Reporting a concern

If you have any concerns about a child or family, please don't hesitate to contact school and ask to speak to one of our Designated Safeguarding Leads.

Our Designated Safeguarding Leads are:

• Mrs Sharon Grant (Headteacher)
• Mrs Joanne Ramshaw (Deputy Headteacher)
• Mrs Rachel Cunningham (Family Worker)
• Mrs Charlotte Allen (EYFS Lead)
• Miss Jessica Milonas (Class Teacher)

We work within the framework of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 and use this as a basis for developing our own Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which is available on our Policies page.

Please read the following ACT and Prevent information pages that inform you of how Collingwood Primary aims to keep our children safe from being drawn into terrorism and extremism. These government strategies run concurrently with our Safeguarding polices which can be found on our policy page.

ACT Early

THE impact of Covid-19, social isolation and a rise in hateful extremism online is creating a ‘perfect storm’ which is making more young people vulnerable to radicalisation and other forms of grooming. But parents, friends and families can now get specialist support to stop their loved ones being drawn into harmful activities or groups, with the launch of ACT Early - a new dedicated safeguarding website and advice line from the specialists at Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP). This new resource will provide advice, guidance and support for anyone who is concerned that someone they know may be at risk from being radicalised by terrorists or extremist content online. Between 1^st January 2019 and 30^th June 2020, 17 children have been arrested in relation to terrorism offences. Some were as young as 14 years old, while nearly all will have been radicalised entirely online. In the same time period, more than 1500 children under the age of 15 were helped by the Prevent programme to choose a different path, away from hatred and violence. 

Prevent is just that – a preventative programme, delivered locally by teachers, healthcare practitioners, social workers, the police, charities, and religious leaders. It places protection around people vulnerable to radicalisation, stopping them from being drawn into terrorism – regardless of the ideology. It works in a similar way to safeguarding processes designed to protect people from gangs, drug abuse, and sexual exploitation. And with Covid-19 preventing regular access to schools, social workers and mental health support, specialists at CTP are concerned that people who need help are not getting it - which makes it more important for friends and family to use the new ACT Early resources to understand what might be happening to their loved one and what support Prevent can provide.

If you are worried that someone you know is being radicalised, visit Prevent Radicalisation and Extremism by Acting Early 
For help and advice visit www.actearly.uk, or call the national Police Prevent Advice Line on 0800 011 3764, in confidence, and specially trained Prevent officers will listen carefully to your concerns.

PREVENT strategy

HM Government has published guidance for authorities, including schools, on their responsibilities under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, which came into effect on 1 July 2015.  Under the Act, schools and other authorities have a duty to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.

Prevent is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist or extremist causes.  The Prevent strategy covers all types of terrorism and extremism, including the extreme right wing, violent groups and other causes.

How does the Prevent strategy apply to schools?

From July 2015 all schools (as well as other organisations) have a duty to safeguard children from radicalisation and extremism.   This means we have a responsibility to protect children from extremist and violent views the same way we protect them from other dangers.  Importantly, we can provide a safe place for pupils to discuss these issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.

What does this mean in practice?

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive, happy members of society also contribute to the Prevent strategy.

These include:

• Exploring other cultures and religions and promoting diversity.
• Challenging prejudices and racist comments.
• Developing critical thinking skills and a strong, positive self-identity.
• Promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, as well as British values such as democracy.

Child Protection and Safeguarding policy

• Safeguarding Policy Sept 2023

• Internet Safety At Virgin Media O2, we want internet users of all ages to enjoy all the wonderful things the web has to offer, safely. That’s why our experts have created a children’s internet safety test to help build awareness for parents and children of all ages to ensure they are better protected online.