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Safeguarding Children

In paragraph 243 of the Ofsted Handbook 2019 it states that: ‘those with governance / oversight are responsible for ensuring that the school fulfils its statutory duties, for example under the Equality Act 2010, and other duties, for example in relation to the ‘Prevent’ duty and safeguarding.’

In paragraph 264 it adds that ‘Inspectors must go beyond ensuring that schools meet statutory requirements, and beyond simply reviewing documents, to evaluate the safeguarding culture that has been established in the school.’

In another Ofsted document, Inspecting Safeguarding in Early years, Education and Skills 2019, this is described as a ‘culture of vigilance.’

The Penk Valley Academy Trust Governance Scheme of Delegation states that the Trust Board are the body with governance responsibility for safeguarding.

Therefore, it is the Trust Board that is responsible for ensuring that all Penk Valley Academy schools fulfil their statutory duties and have established a culture of vigilance.

The Trust Board have set up a Safeguarding Committee which meets each term with Mark Roberts being the Trustee link for safeguarding.  The Trust have appointed Helen Baron (Head of Princefield First School) as the Trust’s Safeguarding Champion.

Whenever the Trust Board resolve that a safeguarding action is required to be taken, funding will never be used as an excuse not to act.

It is for Headteachers to ensure that:

  • The policies and procedures adopted by the Trust Board are fully implemented and followed by all staff.  Day to day operational responsibility rests with the Headteacher and the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) who takes delegated duty from the Headteacher.
  • Sufficient resources and time are allocated to enable the designated leads and other staff to be able to perform their duties.
  • There is a culture of vigilance in their school.
  • All staff and volunteers feel able to raise concerns about poor practice, and concerns are addressed sensitively and effectively in a timely manner.

Each school’s Safeguarding Policy can be found on the ‘Policies’ page of its website.

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