Keeping all children safe is our number one priority at Downsbrook. We are proud of the work that we do in supporting and teaching our children about how they can keep themselves safe

Safeguarding

At Downsbrook, we recognise that your child's safety and security is our top priority. Every member of staff is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This commitment is guided by clear whole school policy and practice, which applies to all staff and volunteers working within school.

Our designated child protection members of staff are as follows:

Designated Safeguarding Lead Just Jeffrey (Head of School)
Safeguarding Team Amy Neale (Assistant Head) Joe Neale (Assistant Head)

A copy of our safeguarding policy can be found here

We have a well developed culture where Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We recognise that all people working within our school environment have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils. All of our staff and volunteers are trained regularly on Safeguarding and we take every possible step to ensure the safety and welfare of your child: both on site and outside of school. We want to work in partnership and discuss with you any concerns we or you may have in relation to your child’s well being.

How do we keep children safe at Downsbrook?

In order to fulfil this commitment we:

Provide and maintain an environment in which children feel safe, secure, valued and respected, to be confident to talk openly and sure of being listened to.

Provide suitable support and guidance so that children have a range of appropriate adults who they feel confident to approach if they have worries or difficulties

Ensure that all staff and volunteers have been appropriately checked, with regard to their suitability to work with children using safer recruitment procedures.

Implement and review procedures for identifying and reporting cases, or suspected cases, of abuse.

Support children, where concerns have been identified, in accordance with an agreed child protection plan or alternative professional multi- agency plan.

Provide learning opportunities for increasing self- awareness, self-esteem, assertiveness and decision making so that children have a range of contacts and strategies to ensure their own protection and understand the importance of protecting others.

Since the first priority is your child’s welfare, there may be rare occasions when our concern about your child means that we have to consult other agencies even before we contact you. The West Sussex Local Safeguarding Children Board has laid down the procedures we follow, and the school has adopted a Child Protection Policy in line with this for the safety of all. We have a designated Safeguarding Team who are always on hand to discuss individual issues with you or your child.

We recognise because of their day-to-day contact with children, school staff are ideally placed to observe and report the outward signs of abuse. All staff receive appropriate child protection training which is updated regularly. Within school we have an appropriately trained designated member of staff for child protection, referred to as the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), who takes the lead on all child protection matters. We also have a team of DSL-trained staff to provide cover in case of absence. Staff refer any concerns to the designated member of staff.

Security on site

Your child’s safety is of paramount importance to us. To this end all visitors are asked to report to reception and sign the visitors’ book. They wear a badge which is returned to the office at the end of their visit. Parents taking children out of school during the day are also asked to sign them out. Staff all wear badges and all entrances and exits are monitored.

E-Safety

We try to keep your children safe from cyber-bullying, protect them from harmful or illegal content and teach them to be responsible cyber-citizens. In this increasingly digital world, these essential life-skills cannot be overlooked or taken for granted. We recommend the Childnet or Think u Know resources for parents as a very useful starting point when discussing online safety at home.

We send monthly information to parents to keep you informed of the latest information about keeping your child safe online.

Please download the latest articles from here.

Downsbrook

Safeguarding

How do we keep children safe at Downsbrook?

Security on site

E-Safety

Academic Year 2023/2024

Academic Year 2020/2021

Academic Year 2019/2020