Safeguarding is front and centre of all that we do at STM. Safeguarding is defined as protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of health and/or development, ensuring that children grow up in the provision of safe and effective care, and optimising children's life chances.
The school works in partnership with the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (HSCB) to safeguard the children in our care. We operate under the HSCB procedures and practice for all Hertfordshire agencies working with children and their families.
All staff are aware of their safeguarding duties but key roles include:
Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP) - Mrs J Perry (Headteacher)
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Person (DDSP) - Miss H Newton (Assistant Headteacher)
Safeguarding and Child Protection Governor - Mrs B Pykerman
Chair of Governors - Mrs C Gracie
SEND Governor - Mrs D Downing
Please find our Child protection and Safeguarding policy here
We understand that the internet is an incredible resource, overflowing with opportunities to gain knowledge, play games and interact with communities. It has rapidly become an essential tool for education, business and social interaction.
At STM, we strive to ensure that all pupils develop a growing awareness of the risks to safety that are online and what to do to remain safe when using the internet. The positives of the digital world overwhelmingly outweigh the negatives but children, school and parents all need to be aware of various online risks and what to do if they encounter them.. Online safety is therefore are regular feature of lessons (children), training (staff and governors) and Headteacher Newsletters (parents).
When children join the main school, we invite them to sign an Online Safety Agreement Form and Acceptable User policy. As they progress through the school their access to various types of technology increases, consequently their exploration and curiosity increases too. We are committed to supporting online safety awareness, both at school and at home.
National Online Safety
The online world is posing an ever-increasing risk to children, and it is important that schools, parents and carers work together to take an active role in teaching children about online dangers. Learning how to act safely when using the internet is an incredibly important part of safeguarding our children.
Many parents will be aware that St Thomas More School has shown our commitment to protecting our pupils online by working with National Online Safety agency. What you may not be aware of is that this involves providing resources for all parents and carers.
The resources include Parents & Carers courses, online video resources and weekly guides covering a huge range of topics, including:
• Online Relationships
• Fake Profiles & Social Bots
• Online Bullying
• Online Grooming
• Child Sexual Exploitation
• Sexual Harassment & Violence
• Sexting
• Live Streaming
• Online Identity
• Screen Addiction
• Online Challenges
• Overspending
• Social Media Platforms • Online Gambling
• Radicalisation, Terrorism & Extremism
• Age-Inappropriate Content
• Copyright & Ownership
• Hacking
• Fake News
• Online Fraud
• Online Reputation
• Personal Data
• Pornography
• Targeted Adverts & Pop-Ups
• The Dark Web
• Games & Trends
To create your account, please follow https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/st-thomas-more-catholic-primary-school-1 and complete your details. When you’re set up, you’ll be able to set ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type.
You can access National Online Safety online via any device- including via our brand-new smartphone app. To download the app, please go to:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/national-online-safety/id1530342372
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.nationaleducationgroup.nos
Alternatively, search for ‘National Online Safety’ in the App Store/Google Play Store.
Further Links:
Internet Matters: https://www.internetmatters.org/schools-esafety/primary/
NSPCC: http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
Childnet: http://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/what-do-i-need-to-know
Thinkuknow: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Primary/
The UK safer Internet Centre has guides for parental controls: http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parents-and-carers/parental-controls
Google ‘Advice for parents and carers on cyberbullying’ to find a Department for Education document which includes interesting information and further links:
Kidsmart: http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/parents/order.aspx
For further information, please contact Mrs J Perry, Headteacher and DSL.
St Thomas More School has signed up to Operation Encompass. This is a charitable organisation set up in 2011 by David and Elizabeth Carney-Haworth OBE (a police officer and school head teacher).who recognised the necessity for police to share timely information with schools in order that children can be supported at school following a domestic abuse they may have witnessed or been impacted by.
Key principles: ensuring that timely notifications of domestic abuse incidents are provided to safeguarding leads ;notifications enable schools to provide appropriate support for children impacted by domestic abuse; increasing safeguarding for children by enhanced information sharing between schools and police; assisting in reducing the impact by supporting children affected by domestic abuse at school. Please note that it is not the school's role to be evidence- gatherers or ask about the incident but simply be there for the children and provide support.
For further information, please contact Mrs J Perry, Headteacher and DSL.
The Prevent strategy aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. While it remains rare for children and young people to become involved in terrorist activity, they may be exposed to terrorist & extremist influences or prejudiced views from an early age. Like all safeguarding strategies, early intervention is preferable. Schools, working with families and local agencies, play a key role in ensuring young people and their communities are safe from the threat of terrorism.
St Thomas More School is subject to the Prevent Duty and is expected to demonstrate activity in the following areas:
Indicators: the early identification of safeguarding risks and subsequent intervention activity to protect and divert people away from the risks of radicalisation is a key element of the Prevent strategy. Following an assessment of Prevent activity within a school, key indicators may be identified which will require further intervention activity within the location.
Supportive Interventions: Prevent Interventions may take many forms - it may involve the police or an inter-partner agency. Children who are identified as being vulnerable to being drawn into any form of extremism that could lead to terrorist-related activity may be referred into Prevent for appropriate support.
Reporting concerns: there are a number of ways that issues relating to terrorism and extremism can be reported. including the following:
For further information, please contact Mrs J Perry, Headteacher and DSL.
