Safeguarding

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 

STM Safeguarding Statement

To ensure that all our pupils are safe and feel safe, we regard the protection of children as the
highest priority for St Thomas More School. Our ethos underpins the day-to-day management of
school resources and environment, so that all members of the school community can feel secure
and valued. We will strive to serve our children and the wider school community, regardless of age,gender, race, culture or disability, by providing an inclusive education of the highest quality withinthe context of our faith and practice.
 
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.


Our Safeguarding Policy forms part of a suite of documents and policies which relate to the
statutory and moral responsibilities of the school. In particular, this policy should be read in
conjunction with our Recruitment Policy, Behaviour Management Policy and Anti- Bullying Policy.
Safeguarding procedures apply to all members of the school community and beyond. These include: all staff, including supply teachers and kitchen staff, volunteers and ‘parent helpers, work experience students, before/after school club leaders, trip/off site leaders, coach drivers, swimming instructorrs, any other person in contact with our children
Our School safeguarding strategy complies with the Department of Education (DfE) guidance for
schools: Keeping Children Safe in Education.

At St Thomas More School we play a crucial role in:
            • Protecting children from abuse
            • Identifying signs and symptoms of abuse
            • Recording and monitoring incidents, issues and concerns over time, through including
liaison with external agencies
            • Protecting children and young people from maltreatment
            • Preventing impairment of children and young people’s health or development
            • Ensuring that children and young people are growing up in circumstances consistent
with the provision of sage and effective care
            • Undertaking that role so as to enable those children and young people to have
optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully


Our Safeguarding procedures cover:Pupils’ health and safety, Bullying, Racist abuse, Harassment and discrimination, Use of physical intervention, Meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditionns,  Providing first aid, Drug and substance misuse,  Educational visits, Intimate care, Internet safety, Issues which may be specific to a local area or population, for example gang activity, School security

We also have the following policies related to safeguarding: Child Protection including Management of allegations against staff, Behaviour, Anti-Bullying, Health and Safety, Harassment and Discrimination, Online Safety and data security,  Drug Education, Pupils with Medical Conditions, Equal Opportunities, Extended school/before and after school activities, PSHE, Sex and Relationships Education, Recruitment and Selection,  Physical Intervention, Whistle Blowing, Work Placement


At St Thomas More School we are committed to protecting all our pupils from harm. The
leadership team place the highest priority on responding quickly and effectively to any concerns
about the wellbeing of pupils.
We ensure that:
• There is a designated senior person (DSL) for child protection who has received appropriate
training and support for this role;
• There is a nominated governor responsible for child protection;
• Every member of staff (including temporary and supply staff and volunteers) and governing
body knows the name of the designated senior person responsible for child protection and
their role;
• All staff and volunteers understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and that
they have specific responsibility in being alert to the signs of abuse and responsibility for
referring any concerns to the designated senior person responsible for child protection;
• Parents have an understanding of the responsibility placed on the school and staff for child
protection by setting out its obligations in the school prospectus;
• Children’s Safeguarding and Social Care is notified if there is an unexplained absence of a
pupil who is on the child protection register;
• Effective links are made with relevant agencies and co-operate as required with their
enquiries regarding child protection matters including attendance at case conferences;
• Written records of concerns about children are kept even where there is no need to refer
the matter immediately;
• Safer recruitment practices are always followed:
St Thomas More School carries out all specified recruitment and vetting checks on
intended new appointees, particularly identity and qualifications checks, List 99 and, where
relevant, Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks and right to work in England checks.
The Single Central Record is updated every time a new member of staff is appointed. It is
stored in the SBM’s office in a locked cupboard. It shows that all the required checks have
been carried out for all adults working in the school according to the current Vetting and
Barring requirements.

The Governing Body fully accepts its accountability for ensuring that the school has effective
policies and procedures in place in accordance with the DCSF guidance. It regularly monitors the School’s compliance with these requirements
This statement was last reviewed in October 2023. It will next be reviewed in October 2024.

Please find our Child protection and Safeguarding policy here

Online Safety

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.

Operation Encompass

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.

Prevent Strategy

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.