Under the Education Act 2002 (section 175/157), schools must “make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children”. 

At Seathorne Primary Academy, we will provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. We are committed to Safeguarding and actively encourage a strong culture of vigilance in this area.

The academy is alert to signs of abuse and neglect and will follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures to ensure that children receive appropriate and effective support and protection. Click here to access the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children's Partnership (LSCP) website.

Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. The staff will seek, in general, to discuss concerns with the parent/carer, and where possible inform them of the referral to Social Care.  This will only be done where such discussion will not place the child at increased risk of significant harm.

In accordance with local Information Sharing protocols, we will ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively.  Information will only be shared with other services where it is deemed necessary and proportionate to ensure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service.

The site specific document attached below sets out the arrangements for Safeguarding and Child Protection at Seathorne Primary Academy and should be read alongside the GAT Safeguarding Policy*.

Definition

It is important to see safeguarding as the “umbrella” term for everything that is done to support children and young people, to keep them safe and promote their welfare. ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026’ defines safeguarding as:

• providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
• protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online 
• preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network4 through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework5,6
  • Outcome 1: Children, young people and families stay together and get the help they need
  • Outcome 2: Children and young people are safe in and outside their homes
  • Outcome 3: Children and young people are supported by their family network
  • Outcome 4: Children in care and care leavers have stable, loving homes

Child protection is part of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and is defined for the purpose of this guidance as activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suspected to be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm. This includes harm that occurs inside or outside the home, including in foster care and residential care, as well as online. Effective safeguarding is anti-discriminatory and antiracist. Practitioners should understand and be sensitive to factors, including economic and social circumstances, ethnicity and disability, which can impact children and families’ lives. 

The welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989/2004)

• All children irrespective of their age, cultural background, disability, gender, language, racial origins, religious beliefs, sexual orientation have the right to be protected from abuse

Teaching our pupils about safeguarding

Seathorne Primary Academy promotes a culture where children feel confident to speak out if they have a concern about their own or another child’s safety. All children are either provided with a named- key-worker (e.g in EYFS) or are able to choose Listening Ears, trusted adults that work in school who they feel they are able to talk to. Children can ask to speak with their Listening Ears, or sometimes Listening Ears will arrange a regular meeting time for such conversations to take place.

Seathorne Primary Academy has designed a curriculum which uses a contextualised safeguarding review as its starting point. Staff plan specific teaching and learning opportunities that support the children and the contextual needs that may impact on such children living and growing up on the East Coast of Lincolnshire through a Values-based approach. Provision is mapped using curriculum progression routes from 1Decision, a Kitemarked assured programme for primary schools which supports statutory PSHE, and RSE for KS1 and KS2.

Provision is enhanced by accessing external agency support such as Childline or the NSPCC Learning Talk PANTS resources, LCC’s Max Respect workshops and Bikeability training. Staff are also provided with CPD in order to deliver age-appropriate sessions regarding sun, sea and water safety; online safety and consent.
 

Academy based contacts

Policies

Please see the attached documents and links below for further information.

Prevent Duty Guidance

Lincolnshire Policy for Children Missing in Education

Statutory Guidance for LAs and other groups for supporting Children who are Missing in Education