Safeguarding
The safety and well-being of the children at Millfields is our first priority. Children cannot learn unless they feel happy and safe. We adhere to stringent Safeguarding procedures to protect the welfare of all the children who come here. We are committed to:-
*Establishing an ethos in which children feel secure, valued and confident of being listened to.
*Giving children the confidence to talk to adults in the school about abuse and to make disclosures to them.
*Establishing relationships with parents that build on an understanding of the school’s responsibility to protect children (and recognition that this may sometimes require referral of individual children to other child protection agencies).
*Establishing appropriate expectations of interpersonal behaviour; and developing strategies to help children to protect themselves.
*Providing training for staff in recognizing signs, symptoms and behaviour which are symptomatic of abuse and in responding appropriately.
*Establishing good procedures and practices in relation to record keeping.
It is the moral and legal duty of all adults in charge of children to be ready to protect children in danger from abuse. Education staff have a responsibility to observe, monitor and refer suspected abuse.
Any member of staff suspecting child abuse or neglect must refer their suspicions to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Head Teacher, who will then refer to the local Social Care Team if appropriate.
It is important that staff are aware that many more children experience abuse than are registered as requiring protection. It is therefore essential that school staff are vigilant in identifying abuse. School staff have regular training opportunities to ensure that they are kept up to date with current policies and procedures.
As a school, we have a legal duty to prevent extremism -safeguard children from extremist ideology; to safeguard children at risk of sexual exploitation; and safeguard children at risk of abuse through female genital mutilation. As well as following our policy, we are adopting the guidance of the 'London Safeguarding Children Board'.
London Safeguarding Children Board: Child Protection Procedures
We also follow DFE advice as detailed in their booklet: Keeping Children Safe in Education (Translations available in Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Urdu, Somali, Polish
Please download Millfields Safeguarding Policy 2024-25 in full to read more.
*(The Safeguarding Children Policy that was written in line with changes outlined within KCSiE September 2024 guidance, and has been reviewed and revised in line with the Hackney recommended model. It was ratified at the Governor's meeting on 23rd September 2024.
Our Designated Safeguarding Leads are: Jane Betsworth (Headteacher), Kingsley Fry (SENCo) and Debi Cookhorn (Deputy Head)
The Designated Safeguarding Governor is: Sandy Stanton. (Co-opted Governor)
If you are concerned about the welfare of any pupil in the school then please call the school 'Safeguarding' line and leave a message ( 020 8985 7898 Option 4 ) or arrange an appointment to speak to: Headteacher -Jane Betsworth or Deputy Headteacher -Debi Cookhorn.
Or if you have a concern about a child that lives in Hackney, you can contact the First Response Team directly during office hours Monday -Friday 9am -5pm. (0208 356 5500)