Safeguarding

It is incredibly important that our school commity- school adults and familes - are assertive and curious about child welfare and safety. Our staff in school are trained to look out for signs of concern and report any changes, patterns, trends or incidents to safeguarding leaders for the best interest of the child.

Sometimes this is an uncomfortable and intrusive process, however, our committment to supporting children and familes is uncompromising. 

We strive to work in partnerships with the school community in keeping children safe, and as such, ask that information is shared freely with school to assist us in supporting our children and families. Any information shared with school will be treated with the utmost professionalism and empathy. Information will be considered and acted upon under the guidance of the government legislation- Keeping children Safe in Education- and under the advice from the local authority safeguarding team- please note, we cannot promise to keep any information private within school, as we must act in the best interest of the children, however, we do promise that any information will be dealt with sensitively.

Imformation can be shared with school, or should you have a concern and wish to act out of school hours, information can be discussed directly with the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub via phone on 0114 273 4855. Further information can be found  via www.safeguardingsheffieldchildren.org

It is our aim to ensure all families and young people get the support they need to thrive in the community, and this may require working with our partners in early help, social care, or safeguarding.

 

Safeguarding and Education
Safeguarding is much more than a set of policies  and professional practice; it is culture and way of thinking which runs through our everyday life at school, and within our curriculum. Safeguarding is taught and promoted throughout the curriculum, sometimes as themes and areas of exploration within Chatroom sessions, support during unstructured time, assemblies, and within relational practice, alongside more explicit teaching within our Life Lessons on a Wednesday afternoon. Here, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, recognise signs of danger and learn how to support themsleves and those around them. This may be practical skills such as crossing roads, hygiene, and online presence, aswell as more neuanced learning such as healthy relationships, social awareness, access to support and online communication.
 
Halfway Juniors Safeguarding Team
  • Mr P Walker - Head of School and Safeguarding Lead
  • Mrs D Shepherd - Executive Head Teacher and Safeguarding Deputy 
  • Miss L White - Assistant Head Teacher and Safeguarding Deputy 
  • Miss G Marklew - SENDCO and Safeguarding Deputy 
If you are worried about any child, or have any concerns you would like to discuss with them, please speak to them in person or contact them via the school office.
 
Everyone has a responsibility for Safeguarding children and young people.  Anyone who comes in to contact with children and families has a role to play.

 

Safeguarding legislation and government guidance states that safeguarding means

  • protecting children from maltreatment
  • preventing impairment of children's health or development
  • ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
  • taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcome

 

If you have any concerns regarding the Safeguarding of a child click here for advice.

 

Please click here to access the Department for Education's Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.

 

Another source of advice is also available from the NSPCC website, please click here to find out more.

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Files
Safeguarding policy front sheet.pdf .pdf
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Safeguarding policy 2025.pdf .pdf

As a school we use the NSPCC resource 'PANTS' to teach children about healthy relationships.

More information about these lessons and resources can be found here.

Operation Encompass

As a school we are part of Operation Encompass. This is a police and education early information sharing partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse.

 

Click here for more details.