St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection Policy which can be viewed below and in the policies section on our website.

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Miss Lousie Basson

Children have a right to be cared for and protected, protecting them is everyone’s responsibility. 

Here at St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School we have a duty of care to ensure that all users of the school are kept safe from harm. We are committed to provide a secure and supportive environment in which children can develop and grow into mature and responsible people. 

Safeguarding children is an essential part of our holistic approach to ensure that children are protected from abuse and neglect and that every child reaches their full potential.

The best interests of the children will always be our priority. As such, there are times we will need to record, monitor and share information with other agencies. We will share concerns about our pupils with the child’s parents/carers unless we have reason to believe that such a move would not be in the child’s best interest.

St Mary Star of the Sea is part of the Operation Encompass scheme which runs jointly between local schools, East Sussex Police and East Sussex County Council. 

Operation Encompass has been designed to provide early reporting on any domestic incidents that occur outside of school and might have an impact on a child in school.

Operation Encompass ensures that the Safeguarding Lead is informed the next day that there has been a domestic incident or if a child has been reported as missing.

This means that the Safeguarding Lead can ensure that the child is supported whilst they are in school.

We are keen to offer the best support possible for our pupils and we believe this is extremely beneficial for all those involved. For more information see www.operationencompass.org

Safeguarding Information for Visitors

All staff and visitors alike have a responsibility for safeguarding our pupils. To ensure this we ask the following:

• Switch off your mobile phone/device and store it away
• Do not take pictures, videos or sound recordings of any pupils unless you have sought permission from the school.  These should never be taken on personal devices
• If you are working with a child, please ensure the class teacher is aware of this, where you are working and approximately how long for
• If you are working with a child, please do so in a space that is open, has an open door or is visible to others through a window
• If you have a concern about a child please pass this on to the child’s class teacher, who will then follow our safeguarding procedures. If they are not available, please speak with one of our Designated Safeguarding Officers
• If you have a concern about another adult in school, please ask to speak to a Designated Safeguarding Officer
• Always share concerns with school staff, no matter how small they may appear, and don’t keep them to yourself
• If a child says something to you that you think could be a safeguarding concern, act as above, and if possible write down what was said immediately. Listen to the child, do not question them or promise them that it will remain confidential between the two of you.

Whilst we cannot remove risk, we look at ways of minimising that risk. These risk assessments are undertaken on areas such as classrooms, halls and the school playgrounds. We carry out risk assessments for all school trips including our annual Year 6 residential trip. Risk assessments may be carried out for individuals who require some reasonable adjustments to support their learning and behaviour. This means that whist we cannot remove risk we have looked at ways of minimising that risk. 

Parents and carers play a role in safeguarding children in their community. If you have any concerns, no matter how small, you should report them to someone who you trust will listen. The school is required to have a designated child protection officer for this purpose. Parents and children should speak to the safeguarding officer if they have any concerns about a child or staff member.

If you think a child or young person may be in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise contact East Sussex Children’s Social Care.

How do I contact East Sussex safeguarding? Telephone: 01323 464 222 

Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm and Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm.