Safeguarding

Thameside Primary School is committed to safeguarding all of our pupils, staff and families; nothing matters to us more. Children who are safe and happy at school thrive and are able to learn.

At school, it is the responsibility of all staff, governors and volunteers to ensure the safeguarding of our children and report any concerns to our designated safeguarding team. We have designated safeguarding officers who lead on ensuring any concern is followed up and dealt with immediately.

• Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Annette Polley (Inclusion Lead). 
• Deputy DSLs are Laura Youngman (Headteacher); Emma Putt (Deputy Headteacher) & Alison Winder (Home School Link Worker)
• Our Safeguarding Governor is Mrs Ellie Ball - email: eball@vale-academy.org who oversees that policies and procedures are followed.

We make sure that any visitors or volunteers to school read our Safeguarding overview to ensure that all children are kept safe. All staff  have a DBS check and undertake the general safeguarding training.

If at any time you have a concern then please raise it with any member of staff or email office.2598@thameside.vale-academy.org. 

Prevent Strategy and cyber safety

As part of Thameside School’s commitment to safeguarding and child protection we support the government’s Prevent Strategy. All staff have received training covering the Prevent Strategy.

The Prevent Strategy is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. It is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

As of September 23 (in line with the new KCSIE document), all staff have also completed Cyber Safety training. 

Information Sharing with other agencies

At Thameside we consider that a child’s safety and welfare is of paramount importance for their emotional, social and academic progress.  In some circumstances decisions have to be made about sharing personal information with other agencies where the needs of children in our care are compromised.  The most important consideration in sharing information with other agencies is the need to safeguard and protect children.  We follow the following guidelines about information sharing:

• The Data Protection Act provides a framework for appropriate sharing of information.
• We are open and honest with the individual about whom the information will be shared with.
• We seek advice from other practitioners, if in any doubt, and will try to do so without disclosing an individual’s identity.
• We share information with informed consent, where possible, and share without consent if a child’s safety is at risk.
• We base information-sharing decisions on the safety and well-being of the individual or others.

Online Safety Information

Children at our school use the internet on a regular basis as part of their learning. In school, we have regular eSafety activities to remind children of the importance of keeping themselves safe online.

Report online abuse by clicking the button below:

Below are a few links to some very useful information regarding e-safety for parents, carers and children:

• Think U Know – containing internet safety advice for those aged from 5 to 16, along with parents and teachers, this site is produced by CEOP (the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre).
• Kidscape – An organisation which helps to prevent bullying and child abuse.
• Childline – ChildLine is the free helpline for children and young people in the UK.
• BBC Stay Safe – Test your Internet safety knowledge with Hacker and help the Horrible Histories gang stay safe online
• Childnet International – website to “help make the Internet a great and safe place for children”.