Safeguarding at Salford Priors Church of England Academy

At Salford Priors Church of England Academy, safeguarding is our top priority. We are committed to actively cultivating and promoting the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our school community – children, staff, governors, volunteers, and visitors alike.

We believe every individual has the right to feel safe, valued, and respected. For pupils, this means learning in a supportive environment that protects them from harm or abuse. For adults, it means a safe workplace where wellbeing is supported and safeguarded.

To help us achieve this:

• All staff, governors, and volunteers are required to share in our safeguarding commitment.
• Everyone working or volunteering in school must complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
• We follow robust safeguarding policies, available on our Policies Page and are guided by the Multi Academy Trust’s safeguarding principles, available on the MAT Policies Page.
• Our practice reflects national guidance and good practice, including advice from Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board

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If you have any questions about safeguarding, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs. Gibbs-Naguar, or our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads, Mrs. Kent and Mrs. Pettitt.

Together, we are committed to ensuring [School Name] remains a safe, welcoming, and nurturing place for all.

Prevent

Prevent is a government strategy aimed at safeguarding individuals from becoming involved in terrorism or supporting extremist causes. Schools, along with other organisations, have a legal duty to protect children from the risks of radicalisation and extremism. This responsibility is no different from our duty to protect pupils from other harms, such as drugs or gang violence.

At our school, we take this responsibility seriously. We aim to provide a safe and supportive environment where pupils can openly discuss sensitive issues, develop resilience, and learn how to protect themselves from extremist influences.

Many of the approaches we already use to help children grow into confident, responsible, and respectful members of society also support the Prevent strategy. These include:

• Exploring different cultures and religions, and celebrating diversity
• Challenging prejudice, discrimination, and racist behaviour
• Encouraging critical thinking and building a strong, positive sense of identity
• Promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, as well as fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect

In addition, we take practical steps to safeguard pupils, such as:

• Using internet filters to prevent access to extremist or harmful material
• Carefully vetting visitors who work with our pupils

Through these measures, we strive to ensure our pupils are safe, well-informed, and prepared to make positive choices in the wider world.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards

Local Safeguarding Children Boards are partnerships between local county councils, police, National Health Service (NHS) and other key partner agencies working together to safeguard children, young people and adults. 

Known as the Warwickshire Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), the team can be contacted on 01926 414144 or https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/mash for urgent or ongoing safeguarding concerns.

The MASH is incorporated within the Children and Families' Front Door, which brings together Children's Social Care and Early Help Children's Social Care – Warwickshire County Council.

Children and families – Warwickshire County Council is the website for Warwickshire's Family Information Service, where much advice and support for parents and carers can be found.

Some families live beyond Salford Priors, Bidford-on Avon and Dunnington, and are under Worcestershire's Front Door. The Initial Contact and Referral Team can be contacted by telephone on 01905 822666 or via Report it - Worcestershire Safeguarding Boards (https://www.safeguardingworcestershire.org.uk/report-it/)