Safeguarding

Operation encompass

In conjunction with Lancashire Police, St. Peter's C. of E. Primary School is involved in a national initiative called "Operation Encompass".  The purpose of Operation Encompass is to safeguard and support children and young people who have been involved in, heard or witnessed a domestic abuse incident.

Following an incident, children will often arrive at school distressed, upset, worried and unprepared.  Operation Encompass aims to ensure that appropriate school staff are made aware early enough to help and support children and young people in a way that means that they are safe and included.

This is a valuable initiative that means that we help and support children and their families within our school when they need us most.

You can find out more information by visiting the Operation Encompass website below (click the logo below) or by contacting Mrs Dodd at the school.

Online safety

St. Peter's C. of E. Primary School provides a balanced and relevant approach to the use of technology.  We have a range of laptops and IPADS across all key stages. Children are encouraged to maximise the benefits and opportunities that technology has to offer. We ensure that children learn in an environment where security measures are balanced appropriately with the need to learn effectively. Here at St. Peter's, we aim to equip children with the skills and knowledge to use technology appropriately and responsibly. We teach children how to recognise the risks associated with technology and how to deal with them, both within and outside the school environment.

The purpose of using the internet in school is to raise educational standards and to support the professional work of our staff. It also enhances the school's operational functions. The internet use is part of the statutory curriculum and a necessary tool, for learning.  Internet access is an entitlement for children who show a responsible and mature approach to its use. It is part of everyday learning. As a school we have a duty to provide children with quality internet access as part of the learning process. Our children at St. Peter's use the Internet widely out of school and need to learn how to use the Internet and to take care of their own safety and security.

Please click on our online safety Policy for further information. This also includes the Acceptable Use' section.

Lancashire have designed a great website for parents about keeping children safe online. Please click on the link below to access the website.

Monday 11th December 

Thank you to the parents and family members that came to our online safety information evening. Please see the list of support materials and video links that can be accessed. 

Online Safety Information

Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board

Online Safety Information

In this section of the website we will keep parents/ carers informed on how to keep their children safe out of school. We will highlight the risk and measures parents can put in place to keep their child safe online. 

Online Safety Guides

Preventing radicalisation (PREVENT duty)

From 1st July 2015 all schools are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter Terrorist and Security Act 2015 in the exercise of their functions, to have 'due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism'.  This duty is known as the Prevent duty. 

In order for schools and childcare providers to fulfil the prevent duty, it is essential that staff are able to identify children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, and know what to do when they are identified.  protecting children form the risk of radicalisation should be seen as part of schools' sider safeguarding duties, and is similar in nature to protecting children from other harms (e.g. drugs, gangs, neglect, sexual exploitation), whether these come from within their family or are the product of outside influences.

Schools and childcare providers can also build pupils' resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British Values and enabling them to challenge extremist views.  It is important to emphasis that the prevent duty is not intended to stop pupils debating controversial issues.

On the contrary, schools should provide a safe space in which children, young people and staff can understand the risks associated with terrorism and develop the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge extremist arguments.  For Early Years childcare providers, the statutory framework for the early years Foundation Stage sets standards for learning, development ad care for children from 0-5, thereby assisting their personal, social and emotional development and understanding of the world. (Prevent Duty Guidance - DFE-011742015)

All concerns should be reported to Mrs Gomersall immediately and recorded using the 'Notification of radicalisations Concern Form.

PREVENT duty Documents

Why do we need a filtering and monitoring system?

The internet is now used daily in education and has become fundamental. It acts as a key learning tool for children however, it can also be an area for concern due to the nature of potentially harmful content available online.

There are many reasons why filtering and monitoring are required. In school the purpose is to ensure that children do not access unsuitable/inappropriate content. One example is around radicalisation. The prevent duty is a statutory obligation for schools to keep children safe from the risk of radicalisation and extremism. As a school, we are aware of the risks posed by the online activity of extremist groups, and how social media is being used to encourage young people to travel to certain countries.

Content filtering works by applying specific parameters to content retrieved via the internet, restricting access to certain materials on websites, Apps, emails or other suspicious items. It can be a hardware or software solution and can often be part of a firewall setting. 

Monitoring combined with content filtering alerts for any activities that need to be acted upon, but the information is also used to determine which sites and keywords need to be filtered out. For example, if a new craze appears, the monitoring and filtering system will help us know what associated terms the children are searching for, and what websites they are accessing.

To safeguard and promote the welfare of our children, we provide them with a safe environment in which they can learn and flourish, by ensuring that they are not exposed to any online risks associated with using the internet. We have comprehensive filtering and monitoring systems in place for all devices used in school, and regularly review their effectiveness.  Our school uses Netsweeper and this is monitored by our Senior Leaders and Governing body. 

We also use Project Evolve as part of our curriculum for teaching online safety. 

For more information on how to monitor and use filtering at home, click on the links below that discuss parental controls:

• NSPCC
• Thinkuknow - CEOP
• Safer Internet