All staff receive appropriate training in Safeguarding and Child Protection to ensure that they are aware of the school’s procedures for child protection and their responsibilities.  We have a written policy and procedures for Child Protection complying with Local Authority guidance.  Bianca Willer-Smith (Deputy Head teacher for SEND and inclusion) leads the safeguarding team and the Designated Teachers for Safeguarding are Louise Nichols (Executive Headteacher), Karen Pedro (Headteacher) Jacqueline Thorton (Head of School) Lisa Clarke (Deputy Head teacher). The designated governor for Child Protection is Gillian Brady.  

What's a racist incident?

A racist incident is "any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person", according to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report (page 362, section 45.17).

When should you report a racist incident?

There's no specific legal requirement for schools to report racist incidents to any external bodies, whether they involve pupils or not – unless your local authority (LA) requires it, or the racist incident is a crime.

As a school we investigate all allegations of racism, we discuss the incident with those involved and the headteacher will decide whether further action is necessary. Red cards are given to children and discussions with parents held. Red card reasons are collated and reported to governors. Further action may involve work with individuals, classes or groups of staff or escalation to the police or local authority.

If parents or community members express anti equality views we discuss and aim to support change but ultimately will not tolerate racism or prejudice of any sort on our school site. School staff and children are entitled to work in a safe place free from discrimination.

In line with the DfE's Prevent Duty advice (June 2015) we are committed to actively promoting the fundamental British values of Democracy, the Rule of Law, Individual Liberty and Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those with different Faiths and Beliefs. Our core mission of diversity permeates all we do. We place a strong emphasis on the common values that all communities share such as self-respect, tolerance and the sanctity of life. We work hard to broaden our students' experience, to prepare them for life and work in contemporary Britain. We teach them  to respect and value the diversity around them as well as understanding how to make safe, well-considered decisions. We recognise that we have a responsibility to protect children from all forms of extremism and this forms an integral part of our Safeguarding Policy. This includes the use of internet filtering systems in school, to ensure children are safe from terrorist and extremist material when using the internet. If you have any concerns regarding radicalisation and extremism please contact one of our Safeguarding Officers (Louise Nichols, Karen Pedro, Jacqueline Thorton and Bianca Willer-Smith) at the school.

Please try and make appointments out of school hours if possible. If you have to collect your child during the school day for a medical or dental appointment, please provide an appointment card and let the office staff know.  

If your child has time off school for any reason, we need to know why. Our absence line is open from 8am and we have a policy of contacting parents /carers if we haven’t received a message by 10am.  If your child has a temperature or a more serious illness they may be too unwell to come into school. However, children who have a cough or cold can come to school. If we have no reason for absence, we will have to record the absence as unauthorised. If your child is absent for more than 3 days medical evidence will need to be provided.  

If your child becomes ill during the day they will be monitored and we will telephone you if we feel it is necessary to do so.  Any cuts and grazes resulting from normal play in the playground will be dealt with by our first aid trained staff.  Any bumps on the head will be reported to the child’s teacher and parents/carers will also be notified. We ensure that several members of staff have First Aid certificates and are fully qualified First Aiders. 

If a child is receiving on-going medication, parents are allowed to come into school by prior arrangement to administer this. Medication cannot be administered by school staff without prior agreement: please visit the school office to discuss this. Medicine and tablets must never be given to a child to be brought into school. Children with more complex or on-going medical needs will have a Health Care Plan written by our School Nurse - these need to be signed by parents/carers and relevant school staff. Please advise the school if there are any changes to your child’s health which the school should know about. 

Shortly after starting school our Reception children will see the School Nurse for a health check and parents/carers have the opportunity to discuss any worries that they may have with her.  If parents/carers or teachers have any concerns, they can request an appointment to see the School Nurse.  Health checks are carried out at various points during your child’s education. 

For the sake of safety we request that jewellery should not be worn to school, with the exception of small stud earrings and watches which may be worn at the owner’s risk. The Local Authority regulations state that all jewellery must be removed for P.E. 

Our fire bells are tested regularly and a fire drill is held each term to ensure the swift evacuation of the building.  If you are visiting in school and the alarm sounds, please leave by the nearest exit and meet in the Fire Assembly point in the KS2 playground. 

We regularly welcome  representatives from the local Fire Brigade who come to talk to the  children about Fire Safety. 

As part of our Travel Plan we have set a target to continue to increase the number of children walking and cycling to school.  We ask parents / carers to support us and ease traffic congestion by walking your child to school, or by encouraging them to scoot or cycle; this provides an ideal opportunity to teach your child about road safety and traffic awareness. There is a bike shed for bicycles to be kept in and an additional shed for scooters to be kept in. Zig-Zag lines are in force around the school so, if you do travel by car, please park well away from the school entrance for the sake of the safety of our pupils. Road Safety Officers visit the school on an annual basis to ensure that all children are aware of how to stay safe as pedestrians. As part of the Level 2 cycle training children in year 5 and 6 are taught how to cycle safely on quiet roads and about road safety awareness. Each year we organise for road safety workshops to be delivered to children in EYFS and KS1. 

Before and after school 

Parents/carers are responsible for children in the playground before the bell rings unless the child attended breakfast club and then the breakfast club staff are responsible for them. Please do not allow your children to ride bikes or scooters once in the playground at the beginning or end of the school day. Dogs are not allowed onto the school premises. 

During school hours 

We have very clear rules about behaviour and use of play equipment in the playground. Supervising adults are outside with the children every playtime and lunch time and additionally Playground buddies are present in the playgrounds to help ensure that playtimes are a happy time for all pupils. 

Our school building and grounds are a designated No Smoking area so we ask for your co-operation in extinguishing cigarettes before entering the site. 

The school was built or has been adapted with security of pupils and staff in mind including: 

• perimeter walls, fencing  and gates 

• fenced nursery playground for our youngest pupils 

• a sophisticated intruder alarm 

• a modern effective fire alarm system 

• door entry system with electronic signing in procedure for all visitors and staff 

• all staff wear ID badges at all times 

Although we want to have an open door policy we must balance this against the safety of pupils and staff and we request that parents / carers respect this.  

Any visitors to the school must sign in and out as a visitor and wear their badge at all times.  Our staff are trained to challenge anyone not following this practice, so we apologise in advance. 

At the beginning and end of each day there is always at least one member of staff at the school gates to make sure that children stay safely inside the school playground once they have been dropped off by parents in the morning and do not leave without an accompanying adult at the end of the day (unless they are Year 5 and 6 pupils  with permission to go home unaccompanied). 

As part of the national curriculum children cover age appropriate sex and relationship education. All parents/carers receive a letter before the subject is covered explaining the topic and how they are taught. We ask parents/carers to make an appointment to speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team if they have any questions about this. 

Years 5 and 6 also cover drug misuse through various outside agency input (e.g.  Young Hackney or the Police) 

We have good relationships with our local Police and community officers who attend some school events and are invited in to different classes to talk about a variety of topics. 

Children in Key Stage 2 receive swimming lessons at some point during the school year. They are accompanied by two members of staff who remain poolside during the lesson and closely supervise the children in the changing rooms. The children are taught to swim by fully trained instructors. These sessions form part of the children's statutory PE entitlement. 

All school trips involve the undertaking of a risk assessment and children in EYFS and KS1 wear high visibility vests  clearly identifying them as Grasmere Primary School pupils, on all educational trips.  

It is the responsibility of the whole school to ensure that school is a bullying free zone. We are proactive in promoting a caring and positive ethos between all members of the school community. We have an anti-bullying policy with very clear procedures in place in the event of an incident involving bullying. We have regular PSHE sessions, Circle Times and assemblies which cover social and emotional aspects of learning. Every year we hold an  anti-bullying week  and involve the children in anti-bullying questionnaires and competitions. 

E-Safety is taught as an integral part of the Computing Curriculum throughout a child's time at Grasmere as part of Digital Literacy programme of study. To maintain safe internet use in school we have clear rules for responsible use, which are covered with the children and are displayed in classrooms.  

We have filtering systems in place to prevent children at school accessing websites considered to be unsafe or inappropriate, and encourage parents and carers to recognise the importance of being aware of the online material and websites that their children are accessing at home. 

We have a team of Designated Safeguarding Leads who receive regular external training and updates regarding keeping children safe online. All staff receive regular safeguarding training which includes information about e-safety and cyberbullying 

Further information on how to help support e-safety at home is available for parents and carers on  this page.