Safeguarding
At Chestnut Lane School the health, safety and wellbeing of every child is our paramount concern. We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is that children will enjoy their time as pupils in our school. We want to work in partnership with parents and guardians to help chiildren to achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution.
To promote a safe environment for pupils, our Safer Recruitment procedures include all checks on staff and regular volunteers’ suitability, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks, as recommended by Buckinghamshire Council in accordance with current legislation.
In accordance with our responsibilities under section 175 of the Education Act 2002, we have a Designated Safeguarding Lead who has received appropriate training for this role. It is her responsibility to ensure that all staff in contact with children receive child protection awareness training on a regular basis. She is supported by two Deputy Safeguarding Leads.
On rare occasions our concern about a child may mean that we have to consult with other agencies. Unless it is not safe for a child, we would always aim to achieve this with a parent's consent. The procedures we follow, have been laid down by the Local Safeguarding Children's Board, and the school has adopted a Child Protection Policy in line with this for the safety of all. The Child Protection Policy can be found in the policy section. If you want to know more about our procedures, please contact Mrs Rehal.
- Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs Gemma Rehal (Email: DSL@chestnutlane.bucks.sch.uk)
- Deputy Safeguarding Leads: Mrs Megan Harper & Mrs Sandeep Sanghera
- Child Protection Governor: Mr Tom Burkinshaw
If you have a safeguarding concern please contact Mrs Rehal via the school office on 01494 727415. Alternatively you may contact Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership.
Department for Education campaign - tackling child abuse
Buckinghamshire Council is supporting a national campaign by the Department for Education encouraging members of the public to report child abuse.
The campaign’s main message is that if you’re worried about a child or think their safety might be at risk, then it is important to tell someone. You don’t have to be absolutely certain about whether a child is being abused; if you have a feeling that something’s not right, talk to your local children’s social care team who can look into it.
Everyone has a role to play in helping to protect children. All children have a right to be safe and should be protected from all forms of abuse and neglect.
It is not just up to social services, doctors and the police to spot the signs of abuse and neglect. It is important that we all look out for children and young people within our community who may be experiencing abuse or neglect. Members of the public, and particularly other parents, are in a unique position to spot concerns among children with whom they have contact - which may not be apparent to professionals.
Some of the signs of abuse or neglect include changes in:
- Appearance - such as frequent unexplained injuries, consistently poor hygiene, matted hair, unexplained gifts, or a parent regularly collecting children from school when drunk
- Behaviour - such as demanding or aggressive behavior, frequent lateness or absence from school, avoiding their own family, misusing drugs or alcohol, or being constantly tired
- Communication - such as sexual or aggressive language, self-harming, becoming secretive and reluctant to share information or being overly obedient
A third of people who suspect child abuse, do nothing. Some people don’t act on their suspicions because they’re worried about being wrong. It is better to help children as early as possible so that action can be taken to help the child and support the family concerned.
In 2014/15 more than 400,000 children in England were supported because someone noticed they needed help.
If you suspect child abuse or neglect, get the number for your local authority:
For Buckinghamshire call the First Response Team:
or email:
