Safeguarding
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).
The designated safeguarding governor is Mr John Lever and the deputy safeguarding governor is Mrs Sarah Granados.
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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/
Our School's Safeguarding Leads
Safeguarding/Child Protection Policy
Each year, we update our Safeguarding Policy in line with Government legislation and Local Authority recommendations.
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.
Covid 19
Getting used to being at home and managing the home learning can be stressful! If you are feeling anxious during this time and would appreciate a chat about anything to do with parenting, contact Action for Children at the link below.
https://action-for-children.herokuapp.com/
Domestic Abuse
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.