Safeguarding at Winford

Together we Flourish | Aspire • Belong • Care

At Winford Church of England Primary School, keeping children safe is our highest priority. We are committed to creating a nurturing, inclusive environment where every child feels safe, valued, listened to and supported.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and we work closely with children, families and other professionals to ensure that every child has the opportunity to flourish.

Worried About a Child?

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police.

If you have any concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child, however small they may seem, please speak to a member of our safeguarding team.

You do not need to be certain that something is wrong before sharing a concern. We would always rather you tell us so that we can listen, offer support and take appropriate action.

Contact Winford Primary School

Telephone: 01275 472730
Email: office@winfordprimary.com

Please ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL).

Reporting Concerns Outside School Hours

If you are concerned about a child and cannot contact the school, you can contact North Somerset Children's Services directly.

North Somerset Children's Services – Front Door: 01275 888808

Emergency Duty Team (out of hours): 01454 615165

Police (non-emergency): 101

Police (emergency): 999

You can also find advice through the North Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Meet Our Safeguarding Team

Our safeguarding team is responsible for ensuring that concerns are recognised, recorded and responded to appropriately. They work with families, school staff and external agencies to keep children safe.

Mrs Jenny Campbell
Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Mrs Claire Tiernan
Deputy Headteacher and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)

Ms Pauline Adams
Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)

Mr John Miles
Safeguarding Governor
Email: jmiles@winfordprimary.com

All members of staff receive safeguarding training and understand their responsibility to recognise and report concerns. Children are encouraged to speak to any trusted adult in school if something is worrying them.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

Our Christian vision, Together we Flourish (John 10:10), is rooted in the belief that every child is precious, unique and deserving of care, dignity and respect.

Our three school values help shape our safeguarding culture.

Aspire – We support children to develop confidence, resilience and the knowledge and skills they need to make safe, positive choices.

Belong – We create a welcoming, inclusive community where every child feels accepted, listened to and knows that there are trusted adults who will help them.

Care – We show kindness, compassion and respect, looking after ourselves and others and recognising when someone may need additional help.

Safeguarding is not simply a policy or procedure. It is reflected in our everyday relationships, our curriculum, our school environment and the way we respond to the needs of children and families.

We are committed to:

Putting children's safety, welfare and best interests first.
Listening to children and taking their views and concerns seriously.
Building positive, trusting relationships with pupils and families.
Identifying concerns early and providing appropriate help and support.
Promoting equality, inclusion and respect for everyone.
Providing a safe physical and emotional environment.
Ensuring robust safer recruitment procedures, staff training and safeguarding practices.
Working effectively with other agencies when children need additional support or protection.

How We Keep Children Safe at Winford

We believe that effective safeguarding begins with positive relationships, a strong sense of belonging and a school culture in which children know that their voices matter.

A Safe and Supportive School Environment

Our school rules, Ready, Respectful, Safe, provide clear expectations for everyone.

We teach and model positive relationships, kindness, respect and responsibility. Children are encouraged to recognise how their actions affect others and to contribute to a safe, welcoming school community.

Our behaviour curriculum, anti-bullying work and opportunities for pupil leadership help children understand their responsibilities towards themselves and others.

Listening to Children

Children need to know that they will be listened to and taken seriously.

We encourage children to share their thoughts, worries and experiences through trusted relationships with adults, classroom discussions, pupil voice activities and everyday conversations.

We recognise that some children may find it difficult to communicate their feelings or concerns. Staff are attentive to changes in behaviour, emotional wellbeing and communication, and adapt their approach to meet individual needs.

Supporting Emotional Wellbeing

We recognise that children's emotional wellbeing is closely connected to their safety, learning and development.

Our provision includes:

Zones of Regulation to help children understand and manage emotions.
Calm corners and reflection spaces.
Nurture support, including our Snug and Ark spaces.
Targeted social, emotional and mental health interventions.
Support from our Mental Health Support Team (MHST).
Individualised support and appropriate adaptations for children with additional needs.

We work closely with families and other professionals to understand children's needs and offer support at the earliest opportunity.

Attendance and Safeguarding

Regular school attendance is an important part of keeping children safe.

We monitor attendance carefully, follow up unexplained absences promptly and work with families to understand and address barriers to attending school.

Our approach is guided by the principle Every Child Accounted For.

Where children experience difficulties attending school, including emotionally based school avoidance, we work with families and relevant professionals to provide appropriate support.

Teaching Children How to Keep Safe

Safeguarding is an important part of our curriculum and wider school experiences.

Through our Jigsaw PSHE curriculum, computing lessons, collective worship, assemblies, visits and workshops, children develop the knowledge and confidence to recognise risks, make safe choices and ask for help.

Our learning includes:

Healthy relationships: Friendships, kindness, boundaries, consent and respect for others.
Online safety: Protecting personal information, recognising online risks, responsible communication and knowing how to report concerns.
Personal safety: Understanding safe and unsafe situations, trusted adults and how to seek help.
Mental health and wellbeing: Recognising emotions, developing resilience and understanding when to ask for support.
Anti-bullying: Recognising bullying, understanding its impact and knowing how to get help.
Practical safety: Road safety, water safety, fire safety, first aid and safety in the wider community.
Respect and diversity: Understanding difference, challenging discrimination and respecting the rights and beliefs of others.

Children also benefit from additional experiences, including visits from the police and other professionals, safety workshops and Year 6 visits to the Lifeskills Centre in Bristol.

We want every child to understand three important messages:

I have the right to feel safe.

My voice matters.

There is always someone I can talk to.

Working with Parents and Families

We believe that strong, trusting relationships between home and school are essential to keeping children safe.

We encourage parents and carers to share concerns with us, whether they relate to their own child or another child.

We aim to work openly and respectfully with families, offering advice, early help and additional support when needed.

There may be occasions when our safeguarding responsibilities require us to share information with children's social care, the police or other relevant professionals. We will normally discuss this with parents and carers unless doing so could increase the risk to a child or compromise safeguarding action.

Our priority will always be the safety and wellbeing of children.

Online Safety

The internet offers exciting opportunities for learning, creativity and communication. However, children need support to understand and manage online risks.

At Winford, online safety is taught throughout our computing and PSHE curriculum and reinforced through assemblies and regular conversations.

We encourage parents and carers to talk openly with their children about their online experiences, establish age-appropriate boundaries and ensure that children know how to seek help if something worries them.

Useful websites for families:

Further information is available on our school's Online Safety (E-Safety) webpage.

Preventing Radicalisation and Extremism

As part of our safeguarding responsibilities, we have a duty under the Prevent strategy to help protect children from the risk of being drawn into terrorism.

At Winford, we promote a culture of respect, inclusion and understanding. Through our Christian vision, school values, curriculum and collective worship, children learn about democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

We encourage children to think critically, explore different viewpoints, respect others and challenge prejudice or discrimination.

Staff receive appropriate Prevent training and understand how to identify and report concerns.

Further guidance is available through Educate Against Hate.

Concerns About the Conduct of an Adult

We take all concerns about the conduct of adults working or volunteering in school seriously.

If you have a safeguarding concern about a member of staff, volunteer or another adult working with children at Winford, please contact the Headteacher.

If your concern relates to the Headteacher, please contact the Chair of Governors through the school office or the Lighthouse Schools Partnership.

Concerns will be considered and managed in accordance with our safeguarding policies and relevant statutory procedures, including referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where appropriate.

Safeguarding Policies and Useful Information

Our safeguarding arrangements follow statutory guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education, and the policies and procedures of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership.

The following documents provide further information about our safeguarding responsibilities and arrangements:

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026.
Behaviour and Anti-Bullying Policy.
Attendance Policy.
Online Safety information.
SEND and Inclusion information.
Mental Health and Wellbeing information.

Please visit our Policies and Documents page for relevant school and Trust policies.

Additional Support and Advice

NSPCC – Advice for adults concerned about a child.
www.nspcc.org.uk
Helpline: 0808 800 5000

Childline – Free, confidential support for children and young people.
www.childline.org.uk
Telephone: 0800 1111

North Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership – Local safeguarding advice, guidance and resources.
www.nsscp.co.uk

Together we Flourish

At Winford, every child deserves to feel safe, to know they belong and to be supported to flourish. Safeguarding is a responsibility we share and a commitment we make to every child, every day.