We believe at NCEA James Knott C of E Primary School that all pupils have a fundamental right to be protected from harm and that pupils will be unable to learn unless they feel secure.

We recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils and we endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. We are all alert to the signs of neglect and abuse and follow strict procedures to ensure all children receive effective support, protection and justice. The procedures detailed in this policy apply to all staff and governors and are consistent with Northumberland County Council guidelines.

We believe it is important for everyone to have the attitude of ‘it could happen here’ so that we are always vigilant and know how to respond ensuring we put the welfare of the child as paramount to any decisions we make.

We have a number of policies in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection and safeguard Policy which can be viewed on our Policies page in Key Information.  All adults who work in school have a responsibility to read and understand all safeguarding policies including online safety.

All staff and Govenors are expected to read and adhere to the DfE guidance: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSL) are:

  • Mrs Caroline Mullen (DSL)
  • Miss Charlotte Cooper

The designated governor for safeguarding: Mrs Sharon Neal

What to do if you have a safeguarding concern

If you have concerns about the welfare of a child please contact any member of staff.

Alternatively you can contact www.childline.org.uk telephone 0800 11 11.

Children’s Services (One Call) can be contacted 24hours a day on 01670 536400.

If you have a concern about a member of staff or an adult who works with children please contact the LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) on: 07500 606174.

In an emergency, do not hesitate, call the Police on 999.

For more information regarding our Safeguarding policies, please visit the Safeguarding pages at www.ncea.org.uk.

Operation Encompass – Information for Parents

As part of our safeguarding procedures, we have a direct link with Northumberland Police, who provide us with information in respect of Domestic Violence incidents. 

Operation Encompass, is designed to provide early reporting to schools of domestic abuse incidents that a child mat witness or be involved in. These incidents may occur outside of normal school hours and may have an impact on a child attending our school.  

Information will be shared through normal safeguarding reporting where it is identified that a child or young person may be at risk following this.

Our school is part of Operation Encompass which is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces. In Northumberland, Operation Encompass is a joint operation between Northumberland County Council (NCC) Children’s Services, NCC Education and Skills Service, Northumbria Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner

Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced domestic abuse.

Information is sent directly to the Head Teacher who may need to liaise with the police/child protection services. They will be able to use information that has been shared with them, in confidence, to ensure that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families.

As a school we have ensured that members of our staff, (Designated Safeguarding Leads) have been trained in the Operation Encompass procedures allowing us to then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to support the child/ren in our care.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 identifies children who experience domestic abuse as victims of domestic abuse in their own right.

We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe this will be extremely beneficial for all those involved.

Operation Encompass has proved very effective in providing appropriate support in a timely manner. If you would like some more information about how Operation Encompass operates and the benefits, you can view it online at https://www.operationencompass.org

We are keen to offer the best support possible to all our children and we believe this initiative is extremely beneficial and supportive for all of those involved. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please make an appointment to discuss them with the Head Teacher.

Operation Encompass LeafletDownload