Bishop Henderson School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.  All our staff receive regular child protection training which includes school child protection procedures and policies, and all have current enhanced CRB/DBS checks.

We follow Department for Education (DfE) guidelines for ‘Safer Recruitment’ when employing new staff.

Our safeguarding policy and procedures apply to all of the school community, including all staff, governors and volunteers working in the school, and any visitors or contractors working on site.

We follow the current statutory guidance provided by the DfE and local guidance issued by the Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership. 

We will ensure that parents/carers are made aware of our child protection policy through its publication on our website.

Promoting the welfare of children and protecting them from harm are everyone’s responsibility.  All staff and volunteers involved with children have a responsibility to be mindful of issues related to their safety and welfare and a duty to report any concerns.

We use CPOMS to report and manage all safeguarding concerns. The DSL ensures that appropriate action is taken promptly and recorded via this system.

There are five main elements to our safeguarding and child protection policy:

• Provide a safe environment in which children can learn and develop.
• Ensure we practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children.
• Implement procedures for identifying vulnerable children and reporting cases of suspected abuse.
• Support pupils who have been harmed or abused.
• Raise awareness of safeguarding children, child protection processes and equip children with the skills needed to keep them safe.

School gates are locked during the school day so that visitors have to enter via the main entrance and the school office.

Bishop Henderson School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mr Chris Lane.  The Deputy Safe Guarding leads are Mrs Kirstin Tesoriere and Mrs Kelly Young.

If you have any concerns regarding safeguarding issues, please speak to any member of staff.

PREVENT
What is the Prevent strategy?

Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or
extremist causes. The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the
extreme right or left wing, violent Islamist groups and other causes.

How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?

All schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and
extremism. This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the
same way we protect them from drugs or gang violence.
Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand
how to protect themselves.

What does this mean in practice?

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society
also contribute to the Prevent strategy.
These include:

• Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity
• Challenging prejudices and racist comments
• Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity
• Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such
  as democracy.

We will also protect children from the risk of radicalisation, for example by using filters on the internet
to make sure they can’t access extremist and terrorist material, or by vetting visitors who come into
school to work with pupils. We will carry out our Prevent duty in different ways, depending on the age
of the children and the needs of our community.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Prevent relate to British values?
Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014, and this will continue to be part of our
response to the Prevent strategy. British values include:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty and mutual respect
• Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs

Isn’t my child too young to learn about extremism?

The Prevent strategy is not just about discussing extremism itself, which may not be appropriate for
younger children. It is also about teaching children values such as tolerance and mutual respect. Our
Academy will make sure any discussions are suitable for the age and maturity of the children involved.

Is extremism really a risk in our area?

Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and misogynistic extremism. Some of these
may be a bigger threat in our area than others. We will give children the skills to protect them from any
extremist views they may encounter, now or later in their lives.

KEY TERMS
Extremism – vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law
and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs
Ideology – a set of beliefs
Terrorism – a violent action against people or property, designed to create fear and advance a political,
religious or ideological cause
Radicalisation – the process by which a person comes to support extremism and terrorism

Operation Encompass

Bishop Henderson Primary School is proud to be part of Operation Encompass, a national initiative that supports children who may be affected by domestic abuse. This partnership between schools and the police ensures that key staff are informed promptly—before the start of the next school day—if a child has been involved in or exposed to a domestic incident.

This allows us to offer immediate and tailored support to children in a safe and nurturing environment. Our involvement in Operation Encompass reflects our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child.

If you would like more information, please visit www.operationencompass.org or speak to a member of our safeguarding team - Mr Lane is the Designated Safeguarding Officer and trained Operation Encompass member of staff.

See the 10 key principles of Operation Encompass HERE