Upton House is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, along with their protection and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Introduction

The safety and well-being of every pupil at Upton House is of paramount importance.  Every child has the right to grow up and live in a safe environment.  All staff have a duty to protect pupils from abuse and bullying and to promote their well-being.

Every member of staff should read this code of conduct in conjuction with Upton's policy on Safeguarding Children, policy for Pupils on Confidentiality, Recruitment, Selection and Disclosure Policy and Procedure and Supervision of Children policy.  See also Staff Handbook for further details of teaching staff expectations Appendix to Section A3.

Safer Recruitment

Upton House follows the Government's guidelines for the safer employment of staff who work with children.  We obtain enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) certificates on all new members of staff, temporary staff, visiting and peripatetic staff, contractors' employees such as catering staff, who work unsupervised in the school.  The Council of Management and parent helpers who have regular unsupervised access to children are also required to have up to date CRB certificates.  More details are set out in our Recruitment, Selection and Disclosure Policy and Procedure and the Supervision of Children policy.

New staff and members of the Council of Management receive child protection training as part of thier induction process.  This training is repeated at no more than three yearly intervals.

Child Protection Officer

The Headmistress is Upton's Child Protection Officer (CPO).  She has been fully trained for the demands of this role and inter-agency working.  She regularly attands courses with other child support agencies to ensure that she remains conversant with best practice.  She under goes refresher training evey two years and maintains close links with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) for Berkshire.  She reports at least once a year to the Council of Management's Safeguarding Officer on child protection issues.

The school's records on child protection are kept locked in the school office and are separated from routine pupil records.  Access is restricted to the Headmistress.

Promoting Awareness

Our curriculum and pastoral systems, enhanced by the house system and School Council, are designed to foster the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all our pupils.  All our teaching staff play a vital role in this process, helping to ensure that all of our pupils relate well to one another and feel safe and comfortable within the school.  We expect all the teaching and medical staff to lead by example and to play a full part in promoting the awareness that is appropriate to their age amongst all our pupils on issues relating to health, safety and well-being.  All the staff, including all non-teaching staff, have an important role in insisting that our pupils always adhere to the standards of behaviour set out in our behaviour policy and enforcing our anti-bullying policy.

Time is allocated in PSHE, form time and School Council time to discussions of what constitutes appropriate behaviour and on why bullying and lack of respect for others is never right.  Assemblies, drama and RE lessons are used to promote tolerance and mutual respect and understanding. We promote the safe use of the Internet and mobile phones, inside and outside of school (see our policy on Acceptable Use of the Internet) and hold an annual parent evening on Internet safety, as well as children's workshops with the organisation Childnet.

Interaction with Pupils

In general, pupils should be encouraged to discuss with their parents or guardians issues that are toubling them.

Staff need to ensure that their behaviour does not inadvertently lay them open to allegations of abuse.   They need to treat all pupils with respect and try, as far as possible, not to be alone with a child or young person.  Where this is not possible, for example, in an instrumental music lesson or a sports coaching lesson, it is good practice to ensure that others are within earshot.  Where possible, a gap or barrier should be maintained between teacher and child at all times.  Any physical contact should be the mimimum required for care, instruction or restraint.

Communication with Pupils

Staff should not give their personal mobile phone number to pupils, not should they communicate with them by text message or personal email.  If they need to speak to a pupil by telephone, they should use one of the school's  telephones.  The trip/group organiser on all trips and visits involving an overnight stay should take a school mobile telephone with him/her.

Physical Restraint

Any physical restraint is only permissable when a child is in imminent danger of inflicting an injury on himself/herself or on another, and then only as a last resort, when all efforts to diffuse the situation have failed.  Another member of staff should, if possible, be present to act as a witness.  All incidents of the use of physical restraint should be recorded in writing and reported immediately to the Headmistress who will decide what to do next.

If a Pupil Reports Abuse

Pupils who have a problem may speak to someone whom they trust.  It is important that the member of staff sets the boundaries firmly at the outset of such a conversation, making it clear that no one can offer absolute confidentiality.  A pupil who is insitent upon confidentiality should be referred to an external source, such as ChildLine.  If the pupil is only prepared to speak if absolute confidentiality is guaranteed, the member of staff should terminate the conversation at that point.  The adult should provide the CPO with a written account of what has transpired as a matter of urgency.

If a pupil decides to speak to a member of staff about the fact that either he/she, or a pupil known to them, is being bullied, harassed and abused the member of staff should:

• React professionally and remember that they are not carrying out an investigation (which is a task for specialists)
• Take what the child says seriously and calmly without becoming emotionally involved
• Make it clear why unconditional confidentiality cannot be offered (drawing on the policy for pupils on confidentiality issues as necessary)
• Explain that any adult member of staff is obliged to inform the CPO, if child protection or safeguarding issues are involved, in order that specialist help can be arranged
• Encourage the pupil to speak directly to the CPO
• Explain that only those who have a professional "need to know" will be told and, if appropirate, measures will be set up to protect the pupil from retaliation and further abuse
• Reassure the child that he or she was right to tell and that he/she is not to blame for having been bullied or abused
• Allow the child to tell his or her own story without asking detailed or leading questions
• Record what has been said
• Inform the Headmistress as soon as possible - at least by the end of the morning/afternoon session of that day
• Inform the Headmistress immediately in cases where abuse from a member of staff is alleged or if the incident happened inside the school or on a school trip (if the Headmistress if unavailable, or is involved, the Chairman of the Council of Management should be told immediately)

Where there are evident signs of physical injury, that may (or may not) be the result of abuse or bullying, medical help should be summoned or the pupil should be taken to the medical room.  In serious cases the Police should be informed from the outset.

Action to Protect the Child

Information about possible abuse may come to a member of staff in several ways - direct allegation from a child that has been abused, through a friend, relative or other child, through a child's behaviour or through observation of an injury to the child.

In the case of an allegation being made by the child concerned or by a third party it is important to remember that:

• Defendants have been acquitted where leading questioning or inappropriate investigation has been proven.
• It is vital that subsequent enquiries should not be prejudiced by detailed questioning in school.

The Headmistress will consider how best to support and monitor the pupil concerned through any process of investigation, liaising closely with parents, carers, Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) or other agencies involved to identify the support strategies that will be appropriate.

Whistle-Blowing

If a teacher or member of staff has concerns about the behaviour of another member of staff towards a pupil, he or she should report it at once to the Headmistress.  Any concern will be thoroughly investigated under the school's whistle-blowing procedures.  If there is eveidence of criminal activity, the police will always be informed.  Wherever possible, and subject to the rights of the pupil, the member of staff will be informed of the outcome of the investigation.  No one who reports a genuine concern in good faith needs to fear retribution.

Confidentiality

A member of staff who uses the whistle-blowing procedure is entitled to have his/her name protected from being disclosed by the Headmistress to the alleged perpetrator without his/her prior approval.  However, it has to be recognised that his/her evidence may be required by the police to be used in any criminal proceedings.

Where a Member of Staff Has Concerns About a Pupil

If a teacher or other member of staff has concerns about any pupil or incident that touches upon child protection issues he or she should report them as soon as possible to the Headmistress

Parents

In general, we believe at Upton that parents should be informed about any concerns regarding their chilldren.  It is important that we are honest and open in our dealing swith them.  However, concerns of this nature must be referred to the Headmistress who will decide on the appropriate response.  In a very few cases, it may not be right to inform them of our concerns immediately as that action could prejudice any investigation or place the child at further risk.  In such cases advice will be sought from the LSCB.

Remember

Your aim should be to establish as quickly as possible the details of the injury or abuse.  Questioning should be brief and gentle using open rather than closed questions.  Keep a note of what you heard and saw.

BETTER STILL..... with care and sensitivity, pass the pupil to the Headmistress immediately.

Safeguarding is always our top priority.

A School Council made up of appointed and elected pupils meet regularly to discuss whole school issues.