At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we respect and value all children and are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all our pupils so they can learn, in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. We believe every pupil should be able to participate in all school activities in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from harm. This is the responsibility of every adult employed by, or invited to deliver services at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School. The school is committed to promoting the health and welfare of all pupils and if staff see signs which suggest that one of the pupils may have become the victim of abuse, staff will (as is required by law) follow the procedures laid down by the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board as laid out in the school Safeguarding / Child Protection Policy.

 Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• protecting children from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children's health or development
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

                       (ref. HM Government, 2018, Working together to safeguard children)

Mr Briggs is St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead. Miss Cummins, Miss Beschizza, Miss Edwards and Mrs Gonzalez are the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads and they work closely with Mr Briggs. 

The Designated Lead is the main contact point for any safeguarding issues within the school. The role involves keeping up to date with legislative and administrative changes in procedures; ensuring staff are trained in aspects of safeguarding including child protection protocols; liaising with external agencies such as health and social care professionals; working with the Headteacher and Governors to ensure St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School is meeting the needs of all children.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School also has a Safeguarding Governor, Aniko Deierl, who supports the school in matters of strategy, policy and accountability along with the support of the Chair of Governors Mrs Anna Whittaker.

Safeguarding is the responsibility of all members of school staff which is why a regular training programme is delivered to all staff.

The St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Prevent Strategy has been written in response to and in line with government guidance and forms part of the government’s counter terrorism strategy which seeks to:

• Respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat faced from those who promote these views
• Provide practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support
• Work with a wide range of sectors where there are risks of radicalisation which need to be addressed, including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, the internet and health

All schools are required by law to teach a broad and balanced curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral and cultural development of students and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.

Safer Recruitment Procedures

The safe recruitment of staff in schools is the first step to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in education. At St Joseph’s, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Safeguarding Designated Staff

Designated Safeguarding Lead: If you have any concerns about health, safety or wellbeing of a child in this school please contact Mr Briggs via the school office or email safeguarding@stjosephs.harrow.sch.uk. If you are unable to speak to Mr Briggs, please contact Miss Cummins

Governors for Safeguarding and Child Protection: Can be contacted by email on governors@stjosephs.harrow.sch.uk

If you have any concerns involving someone who works with children in a voluntary or paid capacity, this must be reported directly to the Headteacher, unless it involves them in which case it should be reported directly to the Chair of the Governing Body, Mrs Whittaker.

Support for Parents and Carers

We are often asked questions on how to deal with challenging behaviour or how to establish appropriate boundaries at home. Parenting is probably the most important role that an adult will ever carry out and the one that they receive the least training and support for! We run courses/ workshops to support parents and carers and hope to run more in the future in liaison with both Harrow Early Support Services and the Family Learning Hub. The Early Support Services have produced some useful information which contains some tips on managing challenging behaviour at home. Please see document below.