At Blandford St Mary Primary we are committed to safeguarding children. Safeguarding is seen as something that is the responsibility of everyone in school: staff, Governors, volunteers and children.

 

If you have a concern regarding a welfare of a child, please speak to a member of staff listed below.

The designated member of staff for safeguarding is Mrs. Rosaleen Beaver (Headteacher).

The deputy safeguarding leads are Mrs. Sue Flavell (Reception Teacher and Senior Leader) and Mr. Matt Tough ( Deputy Headteacher and Year 3 Teacher).

 

You can also call them on the following telephone number: 01258 453331 or email: DSL@blandfordstmary.dsat.org.uk

 

The designated safeguarding governor is Mr John Lever and the deputy safeguarding governor is Mrs Sarah Granados. You can contact them on the following email addresses: 

Mr John Lever - jlever@blandfordstmary.dsat.org.uk

Mrs Sarah Granados - sgranados@blandfordstmary.dsat.org.uk 

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On this page, you will find information about safeguarding in our school as well as useful information and websites for parents.

 

To find out more information from the Dorset Safeguarding Children Board (DSCB) regarding internet safety please click onto the link http://www.dorsetlscb.co.uk/site/advice-for-parents-and-carers/keeping-children-safe-online/

 

Safeguarding/Child Protection Policy

Each year, we update our Safeguarding Policy in line with Government legislation and Local Authority recommendations.

The above Child Protection Policy is in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. Please see the link below for Keeping Children Safe in Education:

Get help for your family

Dorset Council 

Please visit their webpage by clicking on the link below to find out about the variety of support that can be offered to families. 

Educational Psychology Service helpline for parents 

If you are worried about how your child is coping at the moment and need some support, you can contact the Dorset Educational Psychology Service helpline for parents on 01258 474036

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) website has been updated with lots of information and resources to help parents / carers and children during this national crisis.

Please click on the link below to visit the CAMHS website.

 

www.camhsdorset.org 

What is bullying?

Bullying is the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face-to-face or through cyberspace, and comes in many different forms:

Verbal

Name calling, persistent teasing, mocking, taunting and threats.

Physical

Any form of physical violence, intimidating behaviour, theft or the intentional damage of possessions. This includes hitting, kicking and pushing.

Emotional

Excluding, tormenting, ridiculing, humiliation, setting people up and spreading rumours.

Cyberbullying

The misuse of digital technologies or communications to bully a person or a group, typically through messages or actions that are threatening and/or intended to cause offence, anxiety or humiliation.

 

Who gets bullied?

It is never your fault if you are bullied. People can be targeted for any reason, but people who bully others often target 'difference' and bullying can be a form of wider discrimination. For example bullying behaviour may be:

Racist

Targeted at ethnicity, skin colour, language, religious or cultural practices.

Homophobic, biphobic and/or transphobic

Targeted at actual or perceived sexuality and/or gender.

Sexual and/or sexist

Sexual and/or sexist behaviour that is intended to cause offence, humiliation or intimidation .

Disablist

Targeted at an impairment or special educational need.

Targeting any 'difference'

In our experience bullying behaviour can also be targeted at 'looks', weight and height, colour of hair, wearing glasses or braces, acne, psoriasis and eczema, scars, marks or conditions of the face or body, body odour, poverty, gifts and talents or family situation (e.g. divorce, bereavement, homelessness).

 

What is NOT bullying

Bullying is behaviour that is intended to hurt, is repeated and where there is an imbalance of power (when it is hard for the person being bullied to defend themselves). This means that one off incidents are not usually bullying behaviour though they may still be frightening and harmful.

In a group situation it may be the case that lots of children say or do something to a child, and though each individual child may only say or do something once, the behaviour has been repeated throughout the group, and is therefore likely to be bullying.

 

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is the misuse of digital technologies or communications to bully a person or a group, typically through messages or actions that are threatening and/or intended to cause offence, anxiety or humiliation.

Examples of cyberbullying

• Abusive comments, rumours, gossip and threats made using digital communications and/or technologies - this includes internet trolling
• Sharing pictures, videos or personal information without the consent of the owner and with the intent to cause harm or humiliation
• Hacking into someone's email, phone or online profiles to extract and share personal information, or to send hurtful content while posing as that person
• Creating dedicated websites that intend to harm, make fun of someone or spread malicious rumours
• Pressurising someone to do something they do not want to such as sending an explicit image. 

 

 

 

Private Fostering

Private fostering is when a child under the age of 16 (or 18 if disabled) lives with someone for 28 days or more who is not a: 

• close relative such as a grandparent, sibling, uncle or aunt or step-parent

• guardian

• person with parental responsibility

The parent/s and the private foster carer would make this arrangement, not the local council.

Children who are privately fostered until their sixteenth birthday are entitled to a service from the local authority.

 

Please talk to us at school is you are aware of a private fostering arrangement.

Private fostering can happen if the child or young person:

• has parents who live overseas and they come to this country to attend school

• has parents who are ill and cannot look after them

• has been estranged from their families

• is attending language schools and staying with host families

 

 

Notify us about a private fostering arrangement

You must inform the local authority if you know about a child that is being or going to be privately fostered. By law, they must know of any arrangement. Dorset's Children's Services can then make sure the arrangement is suitable.

Inform the Children's advice and duty service (ChAD) if you are:

• the parent/carer of the child or the private foster carer

• involved in the arrangement

• a social worker or from another local council

If you know someone is private fostering, please contact our children's advice and duty service (ChAD) on 01305 228866

 

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