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St Thomas à Becket C of E Primary School

EQUA Trust

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is the action taken to make sure children are safe from harm and flourish, physically, emotionally and mentally.

At St Thomas à Becket Primary School the safety and well-being of our children is our absolute priority.

Safeguarding includes:

  • protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
  • preventing harm to children’s health or development
  • ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
  • taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.

Child protection focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. It includes procedures for responding to concerns about a child.

Schools have a key role to play in Safeguarding Children and Child Protection. We have regular contact with children so are in a strong position to identify signs of abuse and neglect.

We can safeguard children by:

  • creating safe environments for children and young people through robust safeguarding practices
  • maintaining an environment where children feel confident to approach any member of staff if they have a worry or problem
  • ensuring that adults who work in the school, including volunteers, don’t pose a risk to children
  • making sure staff are trained, know how to respond to concerns and keep-up-to-date with policy and practice
  • teaching children and young people about keeping safe

Safeguarding may include issues such as:

  • Bullying
  • Harassment and discrimination
  • Racist abuse
  • Use of physical intervention
  • Providing First Aid
  • Drug and substance misuse
  • Internet Safety
  • School site security
  • Preventing radicalisation
  • Children Missing from Education (CME)
  • Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
  • Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

If you have about concerns about the health and safety or well-being of a child at this school, or feel that something may be troubling them, you should share this information with an appropriate member of school staff immediately.

Do not worry that you may be reporting small matters – we would rather you tell us things that turn out to be small than have us miss a worrying situation.

If you think the matter is very serious and may be related to a child protection concern for example, physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect, you must talk to one of the people below immediately.

We also have a general Safeguarding email address which all the DSL team have access to - safeguarding@stthomas.equamead.org 
Headteacher

Designated Safeguarding Lead

 Chloe Stobbart

head@stthomas.equamead.org

 
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead Elka Priddin

epriddin@stthomas.equamead.org 

 
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead Natasha Erscott

nerscott@stthomas.equamead.org 
Designated teacher for Looked After Children Chloe Stobbart  head@stthomas.equamead.org 
Nominated Governor Antoinette Fish afish@stthomas.equamead.org 
Chair of  Governors Keith Ratcliffe kratcliffe@stthomas.equamead.org 

If you are unable to contact them, please ask the school office staff to find them and ask them to speak to you immediately about a confidential Safeguarding matter.

Operation Encompass

Our school receives information from Wiltshire Police in the event of any of our pupils experiencing or witnessing domestic violence or abuse.

This information is shared as part of Wiltshire Police’s ‘Operation Encompass’ programme, aiming to ensure schools can offer support to these pupils when needed.

Wiltshire Police aim to share this information with us before the next school day, following a domestic incident, so that we can be ready to support the pupil on their arrival to school.

Wiltshire Police also confirm with school whether or not the pupil is aware of the incident, so that decisions can be made around whether or not explicit or more discreet support can be offered. In the event of an incident taking place outside of Wiltshire, the relevant Police Force dealing with the situation will pass the information to Wiltshire Police, who will then inform school via Operation Encompass.

Contextual Safeguarding 

At St Thomas à Becket CE Primary School, we recognise that children’s safety and wellbeing are influenced not only by their home environment but also by the wider contexts in which they live, learn and play. Our approach to contextual safeguarding ensures that we identify, understand and respond to risks that may arise in the community, online spaces, peer groups and local environment.

Our Community Context

As a Wiltshire primary school with a high proportion of military families, high pupil mobility and an above-average number of children with SEND, we understand that many of our pupils experience unique vulnerabilities. Frequent transitions, changes in family circumstances and the challenges linked to additional needs can make children more susceptible to risks outside the home.

High Military Population

Many of our pupils are part of serving military families. We recognise the impact that deployment, relocation and parental absence can have on children’s emotional wellbeing and sense of stability. We work closely with families, Service Children’s Champions and military welfare teams to ensure continuity of care, early identification of need and coordinated support during transitions.

High Mobility

A high level of pupil movement in and out of school means that some children may have experienced multiple school placements. We carefully monitor the needs of mobile pupils, gather information quickly and ensure swift safeguarding, SEND and pastoral handovers. Staff remain alert to the increased likelihood of missed information, disrupted support and challenges in forming safe, trusting relationships.

High Levels of SEND

Children with additional needs can face heightened risks in community settings, online spaces and peer groups. Our staff are trained to understand how vulnerability presents differently for pupils with SEND, and we work closely with specialist services to build protective factors, promote communication, and ensure that pupils’ voices are heard.

Our Approach to Contextual Safeguarding

To keep pupils safe beyond the school gates, we:

  • Identify risks that may arise in peer groups, local parks, neighbourhoods, online platforms and other shared spaces.

  • Work in partnership with parents, military support teams, the local authority, Early Help, police, health professionals and community organisations.

  • Ensure staff are trained to recognise patterns of risk linked to mobility, SEND, social dynamics and changes in family circumstances.

  • Teach pupils how to stay safe in age-appropriate ways, including online safety, healthy friendships and recognising unsafe situations.

  • Use robust systems to share information securely and promptly, ensuring vulnerable or newly arrived pupils do not “slip through the net.”

  • Promote a culture where children feel safe to share worries and know that adults will listen and take action.

Our Commitment

Contextual safeguarding is embedded in our practice because we understand that safeguarding does not stop at the school gate. By recognising the unique context of our Wiltshire community—including the needs of military families, highly mobile pupils and children with SEND—we are able to respond to risks early, provide consistent support and create an environment where every child can feel safe and flourish.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a form of child abuse and violence against women and girls. It involves procedures that intentionally alter or injure the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is illegal in the UK and can have serious lifelong physical and emotional consequences. Schools have a statutory safeguarding duty to protect children from FGM and to respond appropriately to any concerns. Our staff receive safeguarding training and are vigilant to signs that a child may be at risk. Through our safeguarding curriculum, we promote children's rights, personal safety, bodily autonomy and the importance of speaking to a trusted adult if they are worried about themselves or someone else. If we have concerns that a child may be at risk of FGM, we will follow our safeguarding procedures and work with relevant agencies to ensure the child is protected.

 

Reporting a Safeguarding Concern When School is Closed

The safety and wellbeing of children remains everyone's responsibility, even when school is closed. If you are worried about the safety or welfare of a child, or you would like help and support for your own family, you can contact Wiltshire's Integrated Front Door (IFD) directly. The IFD provides a single point of contact for concerns about children and young people and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Wiltshire Integrated Front Door (IFD)
Telephone: 0300 456 0108 (during office hours) 

Out of Hours Emergency Duty Service
Telephone: 0300 456 0100

Email: integratedfrontdoor@wiltshire.gov.uk 

If you believe a child is at immediate risk of harm or in danger, you should contact 999 immediately. 

Parents and carers can contact the IFD directly for advice, support or to raise concerns about a child's welfare, particularly during school holidays or outside school opening hours.

 

 

 

 

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