Safeguarding
Keeping children safe in education is our priority
At Christ Church Academy, the health, safety and welfare of our children are of paramount importance to us. We respect our pupils and want to provide them with a stimulating and safe environment that encourages them to do their best.
Should any parent, carer or member of the community have any safeguarding concerns please contact our Designated Safeguarding lead Leanne Grimshaw at the school on 01274 410349 or you can make a direct referral to social care on 01274 435600
Role of the designated safeguarding lead
Leanne Grimshaw is appointed to the role of designated safeguarding lead at Christ Church Academy. She is assistant Head Teacher and part of the senior leadership team.
Leanne Grimshaw (DSL) takes lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety) and this is explicit in her job description.
The role of the designated safeguarding lead carries a significant level of responsibility, and as such she is given the additional time, funding, training, resources and support needed to carry out the role effectively.
Additional responsibilities include providing advice and support to other staff on child welfare, safeguarding and child protection matters, taking part in strategy discussions and inter-agency meetings, and/or supporting other staff to do so, and contributing to the assessment of children.
Deputy designated safeguarding leads
At Christ Church Academy we have a number of deputy designated safeguarding leads. Deputies are trained to the same standard as the designated safeguarding lead and the role is explicit in their job description.
Whilst the activities of the designated safeguarding lead can be delegated to appropriately trained deputies, the ultimate lead responsibility for child protection, as set out above, remains with the designated safeguarding lead, this lead responsibility should not be delegated.
In order to keep our children safe at school we
- ensure that all our staff – through their induction and on-going training – have a clear understanding of their responsibilities towards our children’s safeguarding
- make sure that we have a range of clear and up to date policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety and protection of our pupils in all aspects of school life
- ensure that we teach our pupils how to keep themselves healthy and safe – in and out of school
- ensure that we audit our safeguarding practices regularly so we remain vigilant
Staff with key safeguarding responsibilities
- Our designated safeguarding leader is our Assistant Headteacher, Miss Grimshaw
- Mrs Foster, our Headteacher, oversees safeguarding in our school and is informed of all safeguarding matters within school
- Our other named persons are: Mrs Nightingale, Mrs Conroy and Mrs Best
- The School Business Manager, Mr Chell, is responsible for all aspects of site health and safety alongside Mrs. Foster (Headteacher)
- Miss Grimshaw – Designated Teacher of looked after and previously looked after children
Values
The term ‘safeguarding’ encompasses the whole range of issues. It starts with our Christian and British Values that we instill in our children from their first day at Christ Church Academy. Values such as tolerance, trust and compassion – alongside friendship, mutual respect and kindness means that we have an open and honest atmosphere at school, where children are nurtured and taught that they are able to confide in any adult if they are worried about anything.
Behaviour
We have very clear expectations of our children’s behaviour and a set of school rules that are regularly discussed in class and whole school assemblies. In addition at the beginning of each year, children discuss with their Class teachers their own classroom rules and they are expected to follow them. Our Home School Agreement also plays a vital part in connecting parents and families at home with the behaviour expectations we wish to see in school. Our children learn from an early age that bullying in any form is not tolerated and that we expect our staff to act as exemplary role models.
For further information please see our Behaviour Policy
Inclusion And Equality
The school has a commitment to equality and accessibility for all and we believe that everyone should be treated with care and respect. Our children are explicitly taught that any form of discrimination on grounds of race, religion, sexuality or disability is wrong. In our weekly circle time, BASE, PHSCE, our RE lessons and assemblies we explore different ideas, cultures, faiths and beliefs to broaden our pupil’s awareness of the world and we teach tolerance and mutual respect.
Safeguarding in our curriculum
In addition to teaching our children about behaviour and attitudes, we also equip them with a range of practical learning via the curriculum to help keep them safe and healthy throughout their lives. We have designed a ‘safeguarding curriculum’ which will teach the children that they can be responsible for their own safeguarding and that there are many people who they can trust to help them if they are ever worried or scared about anything. We teach them day-to-day strategies for staying safe, from the importance of washing their hands and being hygenic, to protecting themselves from cyber-bullying or other forms of abuse.
From Key Stage 1 our children are taught about the importance of staying safe on line. At Christ Church Academy – we have very clear E-safety guidelines for both staff and children and everyone signs an Acceptable Use Agreement before they use a computer. As this is a constantly changing world, we try to provide children and parents with as much up-to-date information as we can about practical ways to be safe on the internet and E-safety teaching is incorporated regularly into all ICT lessons.
For more information please see our Online Safety Policy
First Aid and Medical Needs
In addition to safeguarding and child protection training, a number of our teachers and teaching assistants have first aid and paediatric first aid qualifications.
First Aid co-coordinator – Miss K Bellwood
Mental Health First Aid co-coordinators
Staff Mental Health First Aider – Mrs. Foster
Student Mental Health First Aiders – Mrs. Grimshaw, Miss Bellwood and Mrs. Nightingale
Volunteers And Visitors
We also make sure that any volunteer or visitor to school – which includes the staff who run our after school clubs – visits the School office to sign in and read school information on safeguarding. Volunteers and visitors are not be left unsupervised with any children at any time unless they are regular volunteers who have completed a DBS check. All visitors and volunteers are asked to read Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020. Our Volunteer co-coordinator is Miss Grimshaw.
Site Safety
Ensuring that the school site is safe and risk assessed is the responsibility of our Business Manager. We have a comprehensive Health and Safety policy to ensure that our premises are safe for all. This includes undertaking risk assessments for all school activities (including Friends events) and trips, as well as for aspects of the site.
Operation Encompass
Our school is part of Operation Encompass which is a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced domestic abuse.
Please click the link for more information. OE-School-to-Parent-letter-2021
Attendance
Attendance comes under the safeguarding umbrella. We follow our attendance policy which is linked below. Christ Church Academy is part of the ‘Bradford attendance charter’ which means we work closely with Bradford council to ensure all children can attend school.
Our vision in Bradford is that no child will be a “persistent absentee”. A persistent absentee is a child who is absent from school for 10% or more, the equivalent of missing half a day of school each week, and who will struggle to maintain the same levels of academic process as a child who attends every lesson. (Bradford council attendance webpage)
The school recognises the great importance of regular attendance and the clear impact that absence has upon a pupil’s learning. It sets challenging attendance targets each year and both schools share a clear attendance policy. Term and holiday dates are notified to parents well in advance. Additional days during the year for staff training and development (INSET) will also be notified as far in advance as is possible.
Absence
Holidays should not be taken during term time. Where absence is wanted during school time, it is important to request authorisation from the school in advance.
Details of the planned absence should be sent to the school office. Government legislation means that no requested absence is to be authorised unless in exceptional circumstances. Significant unauthorised absence may trigger involvement of the education welfare service, or if extensive, a fixed penalty notice. There are clear links between attendance and achievement and taking time off school will disadvantage your child’s learning.
Sickness/Appointments
Where it is at all possible please make appointments for dentist, doctor, etc. outside school hours to avoid disruption and time missed at school. Please note that children arriving in school after such appointments and after registration are classed as absences. Other absence from school should be notified on the first day with a note or telephone call explaining reasons.
Children should be kept at home for a full 48 hours after any bout of sickness or diarrhoea has ended to ensure symptoms have cleared and also to prevent illness from spreading.
Further Safeguarding Information From Ofsted
For further information about keeping children safe in school, you can download two documents from Ofsted on our ‘policies’ section of our website (Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023).
USEFUL INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
For information, advice and service for young people and families click on the following links:
NSPCC Learn the underwear rule
Click here to open a great leaflet produced by the NSPCC about how to talk to your child in simple language about keeping safe from abuse. It’s called Talk Pants And You’ve Got It Covered.
Educate Against Hate
is a website recently launched as a tool for parents and schools to help protect children from the risk of radicalisation. You can access the new site here.
Toilet Training
Safeguarding Policy
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Keeping children safe in education 2025
Intimate Care Policy
Attendance Policy