Coronavirus –COVID-19 and Safeguarding At Wren Park

Purpose and Scope

This document has been established on 6^th April 2020. It is a supplement to the Safeguarding Policy in light of the Coronavirus pandemic during a time of school being closed to children other than children of Critical Key Workers and Vulnerable children.

In the light of a rapidly changing environment in school and National Emergency all reasonable and best endeavours will be made towards the Safety and Well-being of children and staff. Not every eventuality can be covered by the scope of this supplement at the time of writing.

Safeguarding Leaders at Wren Park

Vulnerable children:

Vulnerable children include those who have a social worker and those children and young people up to the age of 25 with education, health and care (EHC) plans.

Those who have a social worker include children who have a Child Protection Plan and those who are looked after by the Local Authority. A child may also be deemed to be vulnerable if they have been assessed as being in need or otherwise meet the definition in section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

Those with an EHC plan will be risk-assessed in consultation with the Local Authority and parents, to decide whether they need to continue to be offered a school place in order to meet their needs, or whether they can safely have their needs met at home. Many children and young people with EHC plans can safely remain at home.

Eligibility for free school meals in and of itself should not be the determining factor in assessing vulnerability.

Senior leaders, especially the Designated Safeguarding Lead (and deputy) know who our most vulnerable children are. They have the flexibility to offer a place to those on the edge of receiving children’s social care support. The management of infection control and minimising unnecessary travel and attendance in school will be significant in determining a placement.

Wren Park Primary School will continue to work with and support children’s social workers to help protect vulnerable children. This includes working with and supporting children’s social workers and the local authority virtual school head (VSH) for looked-after and previously looked-after children. The lead person for this will be: Alex Buckley.

There is an expectation that vulnerable children who have a social worker and on a CIN plan or Child Protection Plan will attend an education setting, so long as they do not have underlying health conditions that put them at risk as this will enable some monitoring of them and support. In circumstances where a parent does not want to bring their child to an education setting, and their child is considered vulnerable, the social worker and Wren Park Primary School will explore the reasons for this directly with the parent.  Where a child is in Foster Care then a decision will be made in consultation with the Social Worker as to a school placement. We will not undermine Government specific guidance but our main aim is to support the government in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and wherever possible where we believe a child is safe at home this will be encouraged as to do otherwise puts greater stress and risk upon school staff and essential Key Worker children who will need to attend school.

Where parents are concerned about the risk of the child contracting COVID19, Wren Park Primary School or the social worker will talk through these anxieties with the parent/carer following the advice set out by Public Health England. This will be based upon factual accuracy of how infection control and supervision is being delivered within the school setting at Wren Park.

Wren Park Primary School will encourage our vulnerable children and young people to participate in home learning and additional support may be offered to enable parents and children to access appropriate resources.

 Attendance monitoring:

Local authorities and education settings do not need to complete their usual day-to-day attendance processes to follow up on non-attendance with regards to vulnerable children. 

Wren Park Primary School and social workers will agree with parents/carers whether children in need should be attending school – Wren Park Primary School will then follow up on any pupil that they were expecting to attend, who does not. Wren Park Primary School will also follow up with any parent or carer who has arranged care for their child(ren) and the child(ren) subsequently do not attend. 

How will this look at Wren Park?

To support the above, Wren Park Primary School will, when communicating with parents/carers and carers, confirm emergency contact numbers are correct and ask for any additional emergency contact numbers where they are available. 

In all circumstances where a vulnerable child does not take up their place at school, or discontinues, Wren Park Primary School will notify their social worker.

Designated Safeguarding Lead:

• The Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Alex Buckley
• The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is: Gill Pettit

The optimal scenario is to have a trained DSL (or deputy) available on site during the time when school is open to children of Key Workers and Vulnerable children.  However in reality this will not always be the case as a skeleton staffing rota is most in keeping with government aims of minimising social contacts. When a trained DSL (or deputy) is not on site they will be available to be contacted via phone.

Where a trained DSL (or deputy) is not on site, attending teachers will assume responsibility for co-ordinating safeguarding on site and will contact the DSL for advice.

This might include liaising with children’s social workers where they require access to children in need and/or to carry out statutory assessments at the school.

It is important that all Wren Park  Primary School staff and other workers (for example Premier Sports- who deliver Breakfast Club) have access to a trained DSL (or deputy). On each day staff on site will be made aware of that person is and how to contact them.  

The DSL will continue to engage with social workers, and attend all multi-agency meetings, which can be done remotely e.g. virtual core group meetings.

Reporting a concern

Where staff have a concern about a child, they should continue to follow the process outlined in the school Safeguarding Policy, this includes making a report in the usual way.

In the unlikely event that a member of staff cannot make a report, they should email the Designated Safeguarding Lead. This will ensure that the concern is received.  Staff must be aware of GDPR Guidelines when sending the email.   

Staff are reminded of the need to report any concern immediately and without delay.

Where staff are concerned about an adult working with children in the school, they should report the concern to the Headteacher. If there is a requirement to make a notification to the Headteacher whilst away from school, this should be done verbally and followed up with an email to the Headteacher.

Concerns around the Headteacher should be directed to the Chair of Governors: Simon Chilvers.

Safeguarding Training and induction 

DSL training is very unlikely to take place whilst there remains a threat of the COVID 19 virus.

For the period COVID-19 measures are in place, a DSL (or deputy) who has been trained will continue to be classed as a trained DSL (or deputy) even if they miss their refresher training.

All existing school staff have had safeguarding training and have read part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (2019). The DSL should communicate with staff any new local arrangements, so they know what to do if they are worried about a child.

Where new staff are recruited, or new volunteers enter Wren Park Primary School, they will continue to be provided with a safeguarding induction. 

If staff are deployed from another education or children’s workforce setting to our school, we will take into account the DfE supplementary guidance on safeguarding children during the COVID-19 pandemic and will accept portability as long as the current employer confirms in writing that:-

 • the individual has been subject to an enhanced DBS and children’s barred list check

 • there are no known concerns about the individual’s suitability to work with children

 • there is no ongoing disciplinary investigation relating to that individual

Safer recruitment/volunteers and movement of staff

It remains essential that people who are unsuitable are not allowed to enter the children’s workforce or gain access to children. When recruiting new staff, Wren Park Primary School will continue to follow the relevant safer recruitment processes for their setting, including, as appropriate, relevant sections in part 3 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (2019) (KCSIE). 

In response to COVID-19, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has made changes to its guidance on standard and enhanced DBS ID checking to minimise the need for face-to-face contact.

In the unlikely event that  Wren Park Primary School are utilising volunteers during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to follow the checking and risk assessment process as set out in paragraphs 167 to 172 of KCSIE. Under no circumstances will a volunteer who has not been checked be left unsupervised or allowed to work in regulated activity.

Wren Park Primary School will continue to follow the legal duty to refer to the DBS anyone who has harmed or poses a risk of harm to a child or vulnerable adult. Full details can be found at paragraph 163 of KCSIE.

Wren Park Primary School will continue to consider and make referrals to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) as per paragraph 166 of KCSIE and the TRA’s ‘Teacher misconduct advice for making a referral’. 

During the COVID-19 period all referrals should be made by emailing:

• Misconduct.Teacher@education.gov.uk

Whilst acknowledging the challenge of the current National emergency, it is essential from a safeguarding perspective that any school is aware, on any given day, which staff/volunteers will be in the school, and that appropriate checks have been carried out, especially for anyone engaging in regulated activity. As such, Wren Park Primary School will continue to keep the single central record (SCR) up to date as outlined in paragraphs 148 to 156 in KCSIE. 

Online safety in School

Wren Park Primary School will continue to provide a safe environment, including online. This includes the use of an online filtering system. 

Where students are using computers in school, appropriate supervision will be in place. 

Children and online safety away from school

It is important that all staff who interact with children, including online, continue to look out for signs a child may be at risk. Any such concerns should be dealt with as per the Safeguarding Policy and where appropriate referrals should still be made to children’s social care and as required, the police.

Online teaching

Wren Park Primary School will ensure any use of online learning tools and systems is in line with privacy and data protection/GDPR requirements. Where this is not practically possible then the Headteacher will be involved in determining arrangements and minimising any breach of confidentiality and sharing of sensitive data.

Virtual Lessons (should Wren Park decide to do them- in the future)

• Below are some things to consider when delivering virtual lessons, especially where webcams are involved:
• No 1:1s, groups only
• Staff and children must wear suitable clothing, as should anyone else in the household.
• Any computers used should be in appropriate areas, for example, not in bedrooms; and the background should be blurred.
• The live class should be recorded so that if any issues were to arise, the video can be reviewed.
• Live classes should be kept to a reasonable length of time, or the streaming may prevent the family ‘getting on’ with their day.
• Language must be professional and appropriate, including any family members in the background.
• Staff must only use platforms provided by Wren Park to communicate with pupils (DOJO)
• Staff should record, the length, time, date and attendance of any sessions held.

Supporting children not in school

Wren Park Primary School is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all its Children and Young people. 

Where the DSL has identified a child to be on the edge of social care support they should ensure that a robust communication plan is in place for that child or young person. 

Details of this plan must be recorded, as should a record of contact being made. 

The communication plans can include; remote contact, phone contact, door-step visits. Other individualised contact methods should be considered and recorded. 

Wren Park Primary School and its DSL will work closely with all stakeholders to maximise the effectiveness of any communication plan. 

This plan must be reviewed regularly and where concerns arise, the DSL will consider any referrals as appropriate. 

The school will share safeguarding messages on its website and through email / DOJO. 

Wren Park Primary School recognises that school is a protective factor for children and young people, and the current circumstances, can affect the mental health of pupils and their parents/carers. Teachers at Wren Park Primary School need to be aware of this in setting expectations of pupils’ work where they are at home. 

Wren Park Primary School will ensure that where we care for children of critical workers and vulnerable children on site, we ensure appropriate support is in place for them.

Supporting children in school

Wren Park Primary School is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all its children. 

Wren Park Primary School will continue to be a safe space for all children to attend and flourish. The Headteacher will ensure that appropriate staff are on site and staff to pupil ratio numbers are appropriate, to maximise safety.  It should be noted that school provides childcare for key worker children and will not be following normal lessons or following the National curriculum. However, quality learning activities and creative experiences will be planned for each day where key worker children are in attendance.

Wren Park Primary School will refer to the Government guidance for education and childcare settings on how to implement social distancing and continue to follow the advice from Public Health England on handwashing and other measures to limit the risk of spread of COVID-19.

Wren Park Primary School will ensure that where we care for children of critical workers and vulnerable children on site, we ensure appropriate support is in place for them.

Peer on Peer Abuse

Wren Park Primary School recognises that during the closure a revised process may be required for managing any report of such abuse and supporting victims. 

Where a school receives a report of peer on peer abuse, they will follow the principles as set out in part 5 of KCSIE and of those outlined within of the Safeguarding Policy.

The school will listen and work with the young person, parents/carers and any multiagency partner required to ensure the safety and security of that young person.

Concerns and actions must be recorded and appropriate referrals made.

This guidance will be subject to review as necessary following any significant changes in Government strategy / provision during the response to COVID-19

AB 6/4/20