Urchfont Church of England Primary School

EQUA Trust

Safeguarding

At Urchfont C of E Primary School, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. It is not just about policies and procedures—it is about making sure every child feels safe, valued, and able to flourish. Guided by our six Christian values — respect, compassion, perseverance, joy, wisdom, and courage — we nurture the whole child, encourage every individual to reach their potential, and ensure integrity guides all our decisions in keeping children safe.

We take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously, and all staff, governors, volunteers, and supply staff have the required checks and training to work with children. Children know they are listened to, valued, and cared for in our school community.


Roles and Responsibilities

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

  • Catherine Groves (Head Teacher)
  • safeguarding@urchfont.equamead.org

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

  • Kelly Arnold (Admin Officer)
  • safeguarding@urchfont.equamead.org

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

  • Fiona Underwood (Assistant Head Teacher)
  • safeguarding@urchfont.equamead.org

Safeguarding Governor

  • Ian Walker
  • chair@urchfont.equamead.org

 

Our Approach

  • We follow Wiltshire Safeguarding procedures and statutory DFE guidance.
  • We have clear policies, including our Child Protection Policy.
  • We provide Early Help to support families at the earliest stage.
  • We work in partnership with other agencies where there are concerns about a child’s safety.

Whistleblowing & Allegations

All staff are expected to uphold the highest professional standards. If you have concerns about a member of staff or volunteer:

  • Contact the Head Teacher: Catherine Groves
  • If your concern is about the Head Teacher, contact the Chair of Governors: Ian Walker

All concerns are taken seriously and investigated in line with Wiltshire Safeguarding procedures.

Child-on-Child Abuse & Bullying

Every child has the right to feel safe and respected by their peers. Our policies make clear our expectations around respectful behaviour, and we act promptly if issues arise, including:

  • Bullying (including online/cyberbullying)
  • Child-on-child abuse
  • Sexual harassment or harmful sexual behaviour

We work closely with pupils, families, and external agencies to support all involved.

Safeguarding Training

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. To ensure our staff are confident and up to date:

  • All staff receive annual safeguarding and child protection training.
  • Regular updates are shared throughout the year.
  • Governors, volunteers, and supply staff are briefed on safeguarding procedures.

Raising a Concern

If you are worried about a child at Urchfont:

  • Speak immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or one of the Deputy DSLs (DDSL).
  • Out of school hours (evenings, weekends and holidays), contact Wiltshire Integrated Front Door: 0300 456 0108
  • In an emergency, always call 999

ENCOMPASS

All Wiltshire schools have been given the opportunity to take part in this project that will run jointly between schools and Wiltshire Police: ENCOMPASS is the reporting to schools, by the next school day, when a child or young person has been affected by a domestic incident. This is initiative has been developed to support children and young people and their families.

ENCOMPASS will ensure that a member of the school staff, known as a Key Adult, will be shared the information in confidence, while ensuring that the school is able to make provision for possible difficulties experienced by children, or their families, who have been involved in, affected or exposed to a domestic abuse incident. This initiative allows us to offer the best support possible to all our pupils.

The Key Adult at this school is Catherine Groves.

Online Safety

Children today spend much of their lives online. At school, we:

  • Teach children to use technology safely, responsibly, and respectfully.
  • Reinforce online safety through assemblies, curriculum lessons, and special events.
  • Provide guidance for parents to help keep children safe at home.
  • Use filtering and monitoring systems to safeguard pupils on school devices and networks.

Prevent Duty

As part of Urchfont’s commitment to safeguarding and child protection we fully support the government’s Prevent Strategy, and prevent children from being radicalised.

The Prevent Strategy is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists, supporting terrorism, fundamentalism or extremist behaviours.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

FGM is a form of child abuse and is illegal in the UK. All staff are trained to recognise signs of FGM.

Early Help

We believe in acting early. Our Early Help Offer ensures children and families receive the right support at the right time.

Safer Recruitment

We follow strict safer recruitment procedures to ensure that all adults working or volunteering are suitable to work with children. This includes:

  • Enhanced DBS checks
  • Reference checks
  • Verification of identity, qualifications and employment history
  • Ongoing safeguarding training and induction for all staff and volunteers

Useful Links

Here are some websites and telephone numbers that may be useful to parents.

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