monitor safeguarding during her safeguarding monitoring visits.'

'It is clear from the evidence presented & by speaking to pupils and staff that Safeguarding and well-being of children is a priority for the head teacher/DSL, the governing body and the school. The actions identified in this document are mostly administration & training tasks which can easily be completed.'

Chapel Allerton Primary School's Lead Governor for Child Protection and Children Looked After (CLA) is Dr Gemma Dolden. 

Chapel Allerton Primary School's Designated Teacher for CLA and Previously CLA is Mrs Becca Pinder

Safeguarding Newsletters

NSPCC helpline - Report Abuse in Education 

The Department for Education has commissioned the NSPCC to establish a dedicated independent helpline for people who have experienced sexual abuse in educational settings. 

The helpline has been set up to provide both children and adults who have experienced sexual abuse in schools with support and advice, including onward action such as contacting the police if they wish to. The helpline will also provide support to parents and professionals. Anyone who gets in touch through this dedicated helpline will also be signposted to other relevant support services available, including Childline, which provides ongoing support and counselling to children and young people.

The dedicated and confidential NSPCC helpline – Report Abuse in Education can be reached on 0800 136 663 or by email at help@nspcc.org.uk.

Keeping Safe 

At Chapel Allerton Primary School we believe in educating our pupils on how to stay safe in school, at home, online and when they are out in our local community. 

In addition to our PSHE, MindMate, and Computing curriculums,  we plan events into our school year to support the wider safety of our pupils. Please click the link below to find out more!

Support for Parents, Carers and Children

There are many websites that will offer a wide variety of Safeguarding information. These might help as a starting point but please do ask us - we have many more specific places that we can signpost you to:

parentinfo - this is a highly recommended website for anyone who requires help, support and advice from leading experts and organisations.

The Market Place - offer support for young people aged between 11 and 25 years old. A drop in can be arranged for support with mental health and wellbeing or help dealing with anxiety and young people who are self-harming. An appointment can be reserved prior to attending. Tel: 0113 2461659.

Childline - offer counselling . They are there to listen and support you with anything you'd like to talk about or you can have a 1-2 counselling chat online. You can discuss anything you like from a disclosure of pregnancy, being a victim of bullying, feeling low and struggling with sleep patterns to mental health issues and general low mood. Tel: 0800 1111; text 'Shout' for support  or 'Ask Sam' through a message board facility. You can also contact Childline with Sign Video for children with hearing disabilities - Sign Video lets you contact through a BSL Interpreter any time from Mon-Fri 9am-8pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm.

Young Minds - text Young Minds Crisis Messenger (text: YM to 85258), for free 24/7 support across the UK if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. It also provides support and guidance for parents/carers to help support their children with managing their mental health. Tel: 0808 802 5544.

NSPCC - Resources which help adults respond to children disclosing abuse. Will also provide useful resources for parents / carers on social networks, apps and other online safety related issues. Tel: 0800 1111.

Barnardo's - UK charity caring for and supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young people through their range of services.

Victim Support - Supporting children and young people who have been affected by crime. Also provides support to parents and professionals who work with children and young people – regardless of whether a crime has been reported or how long ago it was.

The National Domestic and Abuse Helpline - is for women and children who are exposed to domestic violence. This allows you the option to seek help, support and advice. In an emergency, please call 999. 24 – hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000247

Leeds Domestic Violence Service -  provide women and men with choices from a range of community based services, including temporary supported housing, IDVA (independent domestic violence advocate support, community outreach support, a telephone helpline, drop-ins and support groups. 24 – hour helpline: 0113 2460401.

The Survivors Trust- UK-wide national umbrella agency with resources and support dedicated to survivors of rape, sexual violence and child sex abuse.

Let’s Talk About It -  provides advice for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation.

The Leeds Prevent Team - if families feel that their child has been exposed or have any concerns about radicalisation, they can also go directly to the Prevent team. Tel: 0113 5350810.

NCA CEOP Thinkuknow advice for parents: - Advice/resources on how to approach and deal with concerns about what children may be doing online including advice about how to help challenge harmful sexual attitudes and how to start a conversation to support positive sexual behaviour.

Safer Internet Centre- where  Parents and carers can find online safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online.

Childnet  has produced a Parent and Carer Toolkit which is a collection of three resources designed to help you talk to your child about their online life, manage boundaries around family internet use and point you in the direction of where to get further help and support.

How Can I Help My Child? - Marie Collins Foundation – Sexual Abuse Online

Samaritans - encourages children and adults to talk about their own mental health needs and provides top tips for managing mental health during a crisis. Tel: 116123 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Parentsafe - London Grid for Learning - Detailed advice/resources covering various issues such as online safety, apps, and how to report concerns.

CRUSE - is a service which offers support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies. They provide tips to help yourself, or as a parent; how you can support your child. There are video links which explain the grieving process so children/ adults understand each stage of grief. Tel: 0808 8081677

Child Bereavement UK - work to provide support to families of children who have lost a loved one. Tel: 0800 0288840. Live chat is also available via the website.

Parentzone - Provides expert information and resources to help make the internet work for families.

The NHS - this website offers a range of supportive materials and resources from medical professionals. This includes audio narrations, for example, on managing stress, sleep patterns, coping strategies for managing anxiety. Advice can also be sought in terms of any medical issues which arise. If a young person is at crisis point please take straight to Accident and Emergency at Leeds General Infirmary.

Home | Family Information Service Leeds - An information service for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-19 (or up to 25 if your child has Special Educational Needs or a disability SEND).

The Beck delivers a range of services to young people age 13-19 and their parents and families, including intensive one-to-one support, group work, offsite education, sports activities, parent/carer support, counselling and much more. This may be useful for older siblings.

Free Same Day Online Mental Health Support for Children and Young People 

The www.Kooth.com service offers free, online, same day, BACP-accredited support and counselling for 10-18 year olds, as well as a range of activities and resources designed to support mental and emotional being. There aren't any thresholds or criteria to meet, and no waiting lists! This means you can signpost ANY child or young person to Kooth as an additional, or sole, means of mental health support. Users sign themselves up anonymously on the Kooth.com website as our service is self-referral. Kooth also offer a text based conversation with a qualified counsellor who are available from 12 noon until 10pm on a week day and 6pm-10pm on a weekend.