Safeguarding
To read the Cuddington Croft Child Protection Policy please click the link to our Policies page.
If you have any concerns about a child at Cuddington Croft then please send an email to
If you have a concern about a child from Surrey during the school holiday then please contact Surrey Children's Single Point of Access (SPA) on 0300 470 9100.
If you have a concern about a child from Sutton during the school holiday then please contact Sutton MASH on 0208 770 6001.
Safeguarding at Cuddington Croft
Cuddington Croft School recognises its responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The school's policy applies to the whole of the school's workforce, along with volunteers, governors and any contractors working on the school site. The policy focuses on 5 main elements:
-
Staff recruitment and selection - ensuring that all staff (volunteers etc.) have been appropriately checked for their suitability, using the Safe Recruitment procedures.
-
Raising awareness of safeguarding issues and equipping children with the skills needed to keep them safe.
-
Developing and implementing procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases, of abuse.
-
Supporting pupils who have been abused, in accordance with an agreed, child-centred plan.
-
Establishing a safe and nurturing environment free from discrimination or bullying, where children can learn and develop happily.
We recognise that because of their day-to-day contact with children, school staff are ideally placed to observe the outward signs of abuse. Staff in schools will therefore:
-
Report any inappropriate behaviour / activities to designated staff.
-
Establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to.
-
Ensure that children know that they can approach any adult in school if they are worried and they will receive a consistent, supportive response.
-
Provide, within the PSHE curriculum, opportunities for children to develop the skills they need to recognise, and stay safe, from abuse.
Cuddington Croft's Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mr M Skelton (Head of School). Our Deputy DSLs are: Mr S Maclean (Executive Head Teacher), Mrs S Wood and Miss L Lehane. Our Safeguarding Governor is Mrs F Thorp.
It may be helpful for parents to know that the Local Authority requires Head Teachers to report any obvious or suspected case of child abuse which includes non-accidental injury, severe physical neglect, emotional abuse and/or sexual abuse. This procedure is intended to protect children at risk and schools are encouraged to take the attitude that where there are grounds for suspicion it is better to be safe than sorry. This does mean that Head Teachers risk upsetting some parents by reporting a case, which on investigation proves unfounded. In such circumstances, it is hoped that parents, appreciating how difficult it is for Head Teachers to carry out this delicate responsibility, would accept that the Head Teacher was acting in what were believed to be the child’s best interests.
Teaching safeguarding
It is vitally important that the children are taught to keep themselves safe in all circumstances. Please click on the link below to see when and how your children will be taught about Safeguarding.
Prevent Duty
Published by the government in July 2015, the Prevent Duty outlines the expectations placed on schools and other childcare providers to protect children and young people from radicalisation and extremism.
They adjudge extremism to constitute views, attitudes or behaviours which run contrary to core British values such as democracy, the rule of law and individual liberty.
At Cuddington Croft, we feel we prepare and protect the children from these dangers by our focus on community. Our 6Cs form an incredibly important part of this, but so do many of our topics and projects within class and in wider school life.
Click on the link below for the main ways in which we feel Cuddington supports our pupils towards becoming engaged citizens of a modern, global and increasingly complex world.
E-Safety
Whilst it is important that the correct technical systems are in place to guarantee that the children are safe whilst using the internet. It is equally important to ensure that the children are taught how to use the internet safely. They must understand how to keep themselves safe. We work with CEOPs to ensure that our children are given the necessary tools to keep themselves safe whilst using the internet.
For further help and advice on keeping children safe on the internet please click on the link to the NSPCC website.
And for further resources on how to keep children safe online please click here.
Operation Encompass
Recently the school has taken the opportunity to join the Operation Encompass scheme which will run jointly between local schools, Surrey Police and Surrey 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 will ensure that a member of the school teaching staff, named a ‘Key Adult’ or “Deputy Key Adult”, is informed the next morning that there has been a domestic incident or if a child has been reported as missing.
This means that the Key Adult or Deputy Key Adult 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 going to be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
For more information see www.operationencompass.org
