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Our Safeguarding Statement
At John Clifford School, there is nothing more important to us than the physical and emotional health and well-being of our pupils and staff alike. We recognise that everyday we are trusted with the most precious members of our families. As such we have created and work hard to maintain a climate in which staff, pupils, parents and governors feel able to articulate concerns comfortably; safe in the knowledge that effective action will be taken, as appropriate.
Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies apply to all adults, including volunteers, working in or on behalf of our School. We expect everyone working in or for our School to share responsibility for keeping children safe from harm and abuse and report any concerns to one of our Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs). Together we must ensure that all children, their families and our staff, feel safe, valued and cared for at all times and are nurtured to thrive and achieve to be the best we can be.
We welcome volunteers, including parents, into our School and at all times ensure that volunteers are suitable to work with children. Those who volunteer to spend time with our children on a regular basis are required to undergo a DBS check.
At John Clifford School, children are taught about how to stay safe, including staying safe online. Our taught curriculum and programme of assemblies covers how to stay physically and emotionally healthy and includes e-safety and age-appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). NB: Parents of older children, who undertake specific units of work on puberty and sex education, will be informed before the teaching takes place and will be invited to view any materials we plan to use.
Designated Safeguarding Leads
All of us at John Clifford School have a commitment to ensure the safeguarding of all our children and staff. Our members of staff are all Safeguarding trained (including FGM awareness). We have all also received up-to-date 'Prevent' training which we renew annually.
Our school is lucky to have four Designated Safeguarding Leaders who share responsibility for keeping everybody safe in school.
The DSL has key responsibilities to:
- Manage any referrals of suspected child abuse/serious safeguarding concerns to the local safeguarding partners (Local Authority or Police), in liaison with the Headteacher or Principal;
- Ensure all staff are aware of the schools/setting child protection policies and procedures, and are appropriately trained and supported;
- Ensure all staff are aware of who to raise concerns to in their absence.
All DSLs receive thorough Safeguarding training to suit this role.
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Lead Designated Safeguarding Leader
Designated Safeguarding Leader
We also have a two Safeguarding Governors and their role is to challenge our policy and practices.
Safeguarding Governor
Becci Bitsios-Esposito
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Safeguarding Governor
Yasmine Lamoudi
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We are supported by White Hills Park Trust and the named collegaue responsible for safeguarding is Sam Mensah. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Radicalisation and Extremism
All staff should also access Department for Education and Home office website – Educate against Hate. Designed specifically for teachers, parents and school leaders, this provides information, support and practical advice in keeping children safe from the dangers of extremism.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental illness can affect anyone, of any age, of any background, at any time. Similar to physical illness, people do not choose to have a mental health difficulty. They also need the appropriate care to get better. We have an important role to play in supporting mental health in young children and adults and this is a developing area of focus for us all.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic experiences that can have a huge impact on children and young people throughout their lives.
Online Safety
At John Clifford School we take e-safety very seriously. Using computers and technology is an increasingly important skill and understanding how to do so safely is a vital part of everybody's education: children, parents and staff alike.
Whenever new advances occur, information and advice will be offered via these pages to help support your child's education and perhaps provide parents with some useful information that you didn't know already!
Whilst we see every day as being 'Safe Internet Day', we also celebrate the national Safer Internet Day in February too. We study this in more detail in Computing lessons and also discuss it in classes too.
Water Safety
Water Safety is especially important in our area, following tragic accidents in recent times around Beeston Weir, the River Trent and the Nottingham and Beeston Canal.
Would you know what to do if someone you were with fell in and was struggling to get out?
SHOUT - CALL 999 – SIGNAL – THROW - DO NOT GO
The Open Water Education Network is based in Beeston, and was set up following a tragic accident in our local waters. Their website offers lots of advice on how to stay safe around water, and what do do if someone is in trouble.
https://owen7.org.uk/5-words-to-remember
Meeting for Parents and Carers Around the Safe Use of Socail Media
23 April 2024
On 23rd April 2024, you were all invited to discuss the safe use of social media. This was a meeting held in support of some of the experiences parents and carers were facing with their children at home. Overtime, there appeared to be an increase of incidents in school where what had happened on social platforms and gaming in the evening and weekends was spilling into school. Both children and parents were bringing to the attention of school what was going on and we felt that we needed to address this.
Prior to the meeting, I contacted the Nottinghamshire County Council TETtC Team and spoke with them for advice and resource. It was reassuring to hear from them that the problems we were facing we not ours alone and that most primary schools were tackling social media as an emerging threat to children. They were very keen to support the meeting and the ongoing journey to ensuring the safety of the children.
The meeting was supported by twenty adults who came along to share thoughts and experiences. There were two members of the Local Governing Body present, one of whom was the Chair of Governors, Katherine Calder. The meeting was also supported by Sam Mensah from WHPT. Thank you all for coming.
We looked at the website: https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/ and I presented to the team what I thought were the issues we were facing together and the types of communications we had been shown in school. Parents and carers talked about their experiences, both good and bad, and we all agreed that keeping up with technology and children and the combination of those two things was a challenge.
Actions from the meeting were:
1. Review currency of curriculum content
2. Separate the safegaurdning updates from the general Newsletter
3. Consider another meeting with representation from the NottsCC TETtC Team
Resources from the meeting:
1. Online Safety Resources For Parents, Carers & Families
2. Age Restrictions For Video Games
